True Radical Honesty From Our Community

If your skin is seeing red and you don’t know why, finding the root cause is everything. 

A little facial redness is normal. Rosy cheeks after a few too many red wines? Yeah, we’ve all been there. Slightly flushed skin during your weekly hot yoga class? Check. But if you’re facial redness simply won’t quit, chances are there’s more going on with your skin than you might realize.

Facial redness happens when blood vessels beneath the surface of your skin dilate, causing blood to rush to your skin and the inevitable redness that comes with it. If you have fair skin you’re more likely to be afflicted with redness because your skin is genetically thinner and more fragile than darker skin types. But that being said, anyone can suffer – whatever your skin type or tone.

So, what causes your blood vessels to dilate? Well, the short, slightly vague answer is many, MANY things. But that’s pretty unhelpful, we know, so here are six of the most common causes of facial redness, plus what you can do to help soothe, treat and care for your pesky flare-ups.

Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema)

What It Is: The most common form of eczema and often hereditary, atopic dermatitis (AD) affects around 16.5 million adults in the US. It occurs when your immune system becomes compromised, triggering inflammation in your skin that damages your barrier function.

Symptoms: Along with the obvious redness, atopic dermatitis is typically defined by the amount of itching you will experience. In fact, according to the National Eczema Association, 85 percent of people with AD suffer itching on a daily basis. Dryness and discoloration is also a common symptom.

How To Treat It: A board-certified dermatologist should be your first port of call to truly diagnose and treat atopic dermatitis. They may prescribe an anti-inflammatory or cortisone treatment to help control the redness and reduce any sensitivities. At home, keep your skincare regime simple and free of potential irritants such as synthetic fragrance, sulfates and bad alcohol. Also, try to reduce stress and make sure you eat a healthy diet and get plenty of sleep. The usual, all-round, smart lifestyle choice are super important here.

Acne

What It Is: Acne occurs when your pores becoming blocked with dead skin cells and excess oil. This blockage then breeds bacteria, causing swelling, pimples and inflammation.

Symptoms: Oily skin coupled with red bumps that may be filled with pus are a sure-sign acne is in town. However, what sometimes looks like acne, isn’t, so it’s always best to see a dermatologist for a professional diagnosis.

How To Treat It: Severe acne should always be treated by a derm or doctor, but for mild acne, topical treatments and smart skincare choices can reap great rewards. Ingredients like retinol, salicylic acid and tea tree oil are all proven to help reduce and prevent breakouts. Our Tea Tree Super Serum+ is formulated with all of these, plus hyaluronic acid to hydrate and niacinamide to soothe. What’s more, you only need to apply it two or three times a week to see visible improvements in your skin. Gotta love that.

Contact Dermatitis

What It Is: Certain irritants can cause the skin on your face and neck to flare-up including fragrance, hair dye, jewelry and chemicals or preservatives in skincare products. This is a condition called contact dermatitis and it comes in two forms: irritant contact dermatitis and allergic contact dermatitis.

According to the Mayo Clinic, irritant contact dermatitis is the most common and occurs when your skin is exposed to something it doesn't like which then damages and irritates your skin’s outermost layer. Allergic contact dermatitis, on the other hand, triggers an immune reaction in your skin and can be caused by eating certain foods as well exposing your skin to irritants in personal care products.

Symptoms: Contact dermatitis usually results in redness, itching, dryness, swelling and sometimes burning, bumps or blisters. It can also lead to infection, especially if you scratch the affected area.

How To Treat It: The best way to deal with contact dermatitis is to identify what’s causing your reaction. And word to the wise: don’t even bother trying to do this at home – you’ll just waste time and energy. Instead, check in with an allergist who will perform various patch tests to pinpoint the exact allergen that’s doing a number on your skin. Going forward, avoid this, look after your skin with gentle formulations, moisturize twice daily and you should be laughing.

