Skincare for Female Athletes: What You Need to Know

This week, our guest expert is Louise Thomas, (left) who has been a hands-on skin therapist for over 30 years and the founder of Louise Thomas Skin Care. 

Here, Louise applies her specialist knowledge to skincare for active women by sharing her golden rules and how to approach common issues - without needing a shelf full of products.

PLUS: Louise is kindly extending CurraNZ customers a first-time 15% discount on her stunning product range -  details further down the page.

Louise writes:
If you’re a woman who trains hard, competes often, or simply enjoys moving her body, you’ll know that your skin can sometimes feel like it's taking a hit. Sweat, friction, UV exposure, dehydration, hormonal shifts, and the relentless pace of an active lifestyle all affect your skin - often in ways that aren’t talked about enough.

I’ve seen how important it is to take a tailored, intelligent approach to skincare - especially for active women. Your skin doesn’t need a shelf full of products. But it does need the right support for the unique demands you put it through.

Let’s break it down.

1. Sweat is natural - but it needs managing

Sweat isn’t the enemy. It helps regulate body temperature and can even support detoxification. But trapped sweat, combined with tight clothing, sunscreen, and makeup, can cause irritation, blocked pores, and breakouts - especially around the hairline, jawline, chest, and back.

What helps:

• Use a gentle, pH-balanced cleanser, like our product, The Cleanser, that respects your skin barrier but effectively removes sweat, SPF, and debris. Harsh cleansers will only strip your skin and cause rebound oiliness or sensitivity.
  
  

• Always cleanse post-workout - even if you’re not showering right away, a quick rinse or micellar cleanse is better than letting sweat dry into the skin.
  
  

2. Barrier function is everything

Training - especially outdoors or in air-conditioned gyms - can put your skin under environmental stress. Add in frequent cleansing and friction from helmets, straps or towels, and the skin barrier can become compromised. This shows up as dryness, redness, flaking or even perioral dermatitis.

What helps:

• Prioritise products that nourish and reinforce your skin barrier, like our moisturiser, The Hydrator, formulated with barrier-restoring humectants and ceramides.
  
  

• Avoid overusing actives (like acids or retinoids) around training-heavy weeks. Your skin is already under load; it needs support, not stripping.
  
  

3. Hydration isn’t just internal

You might be drinking litres of water during training, but external hydration matters too. Loss of moisture from sweat, exposure, and frequent cleansing can leave your skin feeling tight, rough, or sensitised.

What helps:

• Use a humectant-based serum or cream (to attract and retain moisture) immediately after cleansing to replenish hydration and lock it in.
  
  

• Look for ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and squalane. These support hydration without clogging pores or feeling heavy during physical activity.
  
  

4. SPF is essential - yes, even in winter

Outdoor athletes face year-round UV exposure, and indoor athletes aren’t immune either - many gyms have large windows and harsh lighting. Daily SPF isn’t a luxury; it's non-negotiable.

What helps:

• Choose a lightweight, broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher. Mineral formulas can be great for sensitive or breakout-prone skin.
  
  

• Reapply during long sessions if outdoors, especially around the nose, forehead, and cheekbones where sweat can wear it away faster.
  
  

5. Skin issues female athletes often face (and how to address them)

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  Chafing & Friction Rash – Use barrier creams or light occlusive balms in vulnerable areas.
  
  

• Body Acne – Focus on gentle exfoliation (like salicylic acid wash 2–3x per week) and breathable clothing.
  
  

• Hormonal Breakouts – Monitor how training intensity, stress and cycle phases affect your skin. Tailored support, rather than aggressive “anti-blemish” ranges, is usually more effective. Our Hero serum #3 Balance & clear is perfect for this.
  
  

• Rosacea or Sensitivity – Manage with calming ingredients, avoid overheating the skin where possible, and lean into skin-calming hydration. Targeted care from Hero serum #2 Soothe & calm acts like a ‘support stocking’ for your skin.
  
  

• Recovery & cell protection - One of the reasons I use and recommend CurraNZ is not just for the support it gives your skin but also how it helps the body to recover & repair.
  
  

6. Tailor your routine to your lifestyle - not just your skin type

This is something I say every day in our clinics: Your skin type is just one part of the puzzle. The other part? Your lifestyle - your training load, environment, recovery, and stress levels. That’s why athlete skin needs smart, functional, no-fuss routines that do more with less.

At Louise Thomas Skin Care, we formulate every product with this in mind. Whether you’re on the track, in the pool, on the bike or the mat - your skin deserves high-performance support, just like you do.

In Summary: Your Skin, Your Strength

Skincare for female athletes isn’t about perfection. It’s about protection, resilience, and tuning into what your skin really needs at each stage of your training and recovery. With the right tools, your skin can be just as strong, adaptable and high-performing as the rest of you.

Louise x
Founder, Louise Thomas Skin Care

Exclusive Offer to CurraNZ Customers

Receive 15% off Louise’s skincare range with the discount code, LOUISETHOMAS15, redeemable at www.louisethomasskincare.co.uk