Did you know that rosacea is often coupled with dryness? According to the Rosacea Society, “It has been estimated that approximately half of all rosacea sufferers may appear to experience dry skin.”
Because many people with rosacea have a disrupted skin barrier, their skin loses water easily. This results in dryness and a high level of sensitivity. That’s why it’s so important to find a non-irritating, supportive moisturizer that can protect the skin. So, here are a few moisturizers to help combat dry, rosacea skin. You can use one of these moisturizers after cleansing and using treatment/serum.
Saturday Skin Carrot + Niacinamide Moisturizer - $27
This fragrance-free moisturizer is phenomenal for rosacea. It has niacinamide, carrot, adenosine, and cholesterol. “Niacinamide demonstrates anti-inflammatory properties and may help ease redness seen in rosacea and other inflammatory skin conditions.” Adenosine also helps to soothe this skin and reduce redness from inflammation. The carrot ingredient also provides antioxidant qualities that can protect the skin barrier from damage. This is a creamy moisturizer that is not too heavy, and it rubs on smoothly.
Inkey List Peptide Moisturizer - $15.99
This is a peptide moisturizer, and peptides can work for rosacea by holding in the skin’s moisture. While peptides are not an ingredient that’s clinically proven to treat rosacea, they are a great form of barrier support. This moisturizer also offers ceramides. Some of the greatest moisturizers for rosacea-prone skin are going to be the ones that offer ceramides and have really good barrier support. This is more of a lightweight moisturizer that works for daytime use. However, slathering on a thicker moisturizer at night is also very helpful for rosacea.
Cassandra considers this a leveled-up version of CeraVe because it’s cruelty-free and has a bunch of plant ceramides in it. At night, this does very well for rosacea, and it locks everything in. It works very well for Cassandra’s oily, acne-prone skin. Cassandra has a little bit of subclinical rosacea too, and she loves how rejuvenated this makes her skin feel after she wakes up.
Pacifica Wake Up Beautiful Sleep Mask - $16
This is another great moisturizer to wear overnight. This has quinoa and flower extract. Quinoa is a natural source of vitamin A, and vitamin A can help rebuild the skin barrier and stimulate collagen. However, it’s not certain if there’s enough quinoa extract within this moisturizer to make this type of difference. This moisturizer offers more of a sensorial experience since it has a gentle fragrance. But, Cassandra wouldn’t use this for super sensitive skin, especially because of the plant extracts or flower ingredients. The most important thing to focus on for rosacea moisturizers is barrier-supporting ingredients like ceramides.
These are also good ceramide moisturizers.
Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Cream - $17.99
Skin Fix Triple Lipid Moisturizer
This is very good for helping a damaged skin barrier. Lipids, which are natural fats for the skin, also prevent sun damage, promote moisture retention, and help the skin heal.
Dear Klairs Rich Soothing Moisture Cream - $26
This one from Dear Klair’s has sodium hyaluronate, and while it doesn’t necessarily have fragrance, it does have plant ingredients. Sodium hyaluronate is a humectant, meaning it pulls water into the skin and keeps it there.Sodium hyaluronate can also soothe skin inflammation. “In a 2013 study, an HA sodium salt cream reduced symptoms of rosacea in adults (Healthline, 2020).” However, not all rosacea-prone skin is the same, and some skin types may experience irritation with sodium hyaluronate. So, if you’ve never used the ingredient before, try a little bit of it first and see how your skin does.
Sunscreen as a protective moisturizer.
Sun is a huge trigger for rosacea. So, we want to make sure we’re avoiding strong UV rays and using a fragrance-free SPF, preferably a broad-spectrum physical sunscreen. Physical sunscreens are broad-spectrum, meaning they protect against UV, UVA, sunscreens, and blue light. They are normally the best choice for rosacea-prone skin because some have had irritation with organic sunscreen due to its use of avobenzone as a sun protector. In contrast, physical sunscreen uses titanium dioxide and zinc oxide to reflect light from the skin. In addition, zinc itself also can also help reduce inflammation.
So, here are a few, gentle, and moisturizing physical SPF formulas that Cassandra loves for rosacea.
Kinship Self-Reflect Probiotic Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 32 - $28
This sunscreen has zinc oxide and turmeric. Turmeric has polyphenols which can have anti-inflammatory effects for some people. This also includes aloe juice, caprylic triglycerides, and coco glucoside. These ingredients provide hydration and barrier support.
Dermalogica Invisible Physical Defense Sunscreen SPF 30 - $48
This is a completely invisible sunscreen that’s great for rosacea because the formula is very soothing and lightweight. This formula also includes green tea, an amazing antioxidant. The mushroom complex also helps soothe skin and reduce UV-induced redness and dryness.
Bliss Block Star Invisible Daily Sunscreen - $17.50
This is a tinted sunscreen that has soothing blueberry extract, a good antioxidant that protects the skin. This also includes lavender which can be soothing to the skin.
This SPF includesblue phytoplankton and microalgae to protect the skin against everyday stressors such as UVA rays, UVB rays, and pollution. This sunscreen also includes glycerin which is a great humectant that pulls and keeps water in the skin. There’s also shea butter which can be a wonderful emollient for rosacea-prone skin that can aid in barrier healing.