Colour theory tells us a lot of things. Some colours are complementary, some are analogous, and some communicate certain feelings and ideas.
Blue, for example, imparts feelings of calm, stability, and trust.
Red, on the other hand, imparts heightened emotions: Anger, energy, or warning.
On your skin, redness is no different.
When your skin is experiencing bouts of redness, it’s usually telling you that your skin is experiencing big feelings. Maybe you’re blushing! Maybe you’re working out! Maybe, your skin is thoroughly pissed off! If it’s a case of the latter, we can most definitely help.
What Causes Skin Redness
Skin redness—also known as erythema—happens when there’s an increased blood flow near the surface of the skin.
In some cases, this is just an involuntary response from your nervous system. When something activates our fight-or-flight response, your system releases adrenaline which causes the blood vessels to dilate. Our face has a dense network of blood vessels close to the skin’s surface (they’re there to support your brain!), redness rubs these emotions right in your face. (Literally.)
Of course, for our sweet tender lizard brains, plenty of things trigger our fight-or-flight response. An intense workout session. Embarrassing yourself in front of your coworkers. Talking to someone who’s especially good looking.
In these cases, the redness is usually always temporary—lasting only a few minutes until your system calms down.
What Causes Redness For Sensitive SKin
For sensitive skin types, the skin barrier tends to be weaker, leaving your skin more exposed to irritants. (Fragrance! Humidity! Dry air!)
All those additional blood vessels in your face respond accordingly.
Just like when you bump your knee, blood rushes to the irritated spot. In this case, it’s your face. This extra blood brings vital white blood cells and nutrients to fight the inflammation and damage—as well as a generally red look to the skin.
How To Manage Skin Redness
A skincare routine that supports your skin against redness is going to do a few things.
1. Barrier Support
Since a weakened barrier can be a common culprit behind most skin redness, it’s important to add barrier-supporting ingredients into your skincare routine.
Reach For:
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Oat ceramides: These look after the side effects of barrier impairment by helping to reduce dryness and flaking, while their skin-identical lipids help strengthen the skin barrier and support long-lasting nourishment.
2. Soothe Irritation
Since redness is, first and foremost, a symptom of irritation, it’s important to prioritse calming, soothing ingredients. As the irritation settles, blood flow to the area decreases, helping the skin more comfortable and hopefully, less red.
Reach For:
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Sea buckthorn extract: This bio-based ingredient is widely famed for its skin-calming qualities. Clinically proven* to visibly reduce redness, it’s known to help soothe irritated skin and support skin comfort.
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Alpine skullcap: Derived from the plant itself, alpine skullcap is an ultra-soothing active that targets the actual pathways in your skin behind sensitivity and reactivity to leave skin stronger and healthier.
3. Replenish Hydration
Hydrated, happy skin is much better at bouncing back from irritation than skin that’s dehydrated. Keeping your skin quenches helps minimise the risk of tightness and flaking—two things that themselves can contribute to skin redness.
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Mushroom extract: Not only does this adaptogen help reduce stinging sensations and irritation, it supports lasting skin hydration.
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Glycerin: This excellent humectant helps reduce moisture loss by holding water within the surface layers of the skin to prevent skin from drying out. It’s also spectacularly safe for sensitive skin.
4. Gentle At Every Step
If your skin is already prone to reactions, opting for soothing, gentle skincare at every stage ensures you're not incorporating anything into your routine that could worsen your skin’s natural redness.
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Colloidal oatmeal: This clinically-backed biolipid complex is proven to de-stress sensitised skin and reduce visible redness and skin irritation. When featured in a cleanser, colloidal oatmeal’s saponins help gently lift away dirt and impurities without stripping the skin.
5. Protect! Protect! Protect!
The last thing your sensitive skin needs is sun damage. Finish your morning routine with broad-spectrum SPF.
Reach For:
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Zinc: This naturally-occurring mineral and nutrient boasts a whole lotta calming, soothing skin benefits. All the while helping to provide physical protection against UVA and UVB rays.
FAQs
What’s the difference between temporary redness and persistent redness?
Temporary redness is usually reactive, triggered by the likes of heat, exercise, sun exposure, new skincare products, or irritants—and settles once the skin does.
Persistent redness sticks around, repeatedly returns, and may be linked to an underlying condition. In these cases, we recommend seeing a trusted health professional.
Is facial redness a sign of sensitive skin?
It definitely can be. Sensitive skin is more reactive to things like skincare, weather, and heat—redness is one of the ways that reaction shows up.
But redness doesn’t automatically mean your skin type is sensitive—often, it’s a sign that your skin is sensitised.
Can a damaged skin barrier cause redness?
Redness can be a symptom of barrier damage.
When the skin barrier is compromised, it allows irritants to penetrate more easily and trigger inflammation, leading to skin redness.
Can weather make facial redness worse?
It can! Heat, cold, wind, low humidity, and UV exposure can dry out or irritate the skin and trigger redness.
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