Over-exfoliation

What It Is: Exfoliating is a great way to boost cell turnover, deeply cleanse your skin and help the rest of your skincare penetrate your skin more effectively. However, too much exfoliating can weaken your skin’s barrier function, stripping away essential ceramides, fatty acids, cholesterol and other nutrients that work hard to keep your skin soft, supple, healthy and hydrated. Without this protective barrier, your skin becomes vulnerable to the outside world and is easily irritated by external aggressors such as pollution, chemicals and toxins. Cue the inevitable facial redness.

Symptoms: How can you tell if you’re over-exfoliating your skin? Well, your skin will become red, dry, tight, itchy and even sting a little when you apply other skincare products. You may also break out. Shock, horror.

How To Treat It: First, stop exfoliating so much. If you like to use a physical scrub or facial mitt, limit these to two or three times a week. Better yet, use a gentle chemical exfoliator that breaks down dead skin cells without you physically having to buff them away. Our Ocean Minerals Super Toner contains glycolic acid which does just that.

Psoriasis

What It Is: Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that affects over 7.5 million adults in the US. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation its cause is kind of unclear, but it’s all down to a dysfunction of the immune system which causes inflammation and a build-up of skin cells on the surface of the skin. Psoriasis not only affects the skin, but can also impact the joints and other organs and tissues in the body.

Symptoms: Normal skin cells go through a cycle of around a month, in which they form, grow and then shed. However, if you have psoriasis, this process goes into overdrive and happens lightning fast – usually in around three or four days. This results in dead skin cells piling up on the surface of your skin, causing raised scaly patches, itching, burning and severe redness.

How To Treat It: Diagnosing psoriasis isn’t something to be done in the comfort of your home, but it’s easy for your doctor to do so. Therefore, you know the score – get yourself to a doctor or dermatologist quick smart. There are many treatments available for psoriasis, including steroid creams, retinoids and light therapy. Moisturizing your skin is also imperative for reducing flaky patches and dryness, but always patch test new products to check for irritation first.

Rosacea

What It Is: Rosacea is an extremely common, but treatable skin condition that’s flummoxed skin experts for decades. How so? Because its cause has never been fully understood. Rosacea is linked to your vascular system and causes redness and visible blood vessels on the face, usually around your cheeks, chin, nose and forehead. It often comes and goes and is triggered by environmental or lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol, stress, extreme temperatures, exercise and certain medications.

Symptoms: Redness is the main symptom here, but it’s often coupled with pimple-like bumps that can be itchy and crusty. You may also experience swelling and a burning sensation on the surface of your skin, as well as dry eyes and blurry vision. These symptoms will come and go depending on your triggers.

How To Treat It: There are various options available including light therapy, antibiotics and prescription topical treatments, but as with all redness concerns, it’s vital to see a doctor for a professional diagnosis. You must also protect your skin from the sun as this is a devil for rosacea flare-ups, and think about keeping a diary to help identify your triggers. Your skincare regime should be simple, gentle and minus too many active ingredients like AHAs and retinol. Niacinamide could be an option for you because it has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties, but again, patch test any new product before using it for the first time.

PS: The main takeaway for concerns with any kind of persistent facial redness is to see your doctor or a skin specialist for a diagnosis and plan of action. Trying to figure out what’s causing yours will just stress you out. And this will do nothing but make the issue worse in the long run.

Love to exfoliate but hate how irritated your sensitive skin gets? Chances are you’re doing it all wrong…

If you have sensitive skin you’ll know that daily scrubbing with a full-on exfoliating face wash is bad news. In all honesty, vigorous exfoliation is far from ideal for any skin type (yes, even oily skin), but still, sensitive souls are likely to feel the burn way more than most. And this is down to your all-important skin barrier function.

Everybody’s skin has a protective, fatty barrier that works to keep water in and irritants out. Sensitive skin usually has a weaker, thinner barrier than other skin types which makes it less able to retain moisture (hello dryness and dehydration) and easily irritated by external triggers. Things like extreme heat, wind, pollution and topical skincare can all cause discomfort to sensitive skin types, making it feel sore, itchy, extremely dry or inflamed.

