Do you emerge from the shower with red blotchy, tight-feeling skin? For most people with sensitivity, the answer to this question is yes. Tap-water, full of various minerals can be very drying and irritating on the skin.

Avoid splashing your face with water or fully immersing your face while in the shower and instead, discover the art of MV compress cleansing, to gently and effectively instil nurturing calm on your complexion.

Start to rely on MV Pure Jojoba as your new best friend. All barrier-impaired complexions, including sensitivity, will find welcome relief in this multi-functional and extremely skin friendly product.

・Layer it underneath any skincare product as your shield or protective buffer.

・Use it as a comprehensive eye treatment product to remove makeup, condition lashes, and hydrate fine lines.

・For days of hyper-reactivity, use Pure Jojoba as a superfine light moisturiser to balance breakouts, and restore calm to flaky or inflamed complexions.

For those with sensitive skin, sunscreen can be a double-edged sword. Sunscreens fall into two main categories: chemical filters, which absorb UV rays, and physical (mineral) filters, such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which reflect light.

Most conventional chemical sunscreens rely on ingredients like oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate. These are well-documented irritants, and it’s not just the filters themselves that can cause problems. The additional agents used to create that invisible, weightless feel are also common triggers — particularly for those with an impaired skin barrier. To complicate things further, TGA-approved sunscreens aren’t required to list all of their excipients, which means consumers often have no idea what else is in the formula they’re applying to already sensitised skin.

This is why, in my clinic, I recommend clients with reactive skin explore zinc-based sunscreens. In my experience, skin is far less likely to flare up when protected with a physical light reflector rather than a chemical absorber.

The other important consideration is that highly sensitive or barrier-impaired skin should be treated as “damaged” skin — and damaged skin is both more vulnerable to UV light and more likely to react to the layering of potential irritants. That’s why the first line of defence should always be the obvious (but often forgotten) measures: avoid the harsh midday sun, seek shade, and wear a wide-brimmed hat.

On days spent largely indoors, away from direct sunlight, there may be opportunities to reconsider whether SPF is truly essential — particularly if you’re someone who struggles to find a formula that doesn’t cause flare-ups. Many rosacea clients, for example, find daily sunscreen a challenge, as even “sensitive” formulas can be triggering. In these cases, being mindful about when you do need SPF and when you can safely give your skin a break can help reduce its overall irritant load while it heals.

When you do need SPF, make it a dedicated zinc-based sunscreen (not just a moisturiser with added SPF) and always apply it after your moisturiser, never before.

This shift in approach is far kinder to sensitive skin — and, in my experience, far more sustainable in the long run.