What makes a sensitive skin moisturiser?

If you suffer from problem skin, you’re more than likely to be on a continual quest for the ultimate sensitive skin moisturiser. Get the wrong product and you’ll have a stinging sensation when you apply it, you also might suffer from puffy skin, soreness around the eyes, itching, burning, inflammation, rashes, cracking, flaking, ruddiness, visible veins – the list goes on.

Get a good face cream, however, and you’ll enjoy all the benefits of good hydration and smoother skin without running to the bathroom to apply cold flannels on your skin.

The skin in a complex organ. Looking after your skin is a fine balance of removing the dirt and dead skin cells and moisturising the top layers of skin, all without stripping away the natural oils, damaging the natural water storage barrier and drying out the skin with the wrong ingredients.

So what makes a moisturiser suitable for sensitive skin? Sensitive skin relies on minimal ingredients. The ingredients that are included should be good quality and possibly natural and organic. The product needs to be free from fragrance, dye and oil.

All moisturisers contain some ingredients that irritate. Unfortunately, the formulation just wouldn’t work otherwise. They are a necessary evil in some cases. However, in many products, it’s mostly just ‘evil’, particularly with things like preservatives, fragrances and colours.

Look at the label for words like non-irritating or hypoallergenic. And if you’re really staying away from harsh products containing anything that would affect your sensitive skin, stay clear of any products containing any of these nasties. They may well crop up in other items other than moisturisers:

• Acetone
• Alcohol
• Propylene glycol
• Alpha-hydroxy acids
• Sodium lauryl sulfate
• Benzalkonium chloride
• Formaldehyde releasers
• Menthol
• Benzyl alcohol
• Camphor
• Urea – irritating only in higher concentrations
• Pyrriolidonic carboxylic acid
• Lanolin
• Fragrances

Always check the labels, or just rely on products that you’ve tried and tested and which have a focus on delivering good products without the harsh ingredients.