Sensitive skin is never fun—and when you’re battling a combination of redness, irritation, itching, and inflammation, sometimes the last thing you want to do is apply more products to your face. Once a flare up starts, the first thing you should do is strip your routine back to the basics of cleansing and moisturising. Next, try to identify the cause of the sensitivity before focusing on soothing and repairing your skin with sensitive skin-suitable products.
Gentle cleansers, cooling mists, and calming serums with ingredients like cica and niacinamide will help to reduce sensitivity and redness, but actually, a good moisturiser can make the biggest difference. According to dermatologist Zainab Laftah, if you have sensitive skin, regular hydration is crucially important. “This will optimise the skin’s barrier function and reduce the risk of skin inflammation and sensitivity,” she explains. When you’re super sensitive, it usually means your skin’s barrier has become compromised, which means it’s much more sensitive to things like external aggressors or active ingredients. This is why moisturisation is so important for sensitive skin types—by restoring and repairing your skin barrier through gently moisturising ingredients, you can help to improve your skin’s resilience.
