What Products Should I Use on My Sensitive Skin?
We should all love the skin we’re in, but for our beauties with sensitive skin, sometimes it feels like your skin is fighting against you. Trying new products feels like a gamble that could result in burning, stinging, dry, or irritated skin, so it can be really hard to find which products will work best for your skin’s unique needs. If this struggle sounds familiar, keep reading as we unpack what sensitive skin is, what ingredients to avoid, and what products will get your skin to love you back.
What is sensitive skin?
Sensitive skin can be different things to different people, but essentially boils down to skin that burns, stings, or gets irritated easily, compared to other skin types. And it is really common!
While your friend may be able to experiment with a random face mask they bought without a second thought, you have to research ingredients and reviews to make sure that it won’t cause your skin to burn (fingers crossed). When it comes to trying out new products in your skincare routine, you might find it necessary to do a patch test or else you could suffer from negative consequences for the next month. And if that product does irritate your skin, then you just wasted your money. Ugh. Do these situations ring a bell? Then it sounds like you are part of the approximate 40% of people who have sensitive skin across the world.
One common type of sensitive skin is rosacea, which causes your face to appear red, like a blush, due to visible blood vessels on the face. The redness can appear all over the face, and can sometimes be hard to control. Lots of things can cause flare-ups, such as stress, the weather, spicy foods, and, of course, skincare products. If you’re constantly concerned about controlling your face’s redness, then it sounds like you’re one of the 16 million Americans who have rosacea.
Ingredients to avoid
Whether you have sensitive skin in general or rosacea, we recommend that you avoid the following common skincare ingredients in order to decrease the chance of irritation:
- Fragrances: A very common cause of irritation and allergic reactions.
- Vitamin A: Typically found in retinoids and retinols and can cause irritation.
- Vitamin C: Depending on the concentration, it can result in red, bumpy skin for a small percentage of people. We recommend that you do a patch test if you are trying a new product with Vitamin C.
- Exfoliants: Can irritate the skin and should be used once a week. Avoid harsh exfoliants such as apricot kernels which can damage the skin.
- Benzoyl Peroxide: While good for drying out acne, it can be too drying for sensitive skin.
- Parabens and Sulphates: Can be irritating and drying.
Please note that our recommendations below avoid ALL of these ingredients (with the exception on the Peptide C&E Growth Factor; see note in that section for more details).
Products we recommend for sensitive skin
While many cleansers contain alcohols, sulphates, dyes, and other potentially irritating chemicals, our Gentle Cleanser simply does not. This foaming cleanser is gentle for the skin while actually reducing irritation without drying out the skin’s surface. This cleanser is mild enough to be used morning and night and is ideal for our beauties with sensitive skin types and rosacea.
Our soothing Nourishing Cream works to heal and restore your skin. Its natural ingredients of Vitamin K, Arnica, Sunflower Seed Oil, and Sweet Almond Oil come together to improve the appearance of sensitive skin, reduce puffiness, as well as add and balance the moisture of your skin. This cream also works wonders for those with rosacea as it reduces the appearance of broken capillaries and therefore redness.
As you (hopefully) know, SPF is absolutely necessary in everyone’s skincare routine in order to keep your skin protected from sun damage. However, many SPF products contain chemicals that are harsh for sensitive skin types. If you’ve struggled with finding an SPF that works for you, we recommend trying our Hydrating UV Defense, which offers chemical-free sun protection with SPF 44. This sheer SPF also gives you a youthful, dewy appearance by including the hydrating power of Hyaluronic Acid (score!).
As we mentioned above, anti-aging products often contain Vitamin A, which can be irritating to sensitive skin. However, our advanced Youth Serum formula is Vitamin A free and has all kinds of collagen stimulating goodness within. This serum contains a powerful copper complex, Hyaluronic Acid, and Niacinamide, to fight against signs of aging and improve fine lines and wrinkles. We recommend this product as a painless, topical alternative to injectable fillers and toxins, and it was created to be sensitive skin friendly!
If you’re interested in adding more sensitive skin friendly anti-aging products into your routine, then you should definitely consider our Peptide C&E Growth Factor. Again, no Vitamin A here, and this product is loaded with antioxidants, peptides, and human growth factors to combat against all signs of aging. It works by repairing your skin on a cellular level, resulting in a reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improved skin tone and text, a boost in collagen production, and an increase in firmness and elasticity. This product will take your skincare game to the next level.
*Please note that the Peptide C&E Growth Factor does have Vitamin C in it, one of the ingredients we said to avoid, but only a very small amount. If you know that this ingredient causes a negative reaction on your skin, or if you are worried it might, make sure to do a patch test first.
Sensitive skin may require some extra love and attention, but with the right products, you and your skin will find harmony at last. If you’re interested in these products, consider buying them all together* in our Sensitive Skin & Rosacea Regimen and save 15% off the regular price of these items!
*The Peptide C&E Growth Factor is not included in the regimen. However, it can be purchased separately here!