In cases of severe sensitivities or ongoing, underlying conditions such as eczema, rosacea, psoriasis and contact dermatitis these symptoms are often ten times worse. This is because your immune system goes into overdrive to protect your body from any perceived threats (irritants) that have broken through your skin’s barrier. An inflammatory response then occurs and results in everything you know and hate about your eczema, psoriasis and the like.

If you do have a certain skin condition, you should always consult your dermatologist for advice on how best to exfoliate your skin – chances are you should cut it out of your routine entirely. But if your sensitivities are less ongoing and more controllable at home, you can still benefit from a little exfoliation in your life. You just need to know how to do it correctly.

Below, our five golden rules for safe exfoliation for sensitive skin…

Rule #1. Chemical exfoliation is usually better than physical exfoliation

There are two main types of exfoliation: physical and chemical. Physical exfoliators include anything that requires you to exert some kind of physical movement or pressure to remove dead cells from the surface of your skin. Think face scrubs, loofahs and cleansing brushes.

Chemical exfoliators, on the other hand, use chemicals to break down the bonds between your skin cells so they can naturally shed without you putting too much effort in. Typical chemical exfoliators are AHAs like glycolic and lactic acid, as well as BHAs such as salicylic acid.

Both physical and chemical exfoliators have their place in the world, but if your skin errs on the side of sensitive, look out for a chemical treatment that gently exfoliates but also hydrates and soothes your skin at the same time.

Our Ocean Minerals Super Toner contains glycolic acid making it the ideal way to boost cell turnover without causing too much irritation. Apply it to clean skin two or three times a week. If your skin suffers with sensitivities AND breakouts, however, you might be better off with our Vitamin C Super Serum+ which contains salicylic acid to target excess oil production. Again, apply this to clean, dry skin two or three times a week, perhaps even less if you’re super sensitive.

Rule #2. Oftentimes, a clean washcloth is enough to do the trick

Even chemical exfoliation can cause irritation if you’re not careful, but a great way to avoid this is to do a patch test first, then you'll know if that particular product is going to work for you. And if not? Don’t sweat it too much as there are still plenty of ways to gently boost cell turnover and get your glow on.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the easiest way to gently exfoliate sensitive skin is to invest in a few washcloths. Cleanse your skin as normal by gently apply a mild cleanser like Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser to damp skin. Then moisten your cloth and work this over your skin for 30 seconds before rinsing thoroughly with lukewarm water and patting dry with a clean towel. The action of the cloth works like a very light physical exfoliator. Just remember to wash your cloths after every use to stop bacteria from breeding and causing further irritation to your skin.

Rule #3. Important: don’t exfoliate too often

Some people can get away with exfoliating their skin five times a week, maybe even daily. But sensitive skin types? Not so much. Of course, how often you exfoliate varies from person to person, but we recommend sticking to once or twice a week to begin with. You can always increase your frequency at a later stage if you think your skin will benefit from doing so.

Rule #4. Let retinol do its thing

This may sound like crazy talk, considering the potency of retinol, but a mild formulation can be a great tool for providing exfoliation AND anti-aging benefits to sensitive skin.

Retinol boosts collagen and elastin production to help reduce lines, dark spots and poor skin tone. But not only that, it also forces your cells to turn over more quickly which hey, is what exfoliation is all about, after all.

Instead of a full-on retinol serum, try adding Retinol Moisturizer into your skincare routine once or twice a week. Moisturizers don’t penetrate the skin quite as deeply as serums, which means you’ll still get the benefits of all those awesome active ingredients… but they’re less likely to irritate your skin. Retinol Moisturizer also contains aloe and hyaluronic acid to hydrate, vitamin E to heal, plus jojoba oil and shea butter to seal moisture into your skin. Patch test it first to check for sensitivities and always introduce it slowly into your routine. This is really important. Like, REALLY important – especially when it comes to sensitive skin. Got it? Good.

Rule #5. Always follow with moisturizer

Exfoliation not only deeply cleanses your skin and boosts cell turnover, but it can also remove a lot of good stuff from the surface of your skin, causing it to become dry and dehydrated in no time. But this is an easy fix, as long as you always apply moisturizer after exfoliating.

