The Best Anti-Redness Products to Calm Angry, Inflamed Skin

Dealing with persistently red skin is a major struggle, mainly because there are so many reasons why your skin might feel angrier and look more flushed than usual.

“Facial redness can be caused by multiple factors, including inflammation, irritation, poor skin barrier, dilation of blood vessels, or the presence of broken capillaries on the skin,” says Annie Chiu, MD, board-certified dermatologist at The Derm Institute in Redondo Beach, California.

This could boil down to irritating skin care ingredients, your environment, or even food sensitivities that cause your body (and skin) to go haywire. Inflammation (and thus redness) is also a primary symptom of conditions like facial eczema or rosacea, both of which can cause persistent redness.

Your first step? Figure out the root of the problem with the help of a dermatologist. “When dealing with redness, you should figure out why you’re red before trying to treat it,” says Dr. Chiu. Next, find the products that will calm and soothe the irritation.

How to choose effective anti-redness products

Read the label: It’s tough to wade through the ingredients on beauty products (chemical names can be so long), but in general, a shorter ingredients list is preferred over a longer one, as there are fewer potential irritators in the mix. “That’s an indication that it may be easier on the skin,” says Lawrence Green, MD, associate clinical professor of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine.

Avoid common irritators: Redness-prone skin is often sensitive to the following ingredients, says Dr. Chiu: alcohol, synthetic fragrances, and essential oils like citrus, eucalyptus, and peppermint.

Focus on soothers: After gently cleansing, Dr. Chiu recommends using products that will rebuild skin’s protective barrier and lessen inflammation. A few to look for: ceramides, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B12, niacinamide (vitamin B3), colloidal oatmeal, sulfur, licorice extract, and vitamin E.

From cleansers to serums to creams, here are the top products dermatologists recommend for redness relief.