In this article:
What are skin-soothing ingredients?
How soothing ingredients work
The best skin-soothing ingredients
When it comes to achieving and maintaining healthier, younger-looking skin, we often discuss three groups of ingredients: antioxidants, skin-restoring ingredients, and skin-replenishing ingredients. Along with daily sun protection, each gives skin what it needs to visibly improve in numerous ways. But there’s one more group of ingredients that benefit skin, especially when it’s extra-sensitive or redness-prone: skin-soothing ingredients.
What are skin-soothing ingredients?
Skin-soothing ingredients are an exceptional group of ingredients that work to visibly calm signs of irritation or sensitivity when applied to skin. They’re often derived from plants, and the best of them deliver antioxidant benefits, too.
Sensitive and sensitised skin, including eczema-, blemish- and rosacea-prone skin, greatly benefits from using this group of ingredients. However, research has shown soothing ingredients are wonderful for all skin types. That’s why Paula’s Choice Skincare uses them in our toners, serums, moisturisers, and face masks.
How soothing ingredients work
Think of skin-soothing ingredients as the level-headed friend who always keeps her cool when the heat is on. Skin-soothing agents work to diminish signs of irritation, including redness and blotchiness from environmental influences, like pollution and the sun. They do this by gently quieting sensitising factors in skin’s surface, stopping the sources of distress before they make skin look as if it’s misbehaving.
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman notes, “Since most skin damage via skin disorders has been linked to inflammation, this class of ingredients is beneficial for just about anyone dealing with a skin disorder. Even melasma has been identified as having an inflammatory component. The more we learn about the role of different receptors in the inflammatory skin cascade, the more important this class of ingredients becomes”.
There’s more to love: The way skin-soothing agents calm skin also helps reduce signs of ageing. Essentially, the more you can keep ageing skin in a Zen-like state, the happier it will be—and the younger it will look!
The best skin-soothing ingredients
There are quite a few soothing ingredients used in skin care products, almost too many to list, but don’t let that deter you—we selected some of our most impactful favourites. Here are some of the best soothing ingredients, supported by stacks of published skincare research.
These ingredients can be used by all skin types—even breakout-prone, extra-sensitive, and reddened skin. They’re even gentle enough for rosacea-prone skin.
- Allantoin
- Bisabolol (used on its own and also found in chamomile)
- Boerhavia diffusa root extract
- Burdock root
- Centella asiatica
- Colloidal oatmeal
- Curcumin and its derivatives, known collectively as “curcuminoids”
- Green tea (and its most active component, epigallocatechin gallate)
- Licorice and its components, especially glabridin
- Panthenol
- Willow herb
- Ectoin
Learn more about sensitive skin.
References for this information:
Chemistry and Biodiversity, July 2021, ePublication
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, December 2017, pages 766–773
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, February 2015, pages 455–464
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, January 2015, pages 43–48
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, volume 15, 2014, pages 173–181
Fitoterapia, October 2013, pages 160–184
Advances in Dermatology and Allergology, June 2013, pages 170–177
Pharmacognosy Review, volume 5, July-December 2011
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2011, ePublication
Phytomedicine, May 2011, pages 557–560
Biochemical Pharmacology, February 2008, pages 787–809
