Best Skincare Routine for Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin behaves exactly how its name suggests: sensitively. 

With common side effects including redness, burning, itching, and irritation, sensitive skin is the skin type that’s prone to reactions—particularly when it comes to new skincare formulas and ingredients. 

Understanding Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin is usually caused by genetic differences in the normal protective skin barrier. This leads to irritation, inflammation, and general crankiness when exposed to irritants or allergens. Sometimes that’s heat, air quality, or food. Sometimes it's skincare. 

Important! This differs from sensitised skin, which is a temporary condition caused by damaging your skin barrier with too many heavy duty actives or exfoliants. 

Sensitised skin can be tackled through soothing, repairing ingredients whereas sensitive skin is a skin type that can be managed but never relieved.

Why A Tailored Skincare Routine Matters

Sensitive skin requires a bit more care, attention, and personalisation than other skin types. While there definitely are some common culprits behind flare-ups, these differ face to face. What irritates some sensitive skin might not irritate others. 

That’s why the best skincare routine for sensitive skin is one that’s been tailored to your specific skin and its needs.

A tailored routine helps you find the right products that care for your skin without triggering your sensitivity—keeping your skin hydrated, protected, and balanced, without the risk of redness, burning, and dryness.

Key Ingredients For Sensitive Skin Products

When it comes to skincare for sensitive skin, everyone’s different and reacts differently. These are the key ingredients that are known to play nice with sensitive skin types, but as always—patch test first. 

Ceramides

Irritated skin will very much appreciate an extra helping of moisture. And there’s no better ingredient for mega moisture than ceramides. Ceramides are fatty acids which allow your skin to function properly. They also work to reinforce and strengthen the skin’s barrier, which will help you prevent irritation in the future.

Buriti Oil

Bitchy skin hates buriti. Why? Because it’s a highly moisturising oil made to rescue and replenish sensitive or sensitised skin. Extracted from the fruit of the moriche palm, buriti oil is the quiet achiever of the skin world. You may not hear about it often, but it has serious anti-inflammatory properties. If you’re looking for a gentle, effective way to relieve redness, roughness, or irritation, give buriti oil a go.

Vitamin E

The OG skin soother. Vitamin E is a calming classic for a reason—famed for its ability to protect and repair at the same time. While moisturising the skin and improving barrier function. On top of that it also aids in preventing free radical damage on the skin.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide (aka. vitamin B3) does a whole lot for skin, and it does it all really well. (Ahem, that’s why it’s so insanely popular with skin of all types and concerns.) It’s well known for its calming and soothing abilities, which makes it exceptional if you have any redness that you want to calm down. On top of that it can assist with barrier function and help lock moisture firmly in your skin. Nice.

Step-By-Step Best Skincare Routine For Sensitive Skin

The best skincare routine for sensitive skin will focus on soothing ingredients and simple formulas that cater to your skin and its needs. Here’s what we’d recommend at Go-To.

In The AM:

1. Start with just a splash of water to cleanse your face. 

2. Then Much Plumper Skin. Designed to deeply replenish even extremely dry or dehydrated skin, this serum boosts and seals in moisture levels. With four types of hyaluronic acid, it delivers multi-targeted hydration that penetrates deep within the skin’s barrier to prevent transepidermal water loss (TEWL). (Ew.)

3. Moisturise with Very Useful Face Cream. An ultra-nourishing daily moisturiser made for thirsty, dry skin. Packed with powerful antioxidants and a blend of nourishing oils and butters for immediate relief and long-lasting hydration.

4. Protect! For sensitive skin types might enjoy Nifty Fifty Mineral. A mineral sunscreen for physical protection against UVA and UVB rays—without the grease or shine (and with soothing zinc).

In The PM

1. All faces need a double cleanse. Even sensitive ones. Start with Fancy Face, our ultra-nourishing oil cleanser to whisk away SPF, makeup, and grime. Then, follow up with Juicy Gel, our soap-free, ultra-soothing cleanser that thoroughly cleanses without stripping natural oils.

2. Exfoliate (1–2 times per week). Lucky for you, our Gentle Exfoliator has been formulated with sensitive skin types in mind. Featuring a considered blend of lactic acid (the most gentle AHA), a slow-releasing poly-hydroxy acid (PHA), and aloe vera extract to remove dead skin cells and boosts skin renewal.

3. Rehydrate with Much Plumper Skin.

4. Then: Very Useful Face Cream. To lock everything in.

How to Protect and Soothe Sensitive Skin

If your skin is already easily pissed off, it doesn’t need a cranky barrier making things worse. A strong barrier helps lock in moisture and prevent environmental stressors from worsening any existing sensitivity, redness, stinging, and itchiness

Shopping for sensitive skin products that reinforce your barrier is going to help strengthen, protect, and soothe your skin. 

Incorporate a barrier-repairing mask: A weekly masking date with Very Luxe Repair Mask will help expertly reboot cranky, thirsty skin. Loaded with the likes of ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and provitamin B5, this mask is clinically proven* to repair the skin’s moisture barrier. 

Opt for a replenishing face oil: Beyond your weekly standing appointment, a daily face oil can help strengthen your barrier. Face Hero is loaded with a bucketload of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory properties making it a perfect pick.

*Based on a clinical study of 33 women.

How To Choose and Buy Sensitive Skin Products

1. Always Patch Test

Patch testing comes with the territory of sensitive skin. Before you start slathering it all over your face, complete a patch test to make sure it’ll work with that sensitive ol’ skin of yours.

2. Opt For Calming, Gentle Ingredients

Delicate skin calls for delicate ingredients. Incorporating gentle, non-active, soothing ingredients into your routine can help limit irritation and give your skin the calm it needs.  

3. Stick To What Works For That Face Of Yours 

Find a sensitive skin routine that works for your skin and stick to it—rather than trying any or everything TikTok tells you to try. Following trends (and not your face) can often lead to chaos, and a very cranky skin barrier.

FAQs

What is the best skincare routine for sensitive skin?

The best skincare routine for sensitive skin will use gentle ingredients, simple formulas, and most importantly, work with your skin’s needs.

In action, this’ll look a bit like:

1. A simple, soap-free cleanser with calming ingredients. 

2. A nourishing face cream to moisturise and replenish.

3. SPF. Always. 

Can sensitive skin use exfoliators and serums?

Yes! Definitely. But it’s best to patch test first to make sure the serum works with your skin. 

For sensitive skin, we recommend starting with Gentle Exfoliator. Designed with sensitive skin in mind, this ultra-gentle exfoliator sloughs away dead skin build-up without pissing off your skin.

In terms of serum, we’d suggest trying a hydrating serum like Much Plumper Skin. Packed with four types of hyaluronic acid, it delivers multi-targeted hydration that penetrates deep within the skin’s barrier to prevent transepidermal water loss. 

How often should I use products for sensitive skin?

With all skincare, we recommend following the directions of use. Stay consistent and patient with new products, but stop using if anything is irritating or seriously pissing off your skin.

Where can I shop for sensitive skin products?

Lots of places! But we’re partial to the website you’re currently shopping on. 

You can shop for sensitive skincare products at gotoskincare.com. We also do 30-day returns so if something doesn’t work out, no stress.