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Skin guide / Dry skin

Redness on dry skin

Dry and red usually travel together because a thin barrier lets both water out and irritants in. Build the barrier first (ceramides, petrolatum at night) and the redness tends to settle with it.

What redness is

Redness is blood close to the surface, from a thin or irritated barrier, from heat and sun, or from conditions such as rosacea that a dermatologist diagnoses. Products for it stay simple: fragrance-free, few ingredients, soothing agents, mineral sunscreen. Anything that stings is not working harder; it is irritating.

What dry skin wants

Creams and balms over gels; cleansing oils, milks and balms over foams. An occlusive last step at night (petrolatum, shea, squalane) slows water loss while you sleep.

Cleanser: a cream, milk or oil cleanser. Go easy on: Foaming cleansers with sulfates, high-percentage alcohol toners, and more than one exfoliating acid a week.

Look for on the label

Colloidal oatmealan FDA skin-protectant ingredient in the USPanthenolprovitamin B5; a humectant and soothing agentAllantoinan FDA skin-protectant ingredientCentella asiaticathe 'cica' in cica creamsBisabololthe soothing component of chamomile, without the pollenZinc oxidea mineral UV filter that sensitive skin tends to tolerate

Go easy on, for redness: Fragrance and essential oils (including 'natural' ones: lavender, citrus, peppermint), alcohol denat., witch hazel, hot water, scrubs and high-strength acids.

Morning

  1. Rinse with lukewarm water or a cream cleanser
  2. Soothing serum
  3. Fragrance-free moisturizer
  4. Mineral sunscreen SPF 30+

Evening

  1. Cream or micellar cleanser
  2. Soothing serum
  3. Barrier cream

Thinnest to thickest, water-based before oil-based, sunscreen last in the morning and first off at night. Add one new product at a time and give it two weeks. The routine tool orders whatever you own.

On the site for redness

All →

Tagged from the maker's own description; moisturizers, serums and oils, cleansers first. Read each label against the list above.

Calming and Clearing Vitamin C Facial SerumMade in the USA
Face and hair · Serums and oils
Calming and Clearing Vitamin C Facial Serum
Vitamin C serum for aging, acne, and redness
$50
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7
Calming Cream Cleanser With BotanicalsMade in the USA
Face and hair · Cleansers
Calming Cream Cleanser With Botanicals
Gentle botanical cleanser for dry, tired skin
$26
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7
Gentle Daily Facial CleanserMade in the USA
Face and hair · Cleansers
Gentle Daily Facial Cleanser
Soap-free daily cleanser for oily or acne-prone skin
$26
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7
Soothing Aloe Vera Gel for SkinMade in the USA
Face and hair · Moisturizers
Soothing Aloe Vera Gel for Skin
Cooling aloe gel for dry, irritated skin
$19
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7
Calming Facial Oil for Sensitive SkinMade in the USA
Face and hair · Serums and oils
Calming Facial Oil for Sensitive Skin
Visibly calms redness and irritation on reactive skin
$61
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7
Gentle Harmony Sensitive Skin Face and Body Cleanser
Face and hair · Cleansers
Gentle Harmony Sensitive Skin Face and Body Cleanser
Gentle daily cleansing for sensitive face and body skin
$48
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7
Sensitive Acne Morning Face WashMade in the USA
Face and hair · Cleansers
Sensitive Acne Morning Face Wash
Mild morning cleanser for sensitive, acne-prone skin
$20
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7
Sensitive Acne Nighttime Face WashMade in the USA
Face and hair · Cleansers
Sensitive Acne Nighttime Face Wash
Gentle nighttime face wash for sensitive, acne-prone skin
$19
Ships in 2 days · arrives in 3–7

Redness on other skin types

OilyCombinationNormalSensitive

Dew & Balm describes ingredients and label categories from the public record (FDA OTC monographs, the EU CosIng database, PubMed) and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. A concern that persists, hurts, bleeds or spreads is for a dermatologist, and anything on prescription is between you and yours.