Sensitive Skin Essentials: What to Use & What to Avoid

Find out which ingredients support sensitive skin and which ones to skip for a balanced, glowing complexion.

Sensitive skin deserves extra care. It’s easily irritated, often reacts strongly to ingredients or changes in environment, and requires a thoughtful, gentle routine. At Smukke House, we curate skincare that not only soothes but also strengthens and protects sensitive skin. Here's how to build a sensitive‑skin routine, what ingredients to use (and avoid), and products from Smukke House that do the job well.

What Is Sensitive Skin?

Sensitive skin means your skin barrier is more reactive — it may sting, burn, become red, feel tight, or flare up with certain ingredients, friction, weather, or after treatments. Sometimes it's genetic, sometimes it's environmental or from overuse of harsh products.

A good routine should:

• Reinforce the skin barrier
• Calm inflammation & reduce irritation
• Hydrate deeply without clogging or overwhelming
• Avoid known irritants (harsh surfactants, strong fragrances, some essential oils, irritant preservatives)

Key Ingredients Good for Sensitive Skin

Here are beneficial ingredients and properties you want:

Ingredients to Avoid or Use with Caution

How to Build a Sensitive Skin Routine

1. Cleanser — Gentle, preferably fragrance‑free or very mildly scented, hydrating
2. Toner / Mist — Optional, but something soothing and hydrating helps
3. Treatment / Serum — Introduce strong ingredients gradually (once every few nights first)
4. Moisturizer — Something that supports barrier + retains moisture
5. Sunscreen — Critical, but needs to be mild, non‑irritating (look for mineral sunscreens or very gentle chemical ones)
6. Support / extras — Masks, overnight balms, repair creams etc., especially after procedures or irritation

Top Smukke House Picks for Sensitive Skin

Here are a few gentle, high-performance skincare products from Smukke House that are ideal for sensitive or reactive skin:

Daily Basics

• Young Goose Adaptogenic Cleanser
  Soap-free, pH-balanced, and sulfate-free — perfect for gentle, everyday cleansing.
• NeoGenesis 5% S²RM Moisturizer
  Strengthens the skin barrier with patented growth factor tech; great for all skin types.
• Young Goose NAD+ Nobel Cream
  A rich, nourishing night cream with lipids to support skin repair and hydration.
• Calecim Recovery Night Complex
  Advanced night moisturizer soothes irritated skin and stops redness, all while you sleep. Protects skin barrier, reduces irritation and promotes recovery. 
  
• iS Clinical Hydra-Cool Serum
  Hydrating and soothing serum with botanical extracts and moisturizing ingredients

Soothing Boosters & Treatments

• Hydrinity Hyacyn Active Mist
  Uses hypochlorous acid to calm and purify reactive skin — zero irritation.
• Osmosis Quench Moisturizer
  Lightweight but deeply hydrating, with peptides, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter.
• Truth Treatments Transdermal C Balm
  A barrier-repairing balm safe for post-procedure use, rosacea, and psoriasis.
• NeoGenesis MB-1 Probiotic Mist
  Helps balance the skin’s microbiome — ideal during flare-ups or after reactions.
• Truth Treatments Omega-6 Healing Cream
  Ultra-soothing formula for dry, compromised, or inflamed skin.

Tip:

Use these products in a simple, layered routine: cleanser → mist → treatment → moisturizer. Start slow and patch-test if introducing new actives.

• Patch test: try a small amount behind the ear or jawline for a few days before full face.
• Introduce one new product at a time so you can see if it causes a reaction.
• Give your skin rest days or days with minimal active ingredients.
• Use physical barriers (sun, cold, wind) plus hydration to protect.