Not all skincare products are made equal, and many cleansers and moisturizers on the market are too harsh or abrasive for delicate complexions.
If you’re tired of trying products that irritate, you’re in luck—from toners to sunscreen to face creams, we’ve compiled a list of the best clean skincare products to protect and support sensitive skin.
How to tell if you have sensitive skin
Sensitive skin reacts easily to certain ingredients, allergens, and irritants. If you’re prone to redness, itching, swelling, burning, or dryness (especially when trying new products), it’s a sign that you likely have sensitive skin. Additionally, you may be more apt to allergic reactions like rashes, dry patches, or bumps.
If you often notice a bad reaction to new skincare products, there’s a solid chance that you have sensitive skin. Luckily, there are countless products on the market specifically made with this skin type in mind. Practicing gentle skincare while using the right products is key for keeping your skin smooth, glowy, and hydrated.
How to care for sensitive skin
Choose ingredients carefully
If you have sensitive skin, choosing gentle products is essential for protecting and nurturing your complexion. The right products will be made with high-quality, mild ingredients that will keep your complexion in tip-top shape.
Stay hydrated
Hydration is key to preventing inflammation or dry, cracked skin. Look for nourishing, moisture-rich formulas with calming ingredients that will support your skin’s moisture barrier.
Use a light hand
When cleansing or applying product, be sure to use gentle motions and lukewarm water to avoid stripping your skin of its natural oils. After cleansing, be sure to pat dry instead of rubbing to keep your skin feeling soft and healthy.
The Best ways to care for sensitive skin as you age
As you age, you may notice that your old skincare routine isn’t cutting it anymore. Your skin changes with age, and typically, that means your skincare needs change as well.
Emphasize hydration and protection in your daily regimen, making sure to use nourishing ingredients along with SPF. Aging skin requires even more moisture—avoid harsh ingredients and hot water in your routine, which both work against sensitive and dry skin. Additionally, be sure to drink enough water to keep your skin hydrated from the inside out.
The best clean skincare products to protect sensitive skin
Now that we’ve covered what irritation-prone skin looks like and how to care for it, here are the best skincare products for sensitive skin to support a glow-from-within look.
The top face products for delicate skin
Ceramedx Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser
Made for dry, sensitive skin, this mild cleanser is formulated with Riceramide®-3 plant-based ceramide technology to gently cleanse the skin and prevent redness while preserving the protective barrier. Ceramedx’s dermatologist-recommended foaming wash is sulfate-free, fragrance-free, clinically tested, GMO-free, cruelty-free, and paraben-free. It’s created with skin-soothing emollients to replenish moisture as it melts away oil, dirt, and makeup.
Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes for Sensitive Skin Aloe Vera
Burt’s Bees’ face wipes are sensitive skincare simplified. Made of 90.5% natural origin and formulated with nutrient-rich botanicals like aloe vera, these convenient facial wipes are suitable for all skin types to quickly remove makeup without drying out the skin.
Accepted by the National Eczema Association, these towelettes use rice extract, cotton extract, and aloe vera to soothe, hydrate, and nurture sensitive skin. They’re hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, dermatologist-tested, cruelty-free, and made using FSC-certified cloth for softer, cleaner skin no matter where you are.
Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum for Sensitive Skin – Fragrance Free
Aveeno’s calming triple oat serum is dermatologist-recommended, fragrance-free, and formulated with sensitive skin in mind. This restorative prebiotic triple oat complex instantly replenishes the moisture barrier using calming oat and anti-inflammatory feverfew to soothe, nourish, and hydrate dry, itchy skin.
Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Barrier Face Cream
Made specifically for sensitive skin, Pacifica’s vegan ceramide face cream is dermatologist and allergy tested, fragrance-free, and made without SLS, parabens, phthalates, or mineral oil.
This gentle cream uses the calming power of vegan ceramides, amino acids, oat kernel flour, calendula, niacinamide, and shea butter to strengthen the skin barrier and hydrate dry complexions.
Tree to Tub Witch Hazel Toner for Sensitive Skin with Green Tea & Ginseng
Tree to Tub’s toner is made with witch hazel, ginseng, green tea, chamomile, aloe vera, cucumber, grapefruit seed, rose water, hyaluronic acid, and their Balancing Vitamin Complex (B5, C, and E). This refreshing botanical blend improves radiance, locks in moisture, and gently removes oil, dirt, and grime from the skin while reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
It’s ideal for sensitive, dry, oily, or combination skin and is made vegan using recyclable plastic without parabens, phthalates, DEA/MEA, sulfates, artificial fragrances, EDTA, or animal testing.