If you’re using our Retinol Moisturizer to gently exfoliate your skin, you’ve nailed this step already, but if you’re exfoliating with a washcloth or chemical serum, you must always follow with a separate moisturizer. Try Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer each morning and Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream before bed.

Dark, under-eye circles getting your goat? Facial redness seriously starting to cheese you off? Then it’s time to take action against these common skin concerns. And thankfully, we know how… 

What’s your skin hangup, because we know you have one? Maybe even more than one. Come on, even the most perfectly porcelained among you will have something you hate about your skin. And yes, even if it is the tiniest of lines between your brows that nobody else notices, but you see EVERY TIME you look in the mirror.

When it comes to taking care of annoying skin issues like lines, wrinkles, acne and dark spots, a regular skincare routine doesn’t usually cut the mustard. But all it takes is that one awesome product to take your regime to a whole other level.

Here, we take a look at eight of the most common skin concerns you might face… plus what to do to minimize their effects on your skin – and your mental wellbeing.

1. Redness

Severe facial flushing can be caused by anything from rosacea and psoriasis through to eczema and seasonal allergies. And the most important thing here is not to even try to self-diagnose. Rosacea, for example, is often mistaken for acne which can lead to nothing short of disastrous results for your skin. So, first up, visit a skin specialist straight away to talk through your symptoms and treatment options.

If you think your skin is red due to harsh cleansing or irritation from potent actives in your skincare, you should also pare back your routine. Remove a facial serum from your regime for a few weeks and see if this helps. Or switch up your cleanser to a gentler formulation that avoids parabens, sulfates or harsh fragrances. This will help you understand if there’s a certain ingredient your skin has taken offense to. Rose Water Refreshing Toner is also a great shout for calming and soothing irritation.

2. A Shiny T-Zone

Excess shine around your nose, chin and forehead is due to too many overactive sebaceous glands in your skin which produce an excess of oil. And while shiny hair and shiny lips are all well and good, a slick face? Not so much.

The best ways to control excess shine are to avoid oil-heavy moisturizers, invest in some salicylic acid which cuts through oil like no other ingredient, and cleanse regularly, but gently, using a detoxifying ingredient like charcoal.

Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is just the guy for the job here. Containing activated coconut charcoal, it not only draws out toxins from your skin but also mops up excess sebum while it’s at it. Thankfully, it also contains aloe, glycerin and non pore-clogging lavender oil to keep your skin hydrated and balanced while it works it’s wonders. Because we're smart like that.

3. Dark Circles & Bags Around Your Eyes

Puffiness and dark, under-eye circles generally form as you age, when your skin loses collagen and therefore weakens and sags. Why is the area under your eyes so susceptible to aging? Because the skin here is thin, fragile and lacks fat and muscle to support it.

Dark circles are usually hereditary, but both conditions can be exacerbated by sun damage, cruddy sleep, stress, dehydration and irritation, so your first step to clearer, smoother eyes is to make better lifestyle choices. Our top three pieces of advice? Wear sunglasses outside, sleep with your head elevated and add a topical eye treatment to your daily routine. Peptide Eye Gel is the nuts for tackling dark circles, puffiness and wrinkles around your eyes.

4. Visible Pores

Your pore size is another skin grievance that’s determined by genetics and newsflash: it’s physically impossible to shrink them – even though many skincare manufacturers would like you to believe otherwise.

However, by keeping your skin healthy, strong and supple, you can definitely improve the look of enlarged pores. Of course, protecting your skin from the sun is super important as UV rays break down collagen and compromise the structure of your skin. Therefore always wear a lightweight sunscreen and introduce antioxidants into your regime to further boost your protection.

You should also look out for gentle cleansers and toners containing salicylic or glycolic acid as these boost cellular turnover and help remove dead skin cells which can hang around on the surface of your skin and block your pores. Try Ocean Minerals Super Toner which contains glycolic acid along with MSM and our favorite antioxidant, vitamin C.

