“Help! How do you find a moisturiser that doesn’t irritate sensitive skin?!”
I hear ya. Finding the right skincare products for your needs is hard enough without your skin throwing a tantrum every five minutes.
“This has too much fragrance. Keep it away from me.”
“That has lots of retinol. I’m too delicate for that.’
“What?! You want to put essential oils on me?! Are you freaking nuts? That’s gonna give me the worst rash of my life!”
Yep, there’s no pleasing sensitive skin.
Or is there? All this demanding diva wants is a little TLC. She prefers to hang out with a few old and trusted friends who know how to take care of her.
Emollients that keep her soft. Soothing agents that tone down its redness a notch or two. Ceramides that strengthen it against the harsh weather. And an antioxidant or two thrown in because it’d like to keep those pesky wrinkles away, too.
Where do you find a moisturiser that fits this tall order? Here are, in my opinion, the best moisturisers for sensitive skin:
Best For Back To Basics: CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion PM ($15.99)
If your skin is super sensitive, you need something stripped of all the bells and whistles, no matter how amazing they are. That means to do away with retinol and vitamin C, beautiful fragrances, harsh preservatives and anything that could remotely upset your skin. CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion PM does the trick. It’s a basic, simple formula that moisturises your skin without triggering any alarm bells. Finally!
Available at: Asos, Dermstore, Feel Unique and Ulta
Related: Why CeraVe Pm Facial Moisturising Lotion Is The Moisturizer I Recommend The Most (To All Skin Types)
Want to know what ingredients you really need to avoid in your skincare products? Sign up to the newsletter below to receive the “Skincare Ingredients To Avoid” cheatsheet:
Best For Soothing Irritations: Paula’s Choice Calm Redness Relief Moisturiser Normal To Dry ($29.00)
I love the whole Calm Redness Relief range because it’s full of anti-inflammatory ingredients that can soothe irritations. Paula’s Choice Calm Redness Relief Moisturiser Normal To Dry Skin is my fave for sensitive skin because it’s also packed with gentle oils, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and other building blocks of your skin. Translation: they moisturise skin and strengthen its defences against harsh weather and other enemies. Plus, Paula sprinkled in a few antioxidants to prevent wrinkles.
Available at: Feel Unique and Paula’s Choice
Related: The Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin
Best On A Budget: Cetaphil Redness Relief Night Cream ($14.99)
I know, Cetaphil Redness Relief Night Cream is just slightly cheaper than CeraVe -and one of the best alternatives you’ll find at the drugstore. Unlike CeraVe PM Lotion, this baby has a few anti-inflammatory ingredients and antioxidants thrown in to keep skin moisturised and prevent wrinkles at the same time. But, it has more ingredients than CeraVe, which for your skin translates into more opportunities that something may trigger an alarm bell. Having said that, they’re both very gentle so it’s worth it to try both and see which one works best for you.
Available at: Ulta
Related: 9 Soothing Tips To Calm Down Sensitive Skin
Best For Rosacea: Bioderma Sensibio AR (£15.50)
To be honest, all the moisturisers in this post are good for rosacea but I put Bioderma Sensibio AR in this category because it was especially designed to reduce the vasodilation that worsen rosacea and soothe its redness (FIY, anything with soothing agents can tone down redness). This moisturiser is full of soothing agents that can do the job. Plus, rosacea-prone skin tends to be very dry. The oils and fatty acids in this cream can keep it soft and moisturised, reducing the risk of another outbreak.
Available at: Dermstore and Feel Unique
Related: How To Deal With Rosacea
What are your fave moisturisers for sensitive skin? Share your picks in the comments below.
very useful areticle
Maprang, thanks. Glad you found it useful.
Kate, that depends. If you feel is tight after washing or during the day, you should use moisturiser. If, on the other, your skin feels greasy even after using a lightweight moisturiser, you can skip it.