Like most skincare woes, your skin can develop excess redness for a number of reasons. Maybe you’ve over-exfoliated and your moisture barrier is yelling for help, maybe you’re having an eczema flare up, or maybe you’ve introduced a retinol product too quickly. Whatever the reason might be for your rosier-than-requested hue( and sometimes it’s quite difficult to pin down a specific one), these 10 skincare products for redness will help calm your skin down and work to quell any unwanted red discoloration.
Dealing with redness in your skin is different than dealing with hyperpigmentation left over after breakouts. Though there is a form of hyperpigmentation that results in red and purple-looking post breakout spots ( post-inflammatory erythema) as opposed to darker, brown or black marks- this post is going to focus on products that relieve red, blotchy patches in the skin overall rather than more concentrated post-acne marks.
For me personally, if I inadvertently touch my under-eye area with fingers that still have residue from my face retinol on them, my entire upper cheek area turns red and irritated for a few days. And in the wintertime, my complexion tends to get upset a lot more easily due to the dry air. In this post I’m sharing the 10 most effective products to date that I’ve found to help soothe and reduce redness.
This post is all about effective skincare products for redness.
Best Skincare Products For Redness
Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat Serum
I used to use Aveeno 7+ years ago before I really ever knew anything about skincare. Cut to today they’re still very much in the game and killing it, especially with their Calm + Restore line. There’s also a cleanser and a moisturizer in the lineup, but the Triple Oat Serum is particularly effective for calming down any irritation and bringing your skin back to baseline status.
Oat ingredients/extracts in skincare formulas provide anti-inflammatory effects, protect the moisture barrier and reduce redness. This serum does all that, and even has calming feverfew at work too- another ingredient that helps soothe the skin. It’s an affordable option weighing in at $20 that packs a serious punch.
Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask
This product deserves a post all its own. You might know Laneige for their infamous lip sleeping masks, but this Cica Sleeping Mask is one of THE BEST skincare products I have ever tried. It’s a holy grail and I always have one on hand. The mask is a rich, luxurious cream that wraps your skin in a decadent, weighted blanket of comfort and repair while simultaneously not being too greasy. It’s that good.
Besides cica( a nickname for centella asiatica), this mask is filled to the brim with ingredients equipped to soothe your skin instantly and overtime. If I’ve compromised my moisture barrier and my skin is stinging and red, or if the winter air has really taken a toll on my face, I slather this on before bed and wake up with a face that feels and looks much better than it did the night before.
Hylamide Sensitive Fix
If you’re familiar with the iconic brand, The Ordinary, let me introduce you to Hylamide – another brand that falls under the umbrella company of Deciem. Hylamide’s prices are a bit higher than The Ordinary’s, but still fall between 10 and 25 dollars per product. Frankly though, I’d pay a good amount more for the Sensitive Fix Serum that immediately soothes and hydrates.
The texture of this product is a bit runny, but still has some grab and viscosity to it. So you don’t have to worry about it running down your arms before getting it on your face. It spreads around and absorbs like a dream into your skin, and I’ve found that it really does help to tone down any redness or discomfort.
It’s also great because it works fantastically as a hydrating serum too. I like using it for this reason because I know I’m still getting the added benefits of the calming ingredients even if my skin isn’t in particular need of them at the moment.
Youth To The People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream
The Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream from Youth To The People a great option to implement into your routine at any time of the year if you deal with redness, but I personally get the most out of it’s redness-reducing potential if I begin to incorporate it just before the icy cold of winter wraps it’s chokehold around my complexion.
It’s got squalane, jojoba and shea butter to deeply moisturize, but also reishi and ashwagandha to help calm overly-reactive or sensitive skin. This cream is on the thicker side, but it’s not so thick that only super-dry types can use it. Right as the weather starts to get unbearably frigid, I like to break this out and use it 2-3 times a week during the day. It essentially provides my skin with an extra soldier to ward off the havoc of winter air before it’s too late.
Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum
Don’t make the mistake of not taking Glow Recipe’s super colorful and fun aesthetic seriously, their formulas pack a solid punch when it comes to effective skincare. If your’e trying to reduce redness, then without a doubt you’ll want to reach for their Avocado Ceramide Recovery Redness Relief Serum.
