What’s The Best Moisturiser For Rosacea?

Rosacea is an inflammatory condition that involves a fragile or impaired skin barrier which is more prone to moisture-loss than healthy skin. Moisturising daily is a key strategy for managing rosacea, but which moisturiser should you choose?

Let’s look at what rosacea-prone skin needs, and find some good options for a moisturiser that ticks all the boxes for rosacea!

It’s important to be clear that we’re talking about a daily skincare regime, rather than medicated creams from your GP or dermatologist. This is all about maintenance as a strategy for healthy, calm skin, between and during flares. The idea behind regular moisturising is to make sure your face is well-hydrated and well-nourished, so it can provide an effective barrier against moisture-loss, irritants and allergens, and so when flare-ups do happen, they’re less frequent and less severe.

What rosacea-prone skin needs

What does the skin need? Well, there are two vital things a good quality moisturiser can provide for skin suffering with rosacea:

Moisture
Nutrients

Moisture is vital for skin health; a good moisturiser will provide a thin layer of oil to reinforce the skin’s own barrier (the epidermis); this oil will act as a kind of very fine wall to keep moisture inside. Dry skin, which rosacea sufferers are prone to, has microscopic cracks in its defences through which moisture can be lost; with less moisture in the skin, the cracks widen and the skin barrier becomes even less effective.

The epidermis’ defensive wall also serves to keep unwanted particles out! An impaired barrier can allow intruders in, the irritants that are everywhere, in the air, on surfaces and in toiletries. Whether the irritants are environmental (like pollen, dust, pet dander) or topical (ie ingredients in shampoo, makeup or face creams), if they pass through the epidermis they can set off an inflammatory response, causing itchiness, rashes, and rosacea flare-ups.

Nutrients are also vital for skin health. Depleted or fragile skin needs to use what vitamins and oils provide as building blocks for their barrier. Natural essential fatty acids, for example, can reinforce the skin’s structure and make moisture loss or irritation less likely.

A moisturiser with plenty of plant-based nutrients is acting like a vitamin supplement for the skin, feeding the epidermis exactly what it needs to maintain its regular cycle of repair and regeneration.

So hopefully, that’s persuaded you on the necessity of finding a good daily moisturiser for your rosacea-prone skin!

What to avoid in moisturisers for rosacea

And what you don’t want is ingredients that will irritate your sensitive skin and cause damage to the epidermis!

So the following ingredients are generally best avoided:

Perfume/fragrance/scent/parfum
Propylene glycol
Potent essential oils such as peppermint, camphor, eucalyptus, menthol
Astringents such as witch hazel
Harsh synthetic preservatives

Our conclusion? Find a moisturiser that ticks these three boxes:

Effective hydration
Nourishing ingredients
Free from irritants

We’re obviously a bit biased, but Balmonds Daily Moisturising Cream fits the bill perfectly!

It’s rich in nourishing oils - hemp, safflower and olive - which help maintain an effective skin barrier function, but it’s also as gentle as possible, unscented, and essential oil free.

For more information about rosacea and how to manage it, see our blog on Rosacea Awareness.