7 Best Products for Sensitive Skin

Even if your skin doesn’t feel sensitive, damage can still be happening beneath the surface. Over time, harsh ingredients, pollution, sun exposure, and other environmental stressors can quietly harm your skin.

 Over time, these environmental skin irritants can lead to dryness, redness, enlarged pores, uneven tone, loss of firmness, and skin that looks older and more tired.

The best way to combat all this and get your skin back to its normal vibrant health is to only apply gentle, soothing skincare products and a sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater. Without question, this is something we should all be doing to protect our skin from daily damage.

If you’re wondering how to get better skin, Paula’s Choice Singapore offers a range of beauty products that help you achieve healthier skin in no time. Now is the time to get the best skin of your life and it starts by knowing which Paula’s Choice skincare products will embrace your skin with soothing properties. Below are the research-supported recommendations to get your skin looking its best and staying that way.

Top skin irritants

Unprotected sun exposure is at the top of the list for aggravating skin, hence daily SPF is a must! Red, peeling skin and uneven skin tone are clear indications that skin has been affected, but other less obvious environmental factors may be at play, including air pollution or arid conditions.

Perhaps the least obvious, yet most common, skin irritant to your skin is fragrance (whether synthetic or natural) in your personal care products. While many people want products that smell good, the way most fragrance ingredients impart scent is through a volatile reaction, which can cause skin sensitivity. Harsh scrubs and hot water will also take an unwanted toll on having the beautiful skin you want.

All these factors affect skin and the impact is more than just redness or discomfort. It can thwart your skin's ability to replenish and renew itself, lessen its resiliency, impede hydration, cause dullness, and overall makes your skin less healthy and radiant. For those with oily skin, these kinds of irritants on skin can also spur more oily shine and enlarged pores.

Paula’s Choice favourites for soothing skin

So what can you do to calm your skin and ensure a soothing skincare routine? The key is using gentle, fragrance-free skincare products and broad-spectrum sun protection every day. We're proud to say that every product from Paula's Choice Skincare is formulated to be non-irritating and without added fragrance (natural or synthetic). 

Whether it’s facial cleansers or exfoliating toners that you’re looking for, all of our products are formulated to nurture your skin back to a healthy state in the gentlest way possible; they are even gentle enough for eczema-prone skin. Purchase products specially formulated to address issues like skin redness, enlarged pores, or a loss of firmness. Here are some of our staff favourites (and Paula's) to help improve the look and feel of skin as soon as you start using them:

1. SKIN RECOVERY Softening Cream Cleanser – A rich, creamy cleansing formula that feels cushiony-soft and soothing on skin while still cleansing thoroughly.
2. CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant – This extremely gentle, soothing leave-on gel-cream exfoliant containing a 1% concentration of BHA (salicylic acid) helps alleviate redness while also unclogging pores and smoothing rough, bumpy skin including stubborn, tiny, hard white bumps that occur primarily on your cheek bones but can show up in other areas too. It's even suitable for milia-prone skin.
3. CALM Repairing Serum – This lightweight serum, suited for all skin types, immediately soothes temperamental skin and calms redness with gentle, yet highly effective antioxidants and skin-replenishing ingredients.
4. SKIN RECOVERY Daily Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30 – This gentle, moisturizing mineral-based sunscreen provides broad-spectrum protection as well as additional antioxidants to help reduce the risk of early skin aging, as well as a bevy of other benefits too long to list.
5. CALM Barrier Protect Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 – If you have normal to oily skin, finding the best sunscreen to protect your skin and keep it looking young and healthy is tricky because most sunscreens are anything but lightweight. Our CALM Redness Relief SPF 30 will change your mind and your skin at the same time.
6. CLINICAL Ultra-Rich Moisturizer – A specialised cream designed for the face, this incredibly rich formula helps replenish skin and defends against moisture loss for up to 12 hours.
7. BOOST Moisture Renewal Oil Booster – is an ultra-hydrating, skin-nourishing blend of pure plant oils that's also infused with skin-sustaining ceramides. This concentrated combination of antioxidant-enriched facial oils is nourishing enough to alleviate dry, sensitive, red-looking skin and is suitable even for rosacea-prone skin.

For more Paula's Choice products geared to sensitive skin and specific for your skin type, check out our entire CALM LINE. Our CALM products are made for both oily skin and dry skin.

References for this information

Food and Chemical Toxicology, February 2008, issue 2, pages 446 – 475

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, June 2005, issue 6, pages 937 – 958