Does your skin react to weather changes, skin care or certain makeup products? Sensitive skin could be the reason. Read on to learn what sensitive skin is, along with what ingredients to look for and which products are best to use, including a moisturizer that’s been formulated to reduce reactivity and irritation.
If you find that your skin reacts to weather changes or after applying skin care or makeup products, you may have sensitive skin. It’s important to choose a moisturizer that addresses this skin condition, and has been formulated to reduce its reactivity.
What is sensitive skin?
Sensitive skin is not a skin type, meaning that it can occur with any type of skin and be provoked by a number of different stimuli. It is often caused by common ingredients in skin care products, which can contain irritants that result in a skin reaction. Climate conditions, such as heat, cold and dryness can also cause the common symptoms of sensitive skin, such as burning, tingling, stinging, itchiness(1). The irritants interfere with the skin barrier and damage its abilities to keep pollutants and bacteria out of the skin. This in turn results in a skin reaction, characterized as sensitive skin.
Best and worst ingredients in moisturizers for sensitive skin
There are a number of ingredients to look for in a good moisturizer for sensitive skin. These include a hypoallergenic moisturizer that is designed for sensitive skin and contains humectants (an ingredient that draws moisture to the skin) like hyaluronic acid, NMF (Natural Moisturizing Factors) and glycerin.
For those with sensitive skin, it’s a good idea to avoid aggressive ingredients like sulfates and retinol which can irritate sensitive skin. Retinoids can act as a skin irritant, as they make skin more sensitive to the sun in summer and more prone to dryness in winter, therefore continuing the cycle of sensitive skin.
What is the best moisturizers for sensitive skin?
Hypoallergenic and sensitive skin adapted skin care products limit the risk of skin reaction. The Aqualia Thermal moisturizers has been specially designed to treat the symptoms of sensitive skin, and help skin resist barrier breakdown based on your skin type and its needs. The four different types of moisturizers in the Aqualia Thermal skin care line have been created to treat common skin types and the sensitive reaction that accompanies them. This sensitive skin care line has been tested on women with 100% sensitive skin to prove its tolerance. The focus of this skin care line is hydration, tolerance and a reduced number of ingredients.
Different moisturizer textures for different skin types
Moisturizer for normal/combination dry skin
If you have normal/combination dry skin and are prone to sensitive skin reactions, try:
- A lighter consistency moisturizing cream
A moisturizer for sensitive skin like Aqualia Thermal Rehydrating Light Cream rehydrates and plumps fine lines for 48 hours, helping to keep skin moisturized. It’ll keep skin hydrated but is light enough to suit your skin type. In fact, clinical tests for the light cream found that after immediate use, 96% of participants reported that skin seems well-moisturized, 92% felt that skin feels nourished and 84% reported that skin feels soothed. After a month of use, 100% reported that skin seems well-moisturized, with an 11% reduction in dry lines.
Moisturizer for very dry skin
If you have very dry skin and are prone to sensitive reactions, try:
- A rich moisturizing cream
Aqualia Thermal Rehydrating Rich Cream is designed to provide intense skin hydration, while rehydrating the skin’s barrier. Skin will feel dewy and smooth. This sensitive skin moisturizer is especially recommended for dry/very dry skin that’ll benefit from the rich texture of the moisturizing cream. Test subjects polled that after immediate use of the rich cream, 90% felt that their skin was well hydrated, and 92% reported that skin felt more comfortable. And after a month, results showed that there was a 29% increase in skin smoothness and 94% found that skin felt revitalized.
Moisturizer for very oily skin
If your skin is very oily and/or sensitive, try:
- A rehydrating moisturizing gel cream
Aqualia Thermal Rehydrating Gel Cream is suited for normal to combination skin. It keeps skin looking fresh, dewy and plumped, while refining pores.
Moisturizer for all skin types
If you’re looking to add more hydration to your skin care routine, try:
- A rehydration moisturizing serum
Aqualia Thermal Rehydrating Serum is ideal for all skin types. It can be applied before your other moisturizers for intense and long-lasting rehydration which plumps up fine lines and keeps skin looking smooth. Test results concluded that 95% of women felt that there skin was well-hydrated and nourished, and 91% agreed that skin felt soothed. After a month of using the serum, 95% reported more supple skin, as well as an accelerated epidermal renewal.
SOURCES:
Lev-Tov, H. et al, "The Sensitive Skin Syndrome" in Indian Journal of Dermatology 57.6 (2012) pp. 419-423
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