Having sensitive or reactiveskin is no walk in the park. There are plenty of perfectly normal ingredients out there that can trigger a reaction—meaning you have to be extra careful about what you use on your complexion. “Sensitive” is also a broad term. Sometimes, having skin that’s extra delicate just means that you’re prone to redness or irritation and other times it can mean full-on breakouts.
Whichever camp you fall into, there are a few ingredients board-certified dermatologist, Kaveri Karhade MD, says you should seek out—especially in a key product like your moisturizer. “Look for gentle moisturizers (especially allergen-free ones) containing soothing [and] hydrating ingredients such as ceramides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid.” These are great for irritation and redness. If you’re wondering what you should generally avoid if you have sensitive skin, well, that depends.
First, it’s important to identify any triggering ingredients that may cause you to have a reaction because you could be allergic. Once you’ve done that, it’s best to also consider a few other things. “Avoid AHAs or BHAs [in your moisturizer] and focus on gentle hydrating ingredients instead. Avoid chemical sunscreens as they can also irritate sensitive skin—mineral sunscreens are a better choice.” This is a great note if you weren’t necessarily thinking about your sunscreen in terms of what could be irritating your skin. If you’re on the hunt for a good moisturizer, though, you’ll find Karhade’s recommendations and a few of our other favorite options for sensitive skin below.
Karhade loves this pick because it’s perfectly minimal. “It’s super simple, smooth, and formulated especially for sensitive skin.”
“No list of sensitive skin products would be complete without a Vanicream product! These products are formulated without the most common allergens to be tolerable to even those with the most sensitive skin.”
Although this has more of a serum-like texture, it’s still a great hydrating option. “The magic ingredient in Aveeno products is oat which can be soothing for eczema-prone and sensitive skin.”
This is another of Karhade’s favorites for soothing sensitive skin. It’s a restorative cream that helps the skin maintain a healing environment and protects it against external aggressors. It’s also formulated to minimize the risk of allergic reactions.
CeraVe is another dermatologist-loved brand that has simple formulas that are great for sensitive skin. This moisturizing cream has both hyaluronic acid and ceramides to help reinforce and protect the skin barrier.
All First Aid Beauty products are formulated with sensitive skin in mind. The brand’s Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer is great for dehydrated skin as its full of nourishing ingredients like collodial oatmeal and meadowfoam seed oil. As a bonus, it also contains licorice root and white tea to help fight free radical damage.
If you have a dry, delicate complexion, SkinMedica’s hydrating cream could be your new holy grail. It restores moisture levels with chamomile-derived bisabolol and contains vitamin C to brighten the skin and restore radiance.
Fragrance allergies are common, but artificial fragrance being included in skincare products is even more common, unfortunately. Luckily, EltaMD’s fragrance-free and simple moisturizer can bring relief to irritated or sensitive skin. It also helps protect skin conditions like eczema and is great to have on hand after a chemical peel or laser treatment since it can promote faster skin healing.
This may not be a great option if you have acne-prone skin because it has shea butter, but if that doesn’t usually bother you, add to cart. It soothes redness and blotchiness while providing deep hydration with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid.
Although this is mainly a redness relief moisturizer designed for sensitive skin, it’s also a great one for fine lines and wrinkles. It adds extra hydration and a boost of antioxidants to rapidly decrease the signs of aging.
Calendula is a great soothing ingredient for dryness and redness. Luckily, this Naturopathica moisturizer is loaded with it along with other ingredients like borage seed oil, aloe vera, and rosa damascena essential oil to help provide long-lasting hydrating.
Dermalogica’s UltraCalming Barrier Repair moisturizer is waterless and silicone-based. This may not be for everyone, but it does gently melt into sensitive skin to soothe and repair damage from environmental stress and irritation. It strengthens your skin’s natural lipid barrier to prevent any future damage as well.
Oat, chamomile, and licorice extract power this nourishing moisturizer for inflamed or sensitive skin. Other plant-based oils also improve the skin’s barrier function and sodium hyaluronate replenishes hydration.
Neutrogena’s oil-free moisturizer has SPF 15 as a bonus and is hypoallergenic. It’s also lightweight and noncomedogenic making it perfect for those with sensitive, acne-prone skin.
