The Face Care Essentials: A Marianella Edit

Winter skin asks for fewer products, chosen well. These eight are our pick for the best winter serums, face oils and cleansers of 2026: one cream wash, one rose mist, one cool gel, three serums and two pure oils. Choose three or four and you have a routine. Choose one and you have a gift. This is our face care essentials edit, and a winter skincare gift guide for anyone who would rather own less and use all of it.

What makes a winter face care routine work

Each step has one job. Cleanse without stripping. Add water back. Layer what holds it in. Every piece below is made by hand in our Williamsburg, Brooklyn workshop, and each one earns its place on the shelf by doing its job and nothing extra.

A cleanser that leaves skin feeling like itself

The Rose Face Wash Cream begins in our own soapmaking. Press it into damp skin and it melts, spreads like a lotion and rinses away clean, without the tight, squeaky finish of an ordinary face soap. Glycerin softens it, rosehip seed oil gives it a velvety cushion, and finely milled oat and calendula keep it gentle. A soft rose note sits on top, light enough for morning and night. It was made for dry, normal and sensitive skin. $31.

The step between washing and serum

Close your eyes, hold the Rose Petal Mist Face Toner at arm's length and press. A fine, cool cloud settles, and the scent is real rose, soft and green at the edges. The formula is rose flower water from steam-distilled damask rose petals, and water. That is the whole list. Mist after cleansing and apply your serum while skin is still damp. Keep a second bottle on your desk for the afternoons when indoor heating leaves skin feeling dry. $25.

The Detox Gel now with Kalahari Melon Seed Oil is cool at first touch. A clear aloe gel, it melts in within seconds and sits between toning and moisturizing, so the serum, oil or makeup that follows glides on more easily. Shea adds a little cushion so skin never feels stripped, and tea tree oil gives the jar a crisp, herbal scent. The 4 oz jar, designed by David, is made to be used generously. $36.

Which face serum is best for winter?

Three serums, three different jobs.

For deep hydration, morning and night

The Royal Kalahari Face Serum is the formula we are known for, named Best Facial Care Product in People's Star Beauty Awards. Twelve cold-pressed botanical oils, led by Kalahari melon seed oil, which grows wild in the sands of southern Africa. It is light and fast to absorb, rich in linoleic acid, and helps skin hold moisture. Baobab and camellia seed oils cushion dry skin. Tamanu comforts skin that looks stressed. Warm four to six drops and press them into face and neck. Skin feels softer at once, and with daily use looks smoother, brighter and more even. Vegan, with no added fragrance. Layer it over the Detox Gel: gel first, serum second. $53.

For brightness

The Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Face Serum with Niacinamide looks like water and feels like a cool drink for your skin. It carries ethyl ascorbic acid, a stable, water-soluble form of vitamin C, with niacinamide to help tone look balanced and texture look refined. It sinks in without stickiness and leaves skin looking fresh and lit from within. Start every other day for two weeks. Use it in the morning with sunscreen, or in the evening, and follow with a face oil after a couple of minutes. $53.

For the evening

The Midnight Youth Potion Face Serum is the oil we make for nights. Thirteen botanical oils, from grape seed and passionfruit to avocado, baobab and Kalahari melon, blended with niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate and a vitamin C ester. The light oils carry it, the richer ones add cushion, so skin feels nourished rather than greasy. It goes on silky and settles in quickly. Make it the last step of your evening, and wake to skin that looks brighter, softer and well rested. A faint floral note comes from tiare flower, with no added fragrance. $53.

Face oils for dry winter skin: marula or plum?

Both are a single oil, bottled on its own with nothing added, in batches of 50 to 100, in a bottle David designed. They differ in feel.

The Marula Face Oil is pressed from the kernel inside the stone of a southern African fruit, where people have cracked the stones by hand for generations. It is velvety and cushiony, yet light for its kind, and sinks in within moments without a film. It leaves a plush, quietly luminous finish and suits dry, dehydrated and mature skin especially well. Press it over the vitamin C serum to help keep moisture in. $34.

The Plum Face Oil comes from the kernel hidden inside the plum stone, sourced from Gascony, France. Light to medium in weight, it glides on like a serum and leaves a glow that looks lit from within rather than shiny. It is the oil for anyone who layers: wear it as your final step, or stir a drop into your moisturizer. $34.

A winter skincare gift guide, by the person you are buying for

For the one who wants a single good bottle

The Royal Kalahari Face Serum, the award winner, for morning and night. $53.

For the one rebuilding a routine

The Rose Face Wash Cream and the Rose Petal Mist Face Toner, a cleanse and a mist that work as a pair. $31 and $25.

For the one who loves an evening ritual

The Midnight Youth Potion Face Serum, finished with a few drops of Plum Face Oil. $53 and $34.

For the one chasing brightness

The Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Face Serum with Niacinamide, sealed with Marula Face Oil. $53 and $34.

Every piece in this edit is part of our face collection, made by hand in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

FAQ

What is the best face serum for dry winter skin?

The Royal Kalahari Face Serum. Its Kalahari melon seed oil helps skin hold moisture, and baobab and camellia seed oils cushion and soften dry skin. Use four to six drops morning and night, and follow with moisturizer if your skin is very dry.

Can I use a vitamin C serum with a face oil?

Yes. Press the Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Face Serum with Niacinamide into clean skin, wait a couple of minutes, then follow with a moisturizer or face oil. Marula Face Oil pairs well with it. In the morning, finish with sunscreen.

What is the difference between Marula Face Oil and Plum Face Oil?

Marula is velvety and cushiony, with a plush, luminous finish suited to dry, dehydrated and mature skin. Plum is silky and light to medium in weight, easy to layer or mix into moisturizer. Both are a single pure oil with no added fragrance.

Which of these products are unscented?

The Royal Kalahari Face Serum, Marula Face Oil and Plum Face Oil have no added fragrance. The Midnight Youth Potion has a faint floral note from tiare flower and no added fragrance. The Vitamin C serum has no synthetic fragrance. The face wash and mist smell of rose, and the Detox Gel of tea tree.

Where are these products made?

By hand in our workshop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in batches of 50 to 100.