Thanks to the calming tactics of avocado butter, rice milk, ceramides and allantoin, you can expect immediate relief as well as reduced overall redness over time. Not to mention increased skin barrier strength and hydration too.
The milky consistency blends in so seamlessly and honestly, it’s pretty easy for me to apply too much of this stuff because it’s just so good. My skin type is combination leaning dry in winter, but really any skin type suffering from irritation is going to feel better after using this.
Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream
Be prepared for the absolute overload of 5-Star reviews on Ulta’s website for the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream. Everyone from oily, to dry, to acne-prone, to some combination of them all sings the praises of what this moisturizer can do for calming any sort of redness and sensitivity.
The blue color comes from guaiazulene, a skin-calming agent derived from chamomile oil that also supports the moisture barrier. Alongside that there’s centella asiatica extract, jojoba seed oil, shea butter and ceramides to put to bed any and all irritation your skin might be experiencing. This stuff is loved far and wide by people dealing with redness derived from a myriad of different skincare issues.
Naturium Azelaic Acid Emulsion 10%
You can always count on Naturium for delivering high-performance formulas at an accessible price point, and their Azelaic Acid Emulsion 10% is a prime example of that. It’s essentially a very lightweight and super versatile lotion that can be inserted just about anywhere into a routine.
This product helps with hyperpigmentation from acne, but it’s effective at treating larger areas of redness discoloration too. Azelaic acid isn’t a mainstream name when it comes to skincare ingredients, but products like this one highlight just how great it really is. It soothes any inflammation occurring in the skin and helps to reduce redness of all sorts.
My favorite aspect of this product is that after being consistent with it 3-4 times a week for about a month, I noticed my skin developed less redness than it did before, and became more resilient to irritation. So in addition to soothing any active aggravation, it also helped my skin be less reactive.
Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleepair Intensive Mask
Cica( Centella Asiatica) to the rescue again! Dr. Jart’s Cicapair Tiger Grass Sleepair Intensive Mask is by far my favorite product from the entire line. The thing about this sleeping mask is that it comes in a thin, gel consistency, which is unique for a sleeping mask promising intense moisture and soothing effects. Because of this though, applying multiple layers and sort of customizing the amount of repair you want becomes an option.
Oily skin types that might shy away from thicker sleeping masks will really benefit from a formula like this because of how thin it is while not sacrificing in the reparative department. If I use this in the colder months I tend to apply 2-3 layers, but in the summer I’ll often be fine with just one. Either way I wake up with softer, happier, and less red skin. P.s – if you stayed out in the sun too long and forgot to reapply your spf- this stuff feels heavenly.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner
The Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner from First Aid Beauty is another one of those products that I’d be willing to pay more for than what it costs. But the $24 price tag certainly isn’t the only thing making this toner one of the top skincare products for redness in my book. It’s the colloidal oatmeal, squalane, licorice root extract, feverfew extract, and oat kernel extract doing it for me.
The texture is a milky liquid that absorbs fully without much effort at all, and it leaves you feeling nourished, hydrated and plump. I love starting off most routines with a hydrating toner or essence regardless of what I’m dealing with skin concern wise, but this is a superb one to get ball rolling on the rest of a routine focused on redness reduction.
Avene Antirougeurs Calm Redness Relief Soothing Mask
If your skin is experiencing a reaction to something, or if you need to reduce redness ASAP, then Avene’s Antirougeurs Calm Soothing Mask is the one to reach for. It’s a rich cream mask that fortify’s the moisture barrier while intensely and immediately soothing. If you have an occasion or gathering and you need something to work right away, this is transformative.
The suggested way to use this is to apply it for 10-15 minutes, then gently wipe off with a tissue. I personally like this method of removal if I’m using the mask before going to bed, but if I’m using it before heading out I’ll rinse my face before applying any additional products – and I don’t experience any reduced efficacy by rinsing it off as opposed to wiping. For a super-enhanced calming effect, try keeping this in the fridge.
This post was all about effective skincare products for redness.
If you liked this post you may also enjoy…
- 7 Best Gentle Cleansers For Acne
- 11 Must-Have Products For Dry Skin That Will Save Your Face During Colder Months
- 12 Best Gel-Cream Moisturizers For Every Skin Type