5. Cracked, Flaky Skin

Cracked, flaky skin is usually a result of dryness (or eczema, of course). Dry skin is hereditary, caused by a lack of natural sebum and is not to be confused with dehydration which is due to a lack of water in the skin and can affect any skin type – dry, normal, oily, you name it.

The best way to look after dryness and cracked skin is to treat it super carefully. Avoid harsh chemicals in your skincare and never wash your face in hot water which compromises your barrier function and depletes essential fatty acids and lipids from the surface of your skin. 

It’s also a great idea to include occlusive or emollient ingredients in your skincare to help repair and smooth over cracks and reduce moisture loss. Our Vitamin C Night Cream contains some of the best emollients including cocoa butter, beeswax and botanical oils like jojoba, rosehip and evening primrose oil.

6. Frown Lines

You might be applying the best eye treatment to the lines around your eyes, but what about those pesky 11 lines that lurk right between your eyebrows? What can you do about those – without having to resort to a syringe full of Botox, of course?

Frown lines are caused by the natural loss of collagen and elastin as you age, coupled with repeated facial expressions like raising your eyebrows, squinting and frowning.

Facial yoga can be an effective way to combat a crinkly forehead. A great one is to open your eyes as wide as possible – without wrinkling your forehead – then stare at the horizon for 10 seconds, relax and repeat five times.

Of course, the usual suspects of stress, excessive sun exposure and pollution also play their part, so protect your skin with SPF and antioxidant serums. We recommend our super-powered Vitamin C Super Serum+ which is packed to the brim with antioxidant favorites like vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and retinol.

7. Hormonal Acne

Acne is the most common skin condition in the US and can affect any one of us, at any time in our lives. Research shows that hormonal acne, which makes you break out while dealing with hormonal fluctuations during your periods or the menopause, affects 25 percent of women in their forties and a massive 50 percent of women in their twenties.

Retinol is an awesome ingredient for treating and controlling mild hormonal acne because it boosts cell turnover which helps slough off dead skin cells and prevents your pores from becoming blocked. Retinol can be pretty potent, remember, so introduce Retinol Facial Serum slowly into your routine and always perform a patch test first.

If your hormonal acne is severe and manifests itself through deep, cystic bumps, oral medications might prove more effective.

8. Dark Spots

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, sun damage is the most common cause of dark spots which usually appear on your face, hands, shoulders and/or arms – yes, the areas that are most often exposed to sunlight. It goes without saying, therefore, that if you limit your time in the sun, and protect your skin with a broad-spectrum sunscreen every time you step outside, you’ll dramatically reduce your chances of developing sun-related dark spots. But you knew that.

Retinol, vitamin C and AHAs such as glycolic acid are also fabulous for dealing with minor, surface-level discolorations. Vitamin C has even been proven to prevent future dark spots from developing, so you’ve simply got to add Vitamin C Facial Serum to your daily routine if dark spots are your thing. And you really don’t want them to be…

Sensitive skin can appear anywhere on your body, at any point in your life (dang). Which is why knowing what causes it and how to avoid your triggers are key.

According to research, 60-70 percent of women and 50-60 percent of men claim to have sensitive skin. Now, we don’t know about you, but that sounds like a helluva lot of people. Right?

Sensitive skin comes in many guises and can mean anything from a persistent reaction to a certain skincare ingredient or environmental trigger, to full-blown rosacea, eczema or in worse cases, a severe allergic reaction.

Think you might have sensitive skin, but aren’t sure why or what’s causing it? Here's what we know…

What Is Sensitive Skin?

According to the International Forum for the Study of Itch (IFSI), sensitive skin is defined as ‘a syndrome defined by the occurrence of unpleasant sensations – stinging, burning, pain, pruritus (itchiness) and tingling sensations – in response to stimuli that normally should not provoke such sensations.’

When your skin is exposed to something it doesn’t like nerve endings in the top layer become irritated, which is what causes your skin to burn, flush, feel itchy or become flaky.

