Last Updated on March 7, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti
No one wants to deal with irritated skin. But, sometimes it happens… and you have no idea why.
What made your skin so red? How can you treat it? And, most importantly, how to prevent skin irritation from happening again?
Let’s find out:
What Causes Skin Irritations?
Lots of things can irritate your skin. But, here are the main culprits:
- Freezing cold or torrid hot weather: Extreme temperatures strip moisture from your skin, leaving it dry and vulnerable.
- Overexfoliation: Scrubbing too hard or too often disrupts the skin barrier, making it sensitive and prone to redness.
- Sharing unsanitized makeup with others: Bacteria from someone else’s products can trigger breakouts, infections, or even allergic reactions. If you’re borrowing or lending your makeup products, always sanitise them first.
- Irritating skincare ingredients: Some ingredients just don’t play well with sensitive skin (I have a list for you below).
- Unprotected sun exposure: UV rays don’t just give you a bad case of sunburn. They also disrupt your skin barrier, cause water loss, redness, irritation… It ain’t pretty.
- Pollution: Dust, smoke, and all kinds of toxins settle on your skin during the day and they can cause issues, especially if you don’t cleanse well at night.
- Hormonal changes: Your period, pregnancy, or menopause can make skin more reactive and sensitive.
- Hard water: If your water is packed with minerals like calcium and magnesium, it can leave a residue that irritates your skin over time.
- Certain fabrics: Rough or synthetic fabrics can cause friction and irritation, especially for those with sensitive skin.
- Diet: High sugar, dairy, and processed foods all cause inflammation (the main cause of irritation, redness, and breakouts).
Related: 5 Skincare Treatments That Can Irritate Skin If Abused
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What Happens When Skin Is Irritated?
Irritations suck, but do they do any serious damage to your skin? Here’s what happens when your skin is irritated:
- Premature aging: Irritation and inflammation slow down the production of collagen, which is essential to keep skin firm and elastic.
- Dryness and flakiness: Irritation disrupts the skin’s protective barrier, causing moisture to evaporate.
- Excessive oil production: Irritation stimulates androgen (the hormone that controls sebum production) to produce more oil than skin needs, making your face shiny and your pores bigger.
- Breakouts: When skin is irritated, it becomes inflamed, making it easier for clogged pores to turn into acne.
- Hyperpigmentation: Chronic irritation can trigger excess melanin production, leaving behind dark spots that take forever to fade.
Don’t worry, this damage won’t last forever. You can reverse most of it. But wouldn’t it be better if your skin weren’t irritated in the first place?
Related: 8 Ways To Rebuild Lost Collagen For Younger, Firmer Skin
How Can I Tell When MY Skin Is Irritated?
Wait. The answer to this question isn’t as easy as it may seem at first. True, if skin is red, itchy, flaking, and stinging, you know that something’s wrong, and you’re very likely dealing with an irritation.
But, did you know that irritation and inflammation can also occur in the deeper layers of the skin? And, this inflammation NEVER shows up on the surface. So, yes, your skin can be irritated this very moment, and you don’t even know it.
This is usually caused by stress, fear, anxiety, or a diet high in sugar and processed foods. But using irritating skincare products doesn’t help… If your skin is feeling tight, looking dull, or breaking out more than usual, it might be suffering from hidden inflammation.
In this post, I’m talking about the irritation you can see, the one caused by skincare products, harsh weather, etc – cos that’s my jam.
P.S. If you’re under a lot of stress or are dealing with severe anxiety, please seek help. Consult a doctor, try meditation or mindfulness, take some me-time to recharge and relax… Do whatever you need to find balance again.
P.P.S. If you’re looking for a diet that lowers inflammation without depriving you of your fave, not-so-healthy foods (pizza, anyone?), check out the Low Glycemic Diet. It’s the one I follow, too.
Related: I Went On The Low Glycemic Diet And It Transformed My Skin
How Do You Prevent Skin Irritations?
The key to preventing skin irritations is to treat your skin gently:
- Avoid the trigger, including beauty products with irritating ingredients (more on this below)
- Don’t use scrubs: Opt for gentle chemical exfoliants like lactic acid instead.
- Wash your face/bath/shower with lukewarm water (hot water feels good, but can irritate it)
- Wear sunscreen every day – UV rays are the MAIN cause of inflammation (and that causes the irritation you CAN’T see)
- Moisturize religiously. An intact skin barrier is less prone to irritation.
