5 Insightful Tips For Shopping For Eczema Skincare Products

When it comes to shopping for eczema-friendly products, it can be really tricky to figure out which products will be safe for my skin as well as worth my money. There are so many risks when it comes to shopping for sensitive skin: I could have an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the product, it might not be effective at all, or might make my skin more irritated. But over the past several years I have found some patterns that have worked well for me to find good products for my skin which I share below.

Clean and green product labels

The first thing I look for is a product that is clean, cruelty-free, and organic. Although there's such a thing as greenwashing where certain companies claim to be more “clean” and “green” than they are, I find that products made by companies that generally are cognizant and try to be categorized in the green beauty of a beauty and department stores still tend to generally have formulas that seem to be safer my skin even if they are not 100% perfectly organic.

Going organic for eczema

I like organic products because they'll be made with higher quality ingredients that are less likely to contain pesticides and herbicides that are chemicals that I find irritating to my skin and my digestive system, if I happen to consume them through produce that I eat that is not organic.

Avoiding alcohol in skincare products

Next, something that I avoid in sensitive skincare products is alcohol. It doesn't matter how small the amount of it is or if it is last on the ingredients list (which means it has the least amount of it in the product’s formula), I find it to dry out and irritate my skin or just not moisturize my skin. It's really an interesting phenomenon because even lotions where all the other ingredients are amazing and great for my skin, if there's any alcohol I still find that my skin will feel somewhat hydrated at first but will end up feeling dry once the product has absorbed into my skin.

Essential oils and dry skin

Other ingredients I try to avoid are certain essential oils, especially citrus ones. They seem to also dry out my skin and cause some irritation. I find that certain products that seem to have a higher concentration of essential oils can be pretty stimulating on my skin and make me feel itchy, even popular ones like lavender.

Having said that, the following essential oils seem to be fine for my skin no matter what: tea tree oil, palmarosa, and frankincense.

Shop the baby aisle for simple products

Another eczema ninja shopping tip I would give for anyone shopping for sensitive skincare products is to look in the baby aisle because babies have very sensitive, delicate skin, too, even if it's not irritated with rashes. I find that those skincare formulas are overall very gentle for the skin compared to the lotions and products made for adults that seem to have a lot more fragrance and preservatives.

I hope that these tips help you on your next shopping trip for sensitive skincare and give you more to consider before pulling out your wallet for the next product that promises relief.

What do you look for or avoid when shopping for products for your eczema? Please share your tips and experiences in the comments below!