When you have sensitive skin, navigating all the latest buzz ingredients on the market can feel like a minefield.
A trial and error approach is too risky, while specialised formulations of time gone by felt like they didn’t pack enough of a punch - particularily when it came to anti-ageing, hydration or fighting breakouts. But no longer.
You can still make the most of active ingredients without causing a reaction, especially when incorporating through serums.
Sensitive skin can be caused by many different reasons, whether it’s environmental or harsh formulations. CeraVe consultant dermatologist, Dr Alexis Granite, explains, “As the weather turns colder and we start to turn up the central heating, our skin tends to become drier and more sensitive”.
So, what is face serum? What does a face serum do?
There is a serum to suit all concerns on the market. Some are packed with antioxidant properties to counteract the effects of pollution, blue light and UV and shield against further external aggressors, while others are created with a view to minimise the appearance of ageing, namely fine lines and wrinkles. You will also find specialised ingredients like hyaluronic acid that have incredible moisture-enhancing properties as well as vitamin C for enhanced radiance.
Which ingredients are good for sensitive skin?
La Roche Posay consultant dermatologist, Dr Emma Wedgeworth highlights niacinamide as a “helpful serum for sensitive skin because it can boost skin barrier function and reduce inflammation.
“Niacinamide has antioxidant properties, helping to neutralise the effect of harmful environmental aggressors known as free radicals”, she adds. “This can help reduce the effect of environmental aggressors which can result in pigmentation and signs of ageing. It can further tackle pigmentation, caused by sun or hormonal changes, by reducing the interaction between pigment cells and skin cells.”
What should you avoid?
“People often say retinol but as long as they’re introduced slowly, this should be fine”, explains consultant dermatologistDr Justine Hextall. “I would recommend a maximum of twice a week for the first week, then add an extra 1-2 nights per week until you can tolerate it once daily. I recommend gently cleansing the skin this will remove potentially skin-damaging pollutants amongst others. I would then directly apply a retinoid, finally a light moisturiser half an hour after to hydrate and protect the sensitive skin barrier”.
How to apply serum on face
Pat the lightweight serum texture onto your skin using your fingertips. Opt for around a pea-sized amount for full face (and neck!) coverage.
When to apply face serum
A serum should be applied onto cleansed and toned skin, allowing a couple of seconds for absorption and then followed by moisturiser to seal it in. If you’re ever unsure, begin with the lightest and finish with the heaviest. With formulas that contain retinol, always and only use at night and layer up on SPF the following morning.
Shop the best serums for sensitive skin below
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Best anti-ageing eye creams and treatments for a more youthful look
Best facial essences to hydrate and prepare skin for the next steps
Best ceramide-focused skincare for a supple, smooth complexion
Best skincare products with mandelic acid
Best hyaluronic acid serums: Top rated products to try and the benefits explained
Best niacinamide products: serums, masks and cleansers to fight acne and breakouts
CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum with Ceramides & Niacinamide for Blemish-Prone Skin
As anyone with sensitive skin will know, retinol is an ingredient we have been told to avoid as the infamously irritating active can cause dryness and flakiness on even the most hard-wearing of complexions. Until now.
CeraVe has created a retinol serum that is enriched with ceramides as well as niacinamide to protect the skin barrier and counteract sensitivies. You’re still getting all the benefits of the powerhouse ingredient - even skin tone, improving hyperpigmentation, youthfulness-boosting and a healthier complexion, but without any downtime.
Buy now £19.00, Boots
Sunday Riley A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum
If you believed that you couldn’t take advantage of the fine line smoothing, radiance-enhancing and blackhead busting properties of retinol due to your sensitive skin, think again.
Sunday Riley has created a product with a stabilised form of retinoid that is paired with a retinoid-like botanical that ensures it’s as effective as potent side effect-rearing alternatives without the flaking, dryness or redness. It clears congestion and turns back the clock on UV damage, while the likes of Hawaiian white honey, bisabolol, cactus extract and ginger offer a calming sensation to your complexion.
Buy now £70.00, Cult Beauty
Paula’s Choice Clinical Niacinamide 20% Treatment
It’s one of the lesser known ingredients but niacinamide deserves its place in your bathroom cabinet. The component has been known to boost hydration, is an anti-inflammatory, encourages collagen and balances oil production to bust breakouts. So the better question is, what doesn’t it do?
