Sensitive Skin Routine: Calm, Repair & Protect
Sensitive vs Sensitised Skin - Why It Matters
Understanding your skin is key. While sensitive skin and sensitised skin are often used interchangeably, they’re not the same.
Sensitive skin is usually long-term and linked to conditions like eczema or rosacea. Sensitised skin, on the other hand, is temporary and often triggered by over-exfoliation, too many actives or environmental stress.
This is where barrier burnout comes in. When your routine becomes too intensive, the skin barrier weakens. If your skincare starts stinging or feels uncomfortable, it’s often a sign your skin needs fewer steps, not more.
What’s Happening When Skin Feels “Angry”?
When skin feels reactive, the skin barrier is usually compromised. This outer layer protects your skin, keeping hydration in and irritants out. When it’s weakened, irritants can penetrate more easily, leading to redness, dryness and sensitivity.
Put simply, your skin becomes less protected and more reactive. The focus should be on calming sensitive skin and rebuilding the barrier, rather than adding more active treatments.
Step 1 - Cleanse Gently (No Stripping)
Cleansing should feel comfortable, never tight.
Harsh or foaming cleansers can strip away protective oils, making sensitive skin worse. Instead, choose a gentle cleanser for sensitive skin that removes impurities while supporting the barrier.
Think of cleansing as a reset and not a deep strip.
Step 2 - Keep Hydration Simple & Barrier‑Focused
When skin feels stressed, simplicity is key.
Layering too many products, even gentle ones, can increase irritation. A sensitive skin routine should stay minimal to help the skin rebalance and recover.
SPF Is Essential
Daily SPF is key for any sensitive skin routine, as UV exposure can worsen redness and weaken the barrier.
For the best face sunscreen for sensitive skin, mineral formulas are often the easiest to wear. They sit on the surface and reflect UV rays, making them less likely to trigger irritation.
A simple tip that makes a difference
Apply hydrating products to slightly damp skin. This helps lock in moisture and supports the skin barrier repair process, without adding extra steps.
Meet Your Sensitive Skin Routine: Tower 28
For reactive or redness‑prone skin, a simple, calming routine is key and this is where Tower 28 stands out.
Why Tower 28 Works for Sensitive Skin
Tower 28 is designed specifically for sensitive, stressed skin. The formulas are minimal, non‑irritating and built around supporting the skin barrier rather than overwhelming it. As founder Amy Liu explains in our Tower 28 Founder FAQs, the brand was created with sensitive skin at its core.
Rather than layering multiple steps, the brand focuses on a small, targeted routine that helps calm and rebalance the skin day by day.
The TikTok-Famous Ingredient: Hypochlorous Acid
Loved by dermatologists and TikTok users alike, hypochlorous acid has become a go-to for calming sensitive skin, visible redness and post-workout irritation. Found in products like Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray, it helps support the skin barrier while reducing irritation in a gentle, skin-friendly way.
It's a versatile addition to a sensitive skin routine, whether used after exercise, during flare-ups or whenever reactive skin needs a calming reset.
A Simple Tower 28 Routine
Start by cleansing with the Tower 28 SOS Cleanser, which removes impurities while keeping the skin feeling soft and balanced - an important first step in any sensitive skin routine.
Follow with the Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray, a hypochlorous acid mist that helps calm visible redness and irritation.
Finish with the Tower 28 SOS Recovery Cream, a lightweight moisturiser that hydrates and supports the skin barrier without feeling heavy or overwhelming.
Together, these products form the Tower 28 sensitive skin routine, built around just a few essential steps - cleanse, soothe and hydrate - making it easy to support sensitive skin without overcomplicating your routine.
Glass Skin vs Cloud Skin - A Softer Approach to Glow
While glass skin is all about high shine and hydration, the newer cloud skin trend focuses on a softer, more blurred glow.
For sensitive or redness-prone skin, this works especially well - creating a breathable, natural finish that doesn’t highlight texture, but still looks fresh and healthy.
Targeted Care Over More Steps
Another shift, both in expert advice and on TikTok, is moving towards more targeted treatments.
Instead of full-face masks, many are using toner pads or spot treatments to calm specific areas like redness on the cheeks. This helps reduce overload and keeps the routine more controlled, especially for sensitised skin.
The approach stays simple: treat what you need and leave the rest.
Common Mistake to Avoid
When skin feels reactive, it’s easy to overdo it.
Too many actives, over-exfoliating, skipping SPF or layering too many products can all make sensitivity worse. In most cases, simplifying your routine is the fastest way to restore balance.
A Quick Note on Patch Testing
If your skin is prone to reacting, always introduce new products gently. Apply to the jawline or neck first and wait 24 hours before using more widely.
It’s a simple step, but it helps keep your routine working with your skin and not against it.
The Takeaway
Healthy-looking skin starts with a strong skin barrier, so focus on gentle cleansing, simple hydration and daily SPF rather than adding more active ingredients. Trending solutions like hypochlorous acid, targeted treatments and the move from glass skin to cloud skin all reflect the same philosophy: calm, balanced skin first. When it comes to the best skincare for redness and sensitive skin, fewer, smarter products often deliver the best results.
By Sephora UK Skincare Editorial Team
Writers and experts
Updated: 3 July 2026
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