- Keep your skincare routine simple. The fewer products and ingredients, the lower the risk of irritation.
- Switch to fragrance-free laundry detergent (fragrances and dyes in detergents can linger on clothes and irritate your skin).
Related: 7 Irritating Natural Ingredients You Should Ban From Your Skincare Routine
So, What Skincare Ingredients Should You Avoid?
Here’s a short list (which is by no means comprehensive) of the most common irritants found in skincare products:
PRO TIP: These ingredients are problematic only when used in large amounts. If you find the ingredient listed towards the end of the label, there’s nothing to worry about. Even if it’s at the top, if you limit its use to only once in a while, no harm done. But high amounts used regularly? Please, don’t do that!
- Alcohol Denat: Harsh and drying, especially for sensitive skin.
- Cinnamon: Spicy, but not in a good way for your skin.
- Citrus fruits: Lemon and lime might sound fresh, but they’re highly irritating and can make skin photosensitive.
- Coriander : Surprisingly irritating to some people’s skin.
- Ethanol: Another alcohol that can be overly drying.
- Eugenol: Found in clove oil, this can be a hidden irritant.
- Fragrance: A common culprit behind allergic reactions and sensitivity.
- Lavender: Despite being natural, it can cause irritation in sensitive skin.
- Linalool: Another component of fragrance that can trigger irritation.
- Menthol: Gives a cooling sensation but can be too harsh for reactive skin.
- Mint & Peppermint: Tingly, but not always in a good way.
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS): A foaming agent that can strip skin of moisture.
- Tea lauryl sulfate: Another foaming agent that’s too aggressive for many skin types.
- Witch hazel: Often marketed as soothing, but its alcohol content can be irritating.
The Bottom Line
Your skin is unique, and so are its triggers. The key to prevent skin irritation is paying attention to your skin’s signals and figuring out what doesn’t sit well with it. Whether it’s a specific ingredient, a change in weather, or even stress, knowing your skin’s patterns makes all the difference. Treat it with care, keep things simple, and give it what it actually needs.
awesome and useful post indeed! i need to get my skin in order and this was a wonderful read
Vonnie, thank you! I’m glad you found it interesting and hope this info helps you and your skin. 🙂
My skin gets hella irritated with most fragrances. So, super perfumed lotion, body wash or soap is a big no-no for me. My face gets all inflamed. 🙁
Trisha, that’s awful! Fragrances can be very irritating indeed. But at least you know what to avoid.
Very informative, gio! When I have any form of skin irritation which thankfully, is extremely rare, I will stop using any skincare or cosmetic. And I clean my face with warm water only, and spritz on loads of Avene Thermal Water. Normally it would go away in 2-3 days. But occasionally I do pop an antihistamine tablet if I find the rash is not subsiding.
Vonvon, thanks. And I’m glad to hear your skin is rarely irritated. Stop wearing makeup and using skincare is always good when you have a reaction and I’m pleased the Avene Thermal Water helps your skin heal too. I have heard several people recommend it to soothe irritated skin, I’ll have to try it one day. 🙂
This was so helpful, gio! I try to avoid the ingredients you listed, too.
Tammy, I’m glad you found it useful. 🙂
I’m so confused…why is it that toners which contain witch hazel label themselves as “alcohol free?”
Makeup Morsels, because even if witch hazel contains alcohol, it isn’t alcohol. It is just a technicality really. Most of the claims companies make are nonsense really. It’s appalling to know what they can get away with.
I try to avoid most of the things on your list (although I haven’t heard about coriander being bad, or even being in skin care products). I have a list of ingredients on my site that I try to reference before I buy new products. I rarely get any irritation from products (just acne) but I try to avoid irritating ingredients just in case. Lately I’ve been having problems with hair dye irritating me, so I’m nervous about that if the problem gets worse!
Jeni, that’s good that you try to avoid irritating ingredients. Even if they seem to work well, they can still damage the deeper layers of the skin and sadly we don’t notice that until it is too late. So prevention is the key. Hair dyes can be very irritating too and I’m sorry to hear you have problems with them. I hope it won’t get worse.
What of using a Toner that has 40% Alcohol Denat in it? Is it advisable to use such product?
Ideedee, no, it isn’t. Alcohol Denat is drying and irritating.