Niacinamide takes pride of place in this formula from Paula’s Choice with a potent concentration of 20 per cent to ensure that it declogs pores and leaves a brighter complexion in its wake, no matter your skin type.
Buy now £50.00, Paula’s Choice
Malin + Goetz Replenishing Face Serum
New York-born apothecary-style label Malin + Goetz keeps things clear and clinical when it comes to its packaging and its product formulations. This allows for serums like the Replenishing Face Serum to exist where you get an instantly hydrating effect that is soothing and calming on application. This is due to the botanical makeup that includes extracts like lavender, geranium and chamomile to counteract redness. There is also nourishing vitamin E and amino acids with an oil-free texture so it works for all skin types, especially for dryness.
Buy now £58.00, Space NK
REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Redness Relief Serum 15ml
The clue is in the name with this one. When you are experiencing bouts of sensitivity, call in this serum from REN Clean Skincare to soothe redness and counteract stressed appearances. The velvety soft texture glides onto the skin, offering immediate relief thanks to the likes of white mushroom extract and a complex of beta-carotene and biosaccharide to fortify the skin’s barrier, lock in moisture and ease irritation. You should notice the instant benefits but certainly over the course of 24 hours.
Buy now £25.00, Cult Beauty
Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin Serum 40ml
Korean skincare favourite Dr.Jart+’s trademarked Ceramidin range is all about repairing and revitalising the skin’s barrier. Ceramides are found naturally in the skin and play a vital role in the health and maintainance of the barrier. In this product, it mimics this to accelerate production with plumping and wrinkle-filling results. It’s a concentrated concoction with a creamy serum consistency that is quickly absorbed in order to maximise the hydration, brightening and smoothing properties from the get-go.
Buy now £30.60, lookfantastic
Lumene Nordic-C [VALO] Arctic Berry Oil-Cocktail 30ml
With the brand’s signature soothing pure Arctic Spring Water, each and every product from Lumene is like a tall glass of water for parched skin. The combination of Cranberry Seed Oils and Wild Arctic Cloudberry sounds like something you’ll want mixed with vodka at a upscale bar but for your skin, it is brimming with vitamins A, E and C and all the anti-ageing, nourishing and radiance boosting that they bring respectively. Combined all the ingredients are hydrating and leave your skin silky soft.
Buy now £29.90, lookfantastic
Algenist Genius Liquid Collagen
Collagen - aka the protein that improves skin elasticity, reduces wrinkles and encourages blood flow to the skin - starts depleting from your late 20s. So it’s important to revive the complexion, either through supplements or skincare - for the youthful healthy skin that you deserve. This product from Algenist uses a innovative ingredient line-up to provide a similar effect with the added bonus of omega-rich and sustainably produced microalgae oil that is a natural source of vitamin E. This serum is an anti-ageing boon to increase resilience and restore.
Buy now £90.00, Space NK
Pai Skincare Back to Life Jojoba and Hyaluronic Acid Hydration Serum
Pai Skincare was founded to create high-powered products that would not irritate even the most sensitive of skin types and so each formulation considers this as the main objective. For its immense hydration, Back to Life will become one of the most vital steps in your skincare routine, whether your complexion is parched from the winter weather, eczema, central heating or high temperatures. Hyaluronic acid is the moisture-boosting hero at its heart and is paried with antioxidant-rich berries to encourage the former to be the gift that keeps on giving throughout the day.
Buy now £44.00, Pai Skincare
Dr Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum
After just one use of Dr Barbara Sturm’s Hyaluronic Serum, you will notice how much smoother and hydrated your complexion will appear. It has a slightly tacky texture but if you wet your face or mist it first, this will help you to counteract this and make it easier to lather on other products after application. The professional-grade formula does its thing to restore moisture to dry skin or act as a preventative measure in the summer months.
Buy now £235.00, Space NK
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum
La Roche-Posay is stripping back skincare so that even those with the most sensitive skin can make the most of its nourishing products. This serum is the product equivalent of a tall glass of water that brings instant freshness to your complexion. So soothing is the formula that you’ll want to lather it up and the non-fragrance fragrance enhances this further. Bringing elasticity and plumpness, you also notice that wrinkles appear diminished.
Buy now £28.50, La Roche-Posay
