The short routine for reactive skin
Morning: rinse with lukewarm water or a fragrance-free wash, moisturiser, sunscreen. Night: fragrance-free wash, moisturiser. Nothing else for the first four weeks. Once skin is calm, add one active at a time, two weeks apart.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Step | Look for | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Wash | Fragrance-free, soap-free gel or cream wash | Scrubs, menthol, strong foaming washes, acid washes |
| Moisturise | Ceramides, glycerin, panthenol | Perfumed creams, essential oils |
| Protect | Broad-spectrum SPF 30–50, ideally mineral | Skipping it: sun makes redness worse |
What to stop first
Stop anything with fragrance or essential oils, physical scrubs, peel-off masks, toners with alcohol, and strong acids or retinol until the skin settles. Wash with lukewarm, not hot, water and pat dry instead of rubbing.
Be honest with yourself about the rest of the routine. Several Elluvi products contain fragrance: the Hydra Glow Cream and Hydrating Moisturiser are scented, and we do not mark them for sensitive skin. Our serums are fragrance-free but carry strong actives, so they are for later, not for skin that is reacting now.
Our fragrance-free face wash
Elluvi Sensitive Skin Facewash launches on 24 October. It is fragrance-free and soap-free, with glycerin, aloe, hyaluronic acid and rosehip oil, preserved with phenoxyethanol, and is made for dry and sensitive skin that feels tight after washing.
Until it is available, any fragrance-free, soap-free wash from a pharmacy does the same job. The ingredient list matters more than the brand.
When redness is rosacea or something else
See a dermatologist if redness stays on the cheeks and nose most of the time, flushes with heat, sun, tea or spicy food, comes with small bumps, or burns and itches. Rosacea, eczema and contact allergy all look like sensitive skin and each needs a different treatment.