I often I get sent messages in response to my blog posts asking how people with sensitive skin types can reap the benefits of “serious”, science-backed skincare. Just because your skin is sensitive doesn’t mean the basic principles of good skincare won’t work for you. Despite not having particularly sensitive skin myself, I will regularly revert to a routine designed for sensitive skin types if I’ve had a week of heavy makeup or intense skin treatments like acidic peels (fashion week being the former, the lead up to a big shoot or event being the latter). I honestly believe that everyone can benefit from integrating some sensitive-skin-targeted products into their routine at some point or another, but the trick is to know what to look for in sensitive skincare.
A lot of people (myself included until I started quite seriously reading up on skincare) associate skincare designed for sensitive skin with natural and organic skincare. Natural skincare isn’t always the best option for those with sensitive skin. I cannot stress enough how important it is to look at the ingredients of the products you’re using, buying or throwing away. Whenever somebody tells me they have sensitive skin that keeps flaring up, I tell them to use a process of elimination to work out what ingredients they’re reacting to- the majority of the time, it’s got something to do with fragrance. The essential oils often found in natural products can often be highly sensitising, while certain fragrance molecules are known to irritate the skin. Another one to add to the “to avoid” list is alcohol. A lot of skincare brands will pack alcohol into their products as it can make a thick texture feel as light as a feather, so sensitive-skin-clad people will often think they’re doing the skin a huge favour by not layering heavy gunk onto it. In reality, alcohol will raid your skin’s protective barrier and rid it of it’s naturally occurring oils, so check your skin care ingredients.
For the most part, I avoid skincare housed in jars (unless the jar looks particularly beautiful on my dressing table, but if you have sensitive skin and it’s flaring up then do NOT judge a book by its cover) for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, skincare in jars can become contaminated quite easily. Think about how much bacteria sits on your hands and underneath your fingernails. Now think about how much bacteria you’re dumping into a tub of moisturiser every time you use it.
Secondly, if your skincare contains active ingredients (most serums or targeted skin products do), their ability to stay active (ie. do their job) diminishes every single time they’re exposed to oxygen. The simplest solution? Opt for pump, tube and bottle packaging instead.
I started using La Roche Posay’s sensitive skincare range during the aforementioned pre and post fashion week skin trauma recently, and can say in all sincerity that I’ll be continuing to use it in future (despite not having strictly sensitive skin myself). The Micellar Water Ultra, in particular, removes stubborn eye makeup in next to no time and it because it doesn’t have any alcohol, fragrance or parabens in it, it was like someone had gently whispered to my stressed-out skin “calm down, I’m here now”. And my skin LISTENED.
For transparency’s sake, this blog post is sponsored by La Roche Posay, however I can assure you that I would never, regardless of payment, ever recommend or endorse a product I didn’t fully believe in and use myself. Everything in this post is my genuine opinion and all views are my own- not those of the company.
If your sensitive skin is flaring up, go back and take a look at the ingredients you’ve been using. Even if your skincare has been marketed towards sensitive skin, it may be doing you more harm than good. La Roche Posay’s Micellar Water Ultra, and the rest of their Toleriane range, isn’t packed with the ingredients that are most often associated with those types of flare-ups (and it’s not even expensive! How good is it when good skincare isn’t expensive!)
WANT TO WIN A YEAR’S WORTH OF SKINCARE? Of course you do.
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