Sensitive skin can be irritated by many of the perfumes and dyes that are found in modern wrinkle creams. These products are often full of chemicals and preservatives in order to keep the cost down and make the shelf life longer, and sensitive skin tends to react to these ingredients worse than most. You might apply wrinkle cream and eye creams to reduce wrinkles, dryness, redness and other signs of aging, but instead find that the cream leaves it itchy and inflames and leaves a red rash behind.
Luckily, many companies are now aware of the needs of customers with sensitive skin, and there are plenty of options available for anti-aging products without the unpleasant side effects.
What to Look For:
Look for wrinkle cream or eye creams that are easily absorbed by the skin
As perfumes are often irritating to sensitive skin, look out for a wrinkle cream that is fragrance free. These might not smell as nice while in the pot, but they will have the same effect when applied, without causing any itching or redness.
Also look for safe, natural ingredients that can moisturize and reduce wrinkles without causing additional problems. This is especially important in eye creams, as anything that can irritate the skin is going to be particularly damaging in the eye area, even if it does not fall into the eye itself. Green tea is an excellent antioxidant, while hyaluronic acid is an ingredient found naturally in the skin that encourages collagen production, which will increase the skin’s elasticity.
Phytessence wakame is also a powerful, but more unusual, ingredient made from Japanese seaweed. It is can heal inflamed skin (making it an excellent product for sensitive skin) and contains antioxidants and vitamins that help to keep the skin healthy.
Grapeseed oil is another natural ingredient that contains antioxidants such as Vitamin E and that moisturizes the skin without leaving a greasy residue on the surface. Grapeseed oil is easily absorbed by the skin, allowing it to get to work quickly.
What to Avoid:
Avoid wrinkle creams that are thick or oily, as this will only lead to an oily complexion and teenager-like blemishes on the skin. Although collagen is good for the skin, you should also avoid products that contain collagen (rather than encouraging its production), as this will just sit on the surface of the skin instead of healing damaged skin cells.
Also avoid ingredients that are known to irritate sensitive skin, such as mineral oil (also known as paraffin wax or petrolatum), parabens (preservatives that have been linked to cancer, as well as irritating the skin) and triclosan (an ingredient that can also be found in weed killer). Also look out for TEA, an ingredient that, despite its friendly acronym, irritates the skin and is toxic to the immunte system.
Hydroxy acids, meanwhile, are effective in wrinkle cream, but also increase the skin’s sensitivity to the sun, making them unwelcome in creams for fair or sensitive skin.
