Protect your sensitive skin with the right products

What is sensitive skin? 

If your skin is sensitive, it is typically a sign of a weakened skin barrier and that the nerve endings in the outermost layer of your skin are a little more sensitive. When the nerve pathways send signals of discomfort to the brain, this can cause physical irritation and a reaction in the skin.

All skin types, both oily and dry, young and mature, can experience sensitivity - either naturally or as a result of internal or external influences. You may notice that your skin is out of balance through a burning, itching or tingling sensation, and redness and dryness may also show that it needs extra care and protection.

If your skin is particularly sensitive, you may benefit from choosing products that are AllergyCertified and dermatologically tested. 

Why does skin become sensitive?

Every day, your skin encounters both what happens inside your body and what happens around you. Some people's skin reacts more easily than others. Triggers can include:

• Skincare and makeup: this is the trigger most closely associated with sensitive skin¹. Be especially careful with fragrance, and try one new product at a time so you can more easily tell what your skin reacts to.
• The weather: heat, cold, wind and changes between them. Cold and wind dry out the skin, and heat can cause redness.
• The sun: sun exposure can make skin more sensitive, so use sunscreen every day.
• The air around you: dry air, air conditioning and pollution can also make skin more sensitive.
• Stress and hormones: stressful periods and hormonal changes can affect the skin, for example before menstruation, during pregnancy and during menopause.
• Your own skin: some people naturally have skin that reacts more easily than others.

When you know your own triggers, it is easier to help calm your skin. If you are pregnant, read our guide to skincare during pregnancy too.

Expert advice for sensitive skin

You cannot change your genetics, the temperature, pollution or your hormones - but with the help of the right products, you can do your part to protect and care for your sensitive skin. 

The most important advice for those with sensitive skin is to use gentle products that do not place too many demands on the skin and to keep your routine simple. 

Based on more than 30 years of experience in the skincare industry, we at ECOOKING have developed our Skin Balance range with products that soothe and rebuild the skin.

What does sensitive skin look like?

Sensitive skin is often characterised by a tendency towards redness - either as a result of broken blood vessels, dryness or reactions such as eczema and acne. Fair skin is often more vulnerable to external influences because it has less pigment to protect skin cells from damage.

Sometimes sensitive skin can become caught in a state of persistent sensitivity, where the skin's reactions reinforce one another: Redness causes dryness, dryness causes eczema and itching, and itching causes more dryness and redness.

These signs are the skin's way of reaching out for a helping hand to strengthen its resilience. Choose products that can help strengthen and soothe your skin with high sun protection, protective balm, targeted serum and soothing cream. Below, we guide you through how to do this.

How to care for your sensitive skin

Sensitive skin requires extra attention and care to regain its natural, healthy balance. To give your skin the best conditions to thrive, pay attention to the causes of its reactions - and follow these four tips: 

1. Cleanse your skin gently

Your skin needs cleansing just like other skin types, but it needs gentler treatment. Make sure to cleanse your skin gently - in terms of your movements, frequency and choice of products.

Use our Cleansing Milk fragrance-free for a gentle cleanse that is easy to apply and creates a healthy, nourishing environment for the skin.

2. Use sun protection every day 

Sun protection is always one of the most important products in a skincare routine, especially for sensitive skin. With the help of a sunscreen with high SPF, your skin gets the protection it needs from the sun's UV rays, keeping it free from both long-term damage and immediate irritation.

To reduce skin discomfort, you can take extra care of your skin during periods when the sun is strong, your cycle changes or you are under a little extra pressure in your daily life. You can help your skin regain its strength by using nourishing products that protect the skin and support its barrier. 

Use our Sunscreen Body SPF 50 and our Sunscreen Face SPF 50.

3. Choose soothing creams

To protect your skin from external factors such as wind, cold or pollution, you should use nourishing creams that can strengthen your skin's barrier.

Our Multi Balm can keep the most sensitive areas protected throughout the day. See also our eye cream for the delicate, thin skin around the eyes.

4. Use gentle makeup

You may want to cover your redness with makeup - but here too, it is important to choose gentle products with ingredients that do not cause further reactions.

Use a soothing Anti Redness Cream and a cooling primer as a base for a mild tinted Day Cream to even out your skin tone. 

Do you have sensitive skin on your body? Make sure to moisturise and nourish it, especially after shaving and exposure to cold. Also keep an eye on how you react to clothing fabrics, fragrance and deodorant. 

Dermatologically tested skincare from ECOOKING

At ECOOKING, our approach is: Effectiveness first, followed by as much naturalness and organic content as possible. This means that we develop effective products that protect and improve your skin in the areas where it needs a little helping hand.

Our products are dermatologically tested, and we only approve products that have not caused a negative skin reaction such as irritation. This allows us to create effective care for all skin types. 

See our range of dermatologically tested skincare here.

Sources

1. Brenaut E et al. Triggering factors in sensitive skin from the worldwide patients' point of view: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. 2020. PubMed