Beauty Clinic: Sensitive skin-soothers, please
Q. My skin has become very sensitive to products and I have just come out in red blotches an hour after putting on a well-known brand’s day cream. I have had bad reactions to shower products, and also SPF’s. In my late forties, so it may be hormone-related but my face seems drier and the lovely fine lines are appearing so it does need some TLC. A. It seems you are peri-menopausal and your hormone levels are changing, as you say, and that may be making your already sensitive skin more reactive. It is certainly likely to be making it much drier and more prone to lines.
While it is impossible to predict how each person will react to products – as sensitivity is so individual – in general products with fewer synthetic chemicals and a smaller number of ingredients are less likely to cause sensitivity.
This means going along the natural (or more natural) route, as we explain in our new book The Ultimate Natural Beauty Bible (available from www.victoriahealth.com).
One of the new brands that we love and use ourselves is Aurelia Probiotic Skincare, which gathered up so many award winners from our independent tester panels that we named it Best New Brand. It is totally natural but the founder Clare Vero, an ex pharmaceutical industry exec, has put the range through a raft of scientific trials to prove the products really work. Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser, achieved one of the highest scores ever in Beauty Bible testing.
Aurelia Probiotic Skincare is available on www.victoriahealth.com, and there is lots more information on www.aureliaskincare.com
Among other products we love and, again, use ourselves are the Soothing Skincare products by Aromatherapy Associates, also available from www.victoriahealth.com. Aromatherapy Associates Instant Skin Soothing Serum is a real hero product.
Another range that might suit you is Trilogy’s capsule Very Gentle collection: Very Gentle Cleansing Cream,Very Gentle Calming Serum, and Very Gentle Moisturising Cream. The serum was particularly wonderful for Sarah’s chronic sore eyes after days of screen work over one book (yes, it was a Beauty Bible!).
• Aurelia Cell Revitalise Night Moisturiser/£42 for 60ml at www.victoriahealth.com
• Aromatherapy Associates Instant Skin Soothing Serum/£45.50 for 50ml at www.victoriahealth.com
• Trilogy Very Gentle Cleansing Cream/£22.50 for 150ml at www.victoriahealth.com
• Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Serum/£28.50 for 30ml at www.victoriahealth.com
• Trilogy Very Gentle Moisturising Cream/£24.50 for 50ml at www.victoriahealth.com