Bulldog Natural Skincare Sensitive Moisturizer For Men
This men’s moisturizer uses natural ingredients like willow herb, oat, and baobab oil to provide deep hydration for sensitive skin without leaving any oily or sticky residue. It’s cruelty-free, vegan, and made without artificial colors or synthetic fragrances.
Sensitive skin products to hydrate under eyes
Attitude Oceanly Phyto-Calm Soothing Solid Eye Cream for Sensitive Skin
Attitude’s nutrient-rich eye cream is formulated with Ecklonia cava extract, shea butter, and phytoglycogen. It’s packed with vitamins A, E, and F for next-level hydration and soothing to easily reactive skin. With nourishing, calming, and antioxidative properties, this eye cream is dermatologically tested, vegan, EWG-verified, cruelty-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, and packaged in biodegradable cardboard sourced from sustainably managed forests.
Timeless Skin Care Hydrating Eye Cream
This cooling eye cream combats signs of aging and dehydration in fragile undereye skin with Matrixyl® 3000, a safer retinoid alternative. Combined with hyaluronic acid, algae, watermelon extract, and soy rice peptides, this formula visibly smooths and firms the skin around the eye area for a tighter, brighter look. It’s made without sulfates, parabens, dyes, fragrance, or animal testing.
The best clean bath and shower products for sensitive skin
Kirk’s 3-In-1 Head To Toe Nourishing Cleanser Fragrance Free
Kirk’s 3-in-1 coconut castile soap is made with premium coconut oil and aloe vera for naturally cleaner, softer skin head-to-toe. It’s non-GMO, cruelty-free, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, phthalate-free, sulfate-free, paraben-free, EDTA-free, gluten-free, dye-free, and clinically tested to be safe for sensitive skin. This multitasking cleanser is perfect for achieving a squeaky-clean feel for the face, body, hands, or hair.
Alaffia EveryDay Coconut Soothing Bath Soak Oat Milk & Aloe
This soothing bath soak is the ultimate self-care product for delicate skin. Made with oat milk, aloe, and coconut oil, this product turns ordinary baths into an indulgent experience to nourish, calm, and soften skin. Made using fair-trade virgin coconut oil from Alaffia’s co-ops in Togo, West Africa, it’s cruelty-free, vegan, and formulated without SLS, parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances, mineral oil, or synthetic dyes.
Eczema Honey Soothing Body Wash
Eczema Honey’s daily body wash gently washes away impurities without stripping away natural oils, providing skin-deep nourishment to eczema-prone skin. Honey, colloidal oatmeal, calendula, and chamomile extracts fight against inflammation and redness and lock in moisture while antioxidative jojoba oil, lavender oil, and aloe vera juice offer fast-absorbing hydration.
This mild cleanser is dermatologist-tested, cruelty-free, and made without parabens, phthalates, petrolatum, fragrance, or SLS. It’s hydrating, calming, and specifically made to protect and support sensitive skin without leaving any residue.
Hand and body lotion gentle enough for sensitive skin
Attitude Sensitive Skin Hand Cream
Attitude’s natural hand cream is hypoallergenic to repair and hydrate dry, sensitive skin. Enriched with skin-loving ingredients like oatmeal and argan oil, this hand cream is chock-full of antioxidants and rich fatty acids to restore and soothe parched skin. It’s EWG-verified, cruelty-free, vegan, hypoallergenic, paraben-free, and phthalate-free.
The best clean deodorant and sunscreen to protect sensitive skin
Humble Brands Deodorant Plastic-Free, Vegan & Sensitive Skin Mountain Lavender
Sensitive skin deserves to smell fresh, too. Humble Brands has created the ultimate solution that neutralizes odor without irritating rash-prone pits. MCT oil and calendelilla wax nourish underarms while corn starch helps to combat odor and sweat.
Instead of using baking soda (which can compromise sensitive skin), it utilizes the moisture-absorbing properties of magnesium hydroxide, a naturally occurring mineral. Scented with energizing essential oils and botanical extracts, this plastic-free vegan deodorant is made without aluminum, alcohol, parabens, talc, artificial fragrance, dyes, or animal testing.
CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Body SPF 50
CeraVe’s lightweight sunscreen shields sensitive skin using broad-spectrum SPF 50 mineral UV protection. Made with three essential ceramides to seal in moisture and restore the skin’s natural barrier, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide reflect UVA and UVB rays for full protection without irritating. It’s allergy and dermatologist-tested, oil-free, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free, and paraben-free.
Taking care of sensitive skin doesn’t have to mean sacrificing results. With these clean, gentle picks, you can create a daily routine that supports and strengthens your moisture barrier for a healthier, happier complexion.