These stimuli are usually things like chemicals, fragrance or active ingredients in your skincare products, as well as extremes in temperature or even certain types of metal in your jewelry. And watch out for your hormones, diet, stress levels and sleep patterns as these can also have a major effect on inflammation and dry skin.

But why do some people have sensitive skin and others don’t? Well, it’s mainly down to genetics which is a shame because there’s not a lot you can do about that. However, a weakened or compromised barrier function is another major factor in your level of sensitivities, so make sure you skin’s natural protective layer is strong, protected and cared for and this will go a long way into reducing irritation. More on that later...

What Are The Most Common Causes Of Sensitive Skin?

There are many different levels of skin sensitivities and some can be a sign of more serious, underlying conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and rosacea. That being said, most sensitivities are caused by a reaction to something topical that your skin’s not a fan of. This is known as contact dermatitis and comes in varying degrees of severity, from slight redness and itching through to burning and blistering of the skin.

Environmentally sensitive skin is also fairly common and is caused by environmental factors (the clue's in the name!) such as pollution and sun exposure.

Lastly, your skin becomes more sensitive as it ages because it naturally becomes thinner, weaker and therefore more easily irritated. There's a surprise. Sigh.

How Can You Tell If You Have Sensitive Skin?

Self-diagnosing skin sensitivities is all well and good if your reactions aren’t too severe and you have plenty of time and patience to eliminate certain products, then wait and repeat until you find the culprit. But we think life’s too short for that, so your best bet is to have a dermatologist check your skin. They’ll ask you questions about your family history to rule out or diagnose underlying conditions or they may carry out a number of skin or patch tests to determine if a certain ingredient or food is the root of your problem. Either way, allow the professionals to deal with this one. It’s way easier and quicker than taking it on yourself.

Which Ingredients Should Sensitive Skin Avoid?

Learning about your triggers from your doctor is the most important factor in avoiding skin irritation and inflammation but there are many common allergens in skincare (and laundry detergents, don’t forget those) that you should give a miss.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) natural rubber, fragrances, dyes, preservatives and metals are the most common allergens in cosmetics. Things like parabens, which you won’t find in any TruSkin product btw, are preservatives that prevent harmful stuff growing in products such as cleansers, shampoo and moisturizers. However, they’re super irritating to the skin so should really be avoided if you have any kind of skin sensitivities. Formaldehyde is another nasty preservative that sensitive skin hates. Leave. Well. Alone.

This may sound a tad confusing but just try to avoid unnecessary fragrances, preservatives and dyes in your products and that'll help no end. And if you still find your skin is causing you grief? Then get thee to the derm’s office.

How Else Can You Manage Sensitive Skin?

Another simple way to reduce your chances of developing or aggravating sensitive skin is to strengthen and care for its natural barrier which is the uppermost layer of your skin, AKA the stratum corneum.

The stratum corneum is kind of like a brick wall that works like a defense shield to retain moisture and protect your skin from the environment and anything else you subject it to. Everyone’s is different and it will naturally weaken as you age, but care for your stratum corneum with savvy skincare and it will repay you by maintaining strong, healthy skin that is free from irritation.

To best improve your skin’s barrier function, avoid harsh chemicals in your skincare, go gently as you exfoliate, and moisturize every morning and night. Great ingredients to look out for in your moisturizers are hyaluronic acid, glycerin, colloidal oatmeal, ceramides and shea butter as these are well tolerated and work hard to maintain and nourish your natural moisturizing factor (NMF).

You'd also be wise to protect your skin daily with an antioxidant serum such as our potent but gentle Niacinamide Facial Serum, and don’t forget that all-important daily sunscreen.

Those age-old skincare tricks of eating well, sleeping well and keeping stress to a minimum are also super important ways of keeping skin irritations to a minimum.

Oh, and take a look at all of your beauty products (makeup included) and trash anything that’s either out of date or looks or smells funky. Products that have been hanging around forever are likely to have become spoiled or contaminated by bacteria and other nasties. Your skin does not want to come into contact with those. Gross.