Redness & irritation

If you like a rich, comforting cream, the Dr.Jart+ Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Cream is the classic, and its lighter twin, the Dr.Jart+ Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Gel Cream, cools as it goes on. Irritated skin settles under the Dr.G R.E.D Blemish Cica Soothing Cream, a vegan centella cream, and the Etude House SoonJung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream replenishes stressed skin.

Acids, retinoids, scrubs and anything fragranced, for a couple of weeks. Keep a plain cleanser, a centella or panthenol toner, a barrier moisturizer and a gentle sunscreen, and change nothing else while skin settles. Then bring products back one at a time, a week apart, so you can tell which one your skin objects to.

Centella and its extracts, madecassoside and TECA, lead the way, with panthenol, heartleaf, ceramides and allantoin close behind. Look for short ingredient lists with no added fragrance, and a texture that suits your skin, since a heavy cream on oily skin brings problems of its own.

Not always. Redness can be a reaction to one product, to the weather or to too much exfoliation, and it settles within days once the cause is gone. Skin that reacts to most things, most of the time, is sensitive skin and wants a routine built for it from the start. Redness that lasts, with bumps or flushing, is worth showing a doctor.