Sensitive skin affects about 60% of the global population and is a growing issue with allergies and sensitivities on the rise.

There’s no clear definition of sensitive skin, and it seems to mean different things to different people. If you’ve ever experienced redness, irritation, dryness, rashes, bumps, stinging/burning, or itchy skin, your skin is sensitive. People with sensitive skin may have a lower tolerance to products used on their skin.

People may experience sensitive skin starting in childhood—or may develop sensitive skin later in life. Sensitive skin reactions can appear secondary to irritation and allergies, or even be potentially associated with other inflammatory conditions. Either way, it’s extremely common. So, if you’ve experienced anything like this with your skin, you are not alone!

Why Do I Need to Know if I Have Sensitive Skin?

Have you ever tried a product, only to find your skin feeling red and bumpy a few days later?

Have you ever looked in the mirror, only to find your face red or irritated and with no idea what happened?

It’s important to know you have sensitive skin because you want to try to find the best products suited to your skin.

Knowing that you have sensitive skin also:

• Helps you prevent a future problem
• Provides you with the ability to deal with and treat the problem
• Enables you to be prepared the next time a reaction occurs

What are Common Triggers for Sensitive Skin?

Irritants

Exposure to irritants can cause skin reactions. There are lots of different types of irritants in everyday products that we are exposed to. These cause some sort of physical injury to the skin, often triggered by certain chemicals like solvents or overly acidic or basic solutions or physical items like UV exposure, lasers, etc.

Allergens

People can have sensitive skin as part of an allergic skin condition such as eczema or contact dermatitis.

Eczema is a chronic form of inflammation seen in the skin, thought to be caused by dysfunction of the skin barrier. Individuals with eczema can be overly sensitive to items that come in contact with the skin, including irritants, environmental allergens, and potentially food allergens.

Contact dermatitis (although not well known to the general public) is an extremely common cause of sensitive skin and irritation that affects up to about 30% of the population of the world. It is a condition where certain allergens cause delayed reactions on the skin after a prolonged exposure.

Other Underlying Inflammatory Skin Conditions

Other conditions like acne, lupus, rosacea, and psoriasis fall under this category and are often associated with sensitive skin.

Temporary Sensitivity

In certain situations, skin can also be temporarily sensitive. Skin can be extremely sensitive after taking certain medications (like accutane) or after chemo or radiation therapy. Post-procedural skin (after laser treatments, chemical peels, or plastic surgery) can be temporarily sensitive as well. Some people can also develop sensitive skin temporarily while pregnant.

How to Care for Your Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin can be incredibly hard to manage! With sensitive skin, it can be hard to find products that work well with your skin, whether it be personal care products, or products you are indirectly exposed to, like household chemicals or cleaning products. Sensitive skin requires a bit of extra care. It’s important to understand what types of ingredients you are exposed to and take extra time to moisturize your skin and help improve your skin barrier.

At Evme, we understand what types of ingredients work well with sensitive skin. We went to great lengths to put together formulations that can support your skin barrier and help it thrive!