In this article:
What causes redness on the face?
Skin care products to avoid
Does exfoliating reduce redness?
Step-by-step skin care routine for red skin
It’s no fun to have to deal with intermittent flare-ups of redness on your face, especially along the cheeks, nose and sometimes even the chin and forehead. Making matters even worse, this kind of redness often becomes easily inflamed, often by the littlest thing, and can sometimes lead to bumps.
If this sounds like what your skin is going through, don’t lose hope! We’ll show you how to build a gentle, soothing skin care routine that visibly calms redness and helps smooth bumps. We also have other suggestions that stand to make a big difference, including which ingredients could be making the problem worse and how stabilising your skin's microbiome can help.
What causes redness on the face?
There are many things that can cause or contribute to redness on the face. These factors span the gamut of both non-skin care and skin care practices.
Often, skin conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis and eczema are the culprit behind uneven tone and other uncomfortable concerns, like tightness, flakiness and dryness (1). On lighter skin the uneven tone associated with these skin disorders often appears a pink or red colour, however, on skin with more melanin this uneven tone can appear as dark, dusky spots or blotches (2). If you think you’re experiencing any of these skin conditions, consult your dermatologist for treatment options.
Diet can also tip the scales in favour of skin redness. Alcohol and spicy foods (those containing capsaicin) tend to promote a wash of colour in those with rosacea or even just sensitive skin that may be prone to redness (3).
Heat also promotes skin redness (4). It does so through vasodilation, promoting a rush of blood to skin’s surface. However, it’s damaging UV rays one really must worry about— creating redness while wreaking havoc on skin, causing visible signs of ageing and not to mention sunburn! That’s why it’s crucial to always apply (and reapply) a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Special note: those with darker, more melanin-rich skin won’t see redness from the sun, but the damage is still happening. Instead of visible redness, your skin may respond by feeling tight and itchy.
A bigger surprise to many: the skin care products that you apply to ease your redness might actually be causing your redness. More on that below!
Skin care products to avoid
If you want to get your skin back on the right track, it’s critical to eliminate the parts of your routine that may be irritating your skin and making redness worse. Once you do that, the difference will seem like a giant sigh of relief for your skin. The following are the top offenders you need to weed out and stop doing now:
- STOP using bar soaps, cleansing scrubs and cleansers that leave skin feeling tight or dry.
- STOP using abrasive cleansing tools (e.g., a cleansing brush with stiff bristles or microdermabrasion devices).
- STOP using astringents, toners, clarifying lotions or any skin care product that contains alcohol (listed as SD alcohol or alcohol denatured) or witch hazel.
- STOP applying products that contain fragrant plant oils or extracts, such as lavender, grapefruit, peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus and rose.
- STOP applying products that contain synthetic or natural fragrances; these may simply be listed as parfum or fragrance on the ingredient list.
- STOP applying products that contain any essential oil; essential oils are, essentially, just more fragrance! They contain volatile compounds research has shown irritate skin and cause oxidative damage.
It bears repeating: one of the most common warnings on our list is fragrance. Fragrance has negative repercussions for skin, including flare-ups, which can lead to red, bumpy, flaky, dry, itchy, older-looking skin (5). So, aside from the importance of NOT using anything that aggravates your skin (everything you use must be completely non-irritating), your entire skin care routine should be 100% fragrance free.
Does exfoliating reduce redness?
Exfoliation can help reduce redness if you use the right product. Harshly abrasive scrubs aren’t recommended as they can cause microtears in skin, impairing its barrier and exacerbating redness. Instead, opt for a gentle beta hydroxy acid (also known as BHA or salicylic acid) exfoliant, which has a soothing effect on skin. It also visibly reduces redness due to its inherent calming properties.
More to love, BHA’s ability to slough off dead skin cells also allows skin to better soak up any hydrating, nourishing and soothing ingredients that you apply after. BHA works both on the surface of skin and within pores to remove impurities that can cause redness associated with breakouts, while simultaneously soothing skin. For best results, seek out a BHA formula that contains additional skin-soothing ingredients like you’ll find in our CALM 1% BHA Sensitive Skin Exfoliant.
Step-by-step skin care routine for red skin
Once you’ve cut out the bad products, eliminated problematic skin care steps and have started using only soothing, antioxidant-enriched, skin-calming, gentle, fragrance-free-formulas, you’ll be miles ahead from where you started. The following will make a huge difference in calming your red, extra-sensitive skin. Here’s what you need for success:
- A non-drying, easy-to-rinse, skin-softening, water-soluble gentle cleanser.
- A soothing facial toner that delivers skin-replenishing ingredients, such as antioxidant-rich plant extracts, ceramides, panthenol and hyaluronic acid, and calming agents to renew your skin.
- A salicylic acid (BHA) exfoliant. BHA not only exfoliates built-up layers of dead skin to reveal the radiant healthy skin hiding beneath, but also can calm red areas while smoothing dry, flaky skin.
- During the day, a sunscreen with SPF 30 or greater whose only active sunscreen ingredients are titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide. These ingredients provide the utmost age-defying protection and can help reduce the risk of early signs of ageing.
- In the evening, revitalise and soothe skin with a repairing serum plus a barrier-replenishing moisturiser. Look for those that contain abundant antioxidants, skin-enriching ingredients and skin-drenching hydrators.
That might sound a bit complicated, but we’ve made sticking to these guidelines easy with our CALM collection, a line specially crafted to soothe and calm sensitive skin. This line is 100% fragrance-free and great for sensitive skin, even suitable for those with rosacea. Carefully crafted with ingredients to tenderly soothe redness, lessen dehydration, enhance radiance, combat sun damage, and reveal a healthy, younger-looking glow, the CALM collection is a multi-tasking yet mild skin care experience. These innovative ingredients pull double duty by reducing reactivity within skin while delivering visible anti-ageing benefits.
Learn more about skin redness.
References for this information:
- International Journal of Dermatology and Venereology, December 2021, pages 199–209
- American Academy of Dermatology Association, Accessed October 2022, Webpage
- Dermatology Practical and Conceptual, October 2017, pages 31-37
- Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, February 2016, Supplement, pages 2-8
- The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, November 2008, pages 38-44
