Sensitive skin

Sensitive skin, in short

Sensitive skin stings, burns, tightens or flushes in response to things other skin tolerates: products, weather, hot water, friction. It is a description of how skin reacts, not a diagnosis, and it can sit on top of any skin type. The approach is subtraction: fewer products, fewer ingredients, one change at a time.

This page is part of the skin types guide.

What sensitive skin looks and feels like

• Stinging or burning within minutes of applying a product, sometimes with no visible change.
• Tightness and warmth after cleansing, even with lukewarm water.
• Redness that comes with wind, cold, heat, exercise or a hot drink, then fades.
• Patches of roughness or fine flaking where the skin reacts most.
• A shrinking list of products that feel comfortable.

Why it happens

Researchers describe sensitive skin as a combination of two things: a surface barrier that lets irritants in and water out more easily, and nerve endings that respond to smaller triggers than usual. Neither is visible, which is why sensitive skin can sting while looking perfectly normal.

The common triggers are well documented: fragrance and some essential oils, alcohol-heavy products, exfoliating acids, hot water, abrupt temperature changes and rubbing. Using several new products at once is the most common trigger of all, because it multiplies the others.

What to look for in ingredients

• Short ingredient lists, and no fragrance. Fragrance and fragrance allergens are the most frequent cause of reactions to cosmetics.
• Comfort ingredients, such as centella asiatica, panthenol and ectoin. The wider group is covered under soothing actives.
• Caution with botanicals. Judge each plant ingredient on its own profile; see the "natural is gentler" myth.

A Vegalab routine for sensitive skin

Cleanse, Treat, Seal, the starter routine with nothing added. Patch test each product first, as described in patch testing and allergens.

Morning

1. Cleanse. Comfort Cleansing Milk with cool to lukewarm water, or water alone if the skin feels settled.
2. Treat. Hyaluronic Skin Repair NanoSerum, pressed in, not rubbed.
3. Seal. AquaCell Moisturizer.
4. Protect. A daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, any brand. Many reactive skins tolerate mineral filters better.

Evening

Cleanse, treat and seal as in the morning. On evenings when the skin feels warm, a thin layer of Soothing Recovery Gel before the moisturizer. Where it feels tight, Barrier Repair Cream last.

Per-product notes

Ingredient notes describe the sealed vial set formulas.

• Hyaluronic Skin Repair NanoSerum contains no fragrance. Clarifying NanoSerum contains tea tree leaf oil and rosemary leaf extract, and Brightening NanoSerum contains glycolic, mandelic and lactic acids. Leave both aside until the routine above has run without a reaction.
• Hyaluronic Skin Repair NanoSerum contains silk proteins (sericin and fibroin). Check the full list against anything you know you react to; our guide to reading an INCI list shows how.

What to avoid

• Starting several new products in the same week.
• Fragranced products, including "unscented" products that use masking fragrance.
• Scrubs, brushes, washcloths and anything else that relies on friction.
• Exfoliating acids until the skin has been calm on a simple routine for some weeks.
• Hot water, steam rooms and saunas on reactive days.

Related concerns and skin types

• Sensitivity and recovery
• Hydration and barrier
• Dry skin, which often comes with sensitivity

For professionals

The sensitive-skin barrier protocol runs the shortest possible sequence and escalates by one step at a time. Gentle resurfacing for reactive skin is the alternative when resurfacing is indicated. Before chemical peels or IPL, tell the treating professional that your skin reacts easily.

When to see a dermatologist

See a dermatologist if redness stays rather than fading, if you notice visible small vessels, bumps or swelling, or if you start reacting to products you used to tolerate.