Shop by concern · Sensitive skin

For skin that reddens at the slightest thing.

Short routines win here. Skin that flushes easily usually does better with fewer products, gentler cleansing and one new thing at a time — not a ten-step overhaul.

Heartleaf formulas are the K-beauty shorthand for this, which is why so much of this page is built around them.

The short version

1. Cut the routine back to cleanse, hydrate, moisturize, SPF.
2. Add one new product at a time and give it two weeks before judging.
3. Patch test on your inner forearm for a couple of days first.

6 products

Guide · Introducing a new product

How to add something new without a flare-up.

Patch test first: a small amount on your inner forearm, twice a day for two or three days. It's not a guarantee, but it catches the obvious reactions before they happen on your face.

Then introduce it alone. One new product, everything else unchanged, for at least a week or two. If you add three things at once and skin reacts, you've learned nothing about which one caused it.

Stop if there's stinging, itching or spreading redness. Tolerable tingling on the first few uses of an active is common; pain isn't, and neither is anything that's still there the next morning.

Common questions

Is fragrance the problem?

It can be for some people, but it's not the only culprit and not everyone reacts. Elimination one product at a time is the only way to know for yourself.

Can I use actives at all?

Often yes — lower strength, less often, applied on top of a hydrating layer rather than bare skin.

Mineral or chemical sunscreen?

Whichever one you'll actually wear daily. The best formula is the one that doesn't make you skip it.