Sensitive and reactive skin
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The short answer
What causes sensitive skin, and how do you calm it?
Sensitive skin is usually a damaged barrier, an unrecognised condition such as rosacea or eczema, or an allergy to one ingredient. A short, fragrance-free routine settles many cases, and patch testing is how a true allergy is found.
Evidence: Good How we grade evidence
Sensitive skin is a description rather than a diagnosis. If your skin stings, burns or tightens after products that other people tolerate, something specific is usually going on, and it is worth finding out which.
What causes sensitive skin?
Sensitive skin usually has one of three causes: a damaged barrier, a skin condition that has not been recognised, or an allergy to a specific ingredient. The first, a damaged skin barrier, is usually self-inflicted through too many actives, too much exfoliation or cleansers that strip. The second is an underlying condition, most often rosacea or eczema, that has not been recognised. The third is a genuine allergy to a specific ingredient, which behaves differently: the British Association of Dermatologists notes that an allergic reaction usually appears hours or days after contact rather than straight away, and it can spread beyond where you applied the product.
What makes sensitive skin worse?
Piling on products makes sensitive skin worse, especially acids and retinoids used together. Fragrance remains the most common cause of allergy to cosmetics, and that includes natural fragrance such as essential oils. Alcohol-heavy formulas, grainy scrubs, hard water, and using a new product on skin that is already unhappy all add to it; the NHS lists perfumes and preservatives in cosmetics, and hard, chalky water, among common skin irritants.
How do you calm sensitive skin with skincare?
Strip the routine back to three products for a fortnight: a gentle cleanser, a plain fragrance-free moisturiser, and sunscreen. Often that is enough on its own, because identifying and avoiding the trigger is the most important step when skin reacts to a product. Then reintroduce one active at a time, every two weeks, so you know what caused any reaction. Patch test on the inner forearm for several days. Fragrance-free is the filter with real evidence behind it, which is why we offer it and why we do not offer a natural filter. A MyAgenix read builds a short, fragrance-free routine around your skin if you ask for one.
What can a GP do for skin that reacts to products?
A GP can prescribe a short course of steroid cream for a severe, sore or spreading reaction, and can refer you for patch testing. Patch testing is the best way to identify a true contact allergy: tiny amounts of known allergens are placed on your skin and checked after 2 days. Bring the actual products with you, as the patch test clinic guidance asks. If sensitivity turns out to be rosacea or eczema, the treatments on those pages apply and do far more than swapping moisturisers.
When does a reaction to a skincare product need urgent help?
Swelling of the lips or eyes, hives, or difficulty breathing needs urgent medical attention rather than a skincare change, and if breathing is affected the NHS advice is to call 999. Persistent stinging that does not settle after simplifying, or a reaction that keeps recurring, is worth a GP visit.
Questions people ask
How do you patch test a new skincare product at home?
Apply a small amount to the same patch of skin on the inner forearm once or twice a day for several days, and watch for redness, itching or swelling. An allergic reaction can take a day or more to show, so one quick test is not enough. A home test is not the same as clinical patch testing, which a GP can refer you for.
Is unscented the same as fragrance-free?
Not necessarily. A product labelled unscented can still contain an ingredient added to cover up the smell of the others, so the front of the pack is not a reliable guide. The ingredient list is: look for parfum, fragrance and named essential oils.
Are natural products better for sensitive skin?
No. Natural fragrance such as essential oils can cause allergy just as synthetic fragrance can, and some plant extracts irritate skin too. Fragrance-free is a more useful filter for reactive skin than natural.
Can you become allergic to a product you have used for years?
Yes. An allergy develops after your body has been sensitised by earlier contact, so a reaction can start to a product you have used without trouble for a long time. Patch testing, through a GP referral, can identify the ingredient responsible.
Sources
- the British Association of Dermatologists (skinhealthinfo.org.uk)
- the most common cause of allergy to cosmetics (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- the NHS lists (nhs.uk)
- identifying and avoiding the trigger (nhs.uk)
- Patch testing (nhs.uk)
- the patch test clinic guidance (skinhealthinfo.org.uk)
- the NHS advice is to call 999 (nhs.uk)
General information about skin, not medical advice. MyAgenix offers cosmetic guidance to help you choose products. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. For anything on this page that needs treating, see a pharmacist, your GP or a dermatologist.