Redness: the soothing regimen.

The redness on the face, also known as facial erythema when temporary or erythroses when permanent, is particularly visible on fair skin. Redness is caused by a substantial blood flow, when the capillaries supplying the skin dilate excessively in the dermis. Numerous internal and external factors can provoke this phenomenon, such as heat, stress, or UV rays. Most often, redness indicates skin hypersensitivity and a breakdown of the barrier of the skin. It can be either diffuse or confined to specific areas of the face. In the latter case, it often affects the cheeks, a region with a rich vascular network.

Certain inflammatory dermatoses, such as acne, eczema or rosacea, can also cause redness. In this case, only a dermatologist will be able to treat them effectively.

Even if you have sensitive, redness-prone skin, it is essential to cleanse your face every evening. Indeed, this step is crucial to remove the sebum, sweat, impurities and pollution particles that have accumulated throughout the day. If they are not properly removed, they can irritate the skin and trigger further redness, potentially accompanied by blemishes. The choice of the cleanser is important and should be selected according to your skin type: if you are prone to redness, we recommend avoiding products containing alcohol derivatives, essential oils or fragrances, compounds poorly tolerated by sensitive skin and capable of exacerbating redness.

You could, for example, turn to our superfatted dermatological cleansing bar. Suitable for sensitive skin and formulated at neutral pH, it gently cleanses the skin without dehydrating or irritating it. It notably contains calendula extract, renowned for its soothing properties, as well as nourishing shea butter.

If you are wearing make-up and/or sunscreen, remember to use a make-up remover beforehand. Again, it is preferable to choose products free from sensitising ingredients. For instance, opt for our 7-ingredient cleansing oil, whose minimalist, fragrance-free formula renders it suitable for sensitive skin. Enriched with sweet almond oil, it offers soothing properties for the skin and relieves tightness.

To combat redness, we recommend incorporating soothing actives into your skincare routine, such as beta-glucan. This natural polysaccharide possesses anti-inflammatory properties reduces skin hypersensitivity and accelerates its repair process while hydrating it. You can find this active ingredient in our soothing serum. To be applied before moisturiser, this serum suitable for sensitive skin hydrates and soothes the skin while reducing redness. Among the soothing actives, we also recommend niacinamide, allantoin, bisabolol or even cornflower hydrosol.

Reducing redness also involves restoring the skin barrier. For this, it is advisable to use certain plant oils (hemp oil, argan oil, avocado oil...) or other re-lipidising ingredients such as the squalane. Boasting excellent skin affinity, this ingredient fights dryness, reinforces the hydrolipidic film and helps ease sensations of tightness and redness. Non-greasy, the squalane penetrates the epidermis easily and softens its texture. You can find this ingredient in our nourishing serum, made up of 100% squalane.

To strengthen the skin barrier, we also recommend our bi-phase repairing serum. Formulated with a complex mimicking the skin’s Natural Skin Factors (NSF), squalane and hyaluronic acid, it repairs the skin barrier in sensitive, atopic and rosacea-prone skin to soothe redness and discomfort. Developed in collaboration with a dermatologist, this 99% naturally derived treatment features a biphasic formula directly inspired by the skin’s composition, designed to ensure optimal efficacy while offering excellent skin tolerance.

Performing one to two exfoliations per week is an integral part of any skincare routine. Sometimes regarded as too harsh for the skin, this habit can put off those with sensitive or redness-prone skin. Yet the regular removal of dead cells has many benefits for skin health: reducing blemishes, aiding the penetration of active ingredients... To enjoy the benefits of exfoliation without sensitising the skin, it is essential to choose a product suited to your skin type.

If your skin is sensitive and frequently prone to redness, we recommend our radiance facial scrub. Suitable for sensitive skin, this melt-in gel with micro apricot kernel particles works gently to promote cellular renewal and achieve a more even, luminous complexion. It helps to reduce pigment irregularities and leaves the skin soft and rejuvenated.

Morning and evening, it is essential to thoroughly hydrate your skin with a moisturising cream or balm. This simple routine helps to strengthen the skin barrier, whose weakening is often the cause of redness. Specially formulated for this purpose, our anti-redness face cream reduces sensations of heat and soothes the skin day after day. It is enriched with active ingredients targeting redness and notably contains azelaic acid, known for its anti-inflammatory effects, of the niacinamide, promoting ceramide production and calming redness, of the green algae extract, targeting vascular imperfections, and of the safflower oil, contributing to the maintenance and integrity of the epidermis.

In summer as in winter, UV rays can reach the skin and damage it. In addition to causing its premature ageing, they can weaken the hydrolipidic film and the stratum corneum, making the skin more susceptible to external aggressions and, consequently, redness. That's why we recommend applying a sun protection product suited to your phototype, as the final step in your morning routine. Note that even if you have a darker complexion, SPF 30 is the minimum level of protection. Today, there is a wide range of formulations for the sun care products (creams, lotions, sprays, sticks...), allowing each skin type to find the product that suits it.

The facial redness, whether linked to rosacea, skin irritations or transient hypersensitivity, can at times be a source of discomfort and dent self-confidence. If this applies to you, bear in mind that there are solutions to neutralise it immediately. Among these, using a green colour corrector is a simple yet effective approach. This principle is based on the theory of complementary colours: green, positioned opposite red on the colour wheel, visually counterbalances it. Thus, applying a green colour corrector to the reddened areas helps to reduce the red pigmentation and achieve a more uniform complexion.

At Typology, we offer a redness-correcting concealer providing natural coverage for redness and helping to diminish it application after application. Enriched with niacinamide and green algae extract—compounds renowned for their anti-inflammatory properties—it soothes the skin and reduces the appearance of tiny blood vessels to sustainably diminish the appearance of redness. This tinted treatment is suitable for all skin types, even the most sensitive.

• MAIBACH H. & al. Sensitive skin: An overview. International Journal of Cosmetic Science (2012).

• STANDER S. & al. Sensitive skin. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (2016).

• ANTONIOU C. & al. The “red face”: Not always rosacea. Clinics in Dermatology (2017).