A simple routine for sensitive skin

Three steps, what to look for on a label, how to test a new product, and what to skip.

Sensitive skin doesn't need a complicated routine. It needs a short one, made of products you understand, used consistently. Every extra product is another chance for a reaction, and another suspect when one happens.

This guide sets out a three-step routine, explains what to look for in each step, and tells you which of our products fit where. It also tells you when a product of ours is the wrong choice for you.

01What sensitive skin is, and isn't

Sensitive skin is a description, not a diagnosis. It means skin that stings, burns, itches or reddens more easily than you would expect. Often it is skin with a slightly weaker barrier. Sometimes it is a sign of a condition such as eczema, rosacea or contact allergy, which a doctor should look at, especially if the skin is red, swollen, weeping or doesn't settle.

This routine is for everyday sensitive skin. If you have a diagnosed condition, follow your doctor's advice first.

02Step 1 · Cleanse gently

Cleansing removes lipids along with dirt, so it is the step most likely to leave sensitive skin tight. Use lukewarm water, a small amount of product and your hands, not a rough cloth. For the face, the gentlest option is a no-rinse micellar water such as our Micellar Cleansing Water, which uses glucoside cleansing agents and no sulfates. For the shower, our Face & Body Cleanser is a short, certified formula; its main cleanser is a sulfate, softened by milder co-cleansers, and it contains wheat protein.

Not sure which? Read Micellar water or cleanser?

03Step 2 · Moisturise straight away

Apply a moisturiser within a few minutes of washing, while the skin is still slightly damp. For the body, and for the face if you like one product, our Sensitive Skin Body Cream is a COSMOS Organic formula of butters, oils and humectants with five named allergens. For the face, our Peptide Ageless AM/PM Cream works morning and night. If your elbows, knees and heels are rough rather than reactive, our Hydroxyethyl Urea Body Cream is the better choice, though it declares ten allergens.

04Step 3 · Protect every morning

Sunscreen is the most important anti-ageing and skin-protecting step there is. Sensitive skin often tolerates mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) better than some chemical filters, but the best sunscreen is the one you will wear daily. Patch test it like any other product.

05How to read a label for sensitive skin

We print the full ingredient list for every product and name every declared allergen, so you can run these checks before you buy.

06The new allergen list, in brief

Since 2005, EU labels have had to name 26 fragrance allergens when they are present above a low threshold. In 2023 the EU added dozens more, including substances such as vanillin, linalyl acetate and pinene, and essential oils such as bergamot, ylang-ylang and jasmine. The new rules apply to products placed on the market from July 2026. So a product that declared no allergens a year ago may declare several now, with nothing in the formula changed. We have counted ours under the new list.

07How to patch test

• Apply a small amount to the same spot on your inner forearm, once or twice a day.
• Continue for five days.
• Look for redness, itching, bumps or burning.
• If nothing happens, try a small area of the face, then use it normally.
• Introduce only one new product at a time, a week or two apart.

08What to skip

• Hot water and long showers.
• Scrubs and rough washcloths on reactive days.
• Several new products at once.
• Products that tingle "to show they are working". Tingling is irritation.
• Anything with an ingredient you already know you react to, however natural.

09Which of our products suits which skin

None of our products is fragrance-free at the moment. If you need fragrance-free, we would rather tell you than sell you something that doesn't suit you.

10When to see a doctor

See a doctor or pharmacist if your skin is persistently red, swollen, cracked, weeping or itchy; if a reaction spreads beyond where you applied a product; or if your face or eyes swell. A dermatologist can patch test you properly to find out exactly what you react to.

11Your questions, answered

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