Natural cosmetics for rosacea: Why the right products are important

Conventional cosmetic products contain some ingredients that can trigger rosacea, such as mineral oil, silicone or synthetic fragrances. So if I have rosacea, should I rather Use natural cosmetics ?

Rosacea, or couperose, is a skin disease that is accompanied by redness of the face and often also by inflammatory papules and pustules . The first symptoms usually only appear in the mid or late 20s. Many people have not necessarily had skin problems before in their youth.

When treating rosacea, it is particularly important to avoid triggers in cosmetics, diet or the environment. Rosacea triggers can worsen the redness and other symptoms. The severity of the triggers is very individual. Some people with couperose can tolerate some of the known triggers.

Depending on the severity, there are also drug or surgical therapies.

There are a few things to consider when it comes to cosmetics for rosacea, as many ingredients in cosmetic products are triggers. With the right rosacea care with soothing and anti-inflammatory ingredients and also with appropriate make-up, redness can be reduced or covered. This can lead to more well-being and serenity.

• Real natural cosmetics do not contain some of the trigger factors that can occur in conventional cosmetics. These include cortisone, perfume, PEG, parabens, mineral oil, urea or silicones.
• Some natural ingredients that are also used in natural cosmetics, such as green tea , oats, horse chestnut or licorice root , are very suitable for rosacea.
• Has nothing directly to do with rosacea: natural cosmetics are more sustainable than conventional cosmetics.

• Mechanical peelings contain much too large, sharp-edged peeling grains that can injure your skin. Micro-tears can appear in your skin that you cannot see with the naked eye. And these are ideal entry points for germs that can cause inflammation. This also includes clay/healing clay or products with salt or sugar grains.
• Fruit acids: Pineapple, papaya, hibiscus extract and other fruit acids act like strong chemical peels (which are not particularly suitable for couperose), but with the additional disadvantage that the natural acid content can vary greatly. These products can therefore be far too acidic for the skin in individual cases - especially in the case of rosacea.

I first became aware of my rosacea when I tried to completely switch my skin care and makeup to natural cosmetics . Suddenly my skin turned red and I got spots. Not typical hormonal spots, but small red pustules.

When I went back to using my conventional pharmacy products, which I had never changed for years, the nightmare suddenly stopped. My skin was fine again, but I personally didn't feel comfortable supporting brands that tested on animals and used unsustainable ingredients. It was a real dilemma for me.

Many have given up and are of the opinion that natural cosmetics do not work for rosacea. And if you look at the natural cosmetics market, you quickly notice that it is almost impossible to find products that do not contain the triggers mentioned. Some niche brands have already stopped using essential oils or have at least reduced their use - but the problem usually remains with the plant oils that are used carelessly for rosacea, flower hydrolates instead of water, fruit acids, the pH value, the stimulating extracts, etc.

But that's not because it's fundamentally impossible to produce natural cosmetics that are compatible with rosacea. Just because many natural substances are irritating to the skin doesn't mean they have to be used. A different way of thinking is needed to produce natural cosmetics for rosacea and sensitive skin. That's why our philosophy is that all Xeno products should be as compatible as possible for all skin types.

Sun protection is important for preventing skin cancer and is also the best “anti-aging agent” because it prevents pigment spots and wrinkles from forming as quickly. Sun protection is even more important for rosacea because the sun can be a trigger.

Finding a sunscreen that is well tolerated by rosacea is difficult in general, and even more difficult when the choice is limited. Sunscreen needs a film former so that the sun protection factors can be evenly distributed on the skin. Sunscreen must therefore contain vegetable oil, silicone, mineral oil, alcohol or other film formers, all of which are considered to be triggers for rosacea. Some sunscreen filters can also be rosacea triggers. That's why it's important that you find the sunscreen that works best for you individually. Because the best sunscreen is not the natural or conventional one, but the one you wear regularly.

Natural cosmetics make-up usually contains a lot of plant oils and butters, which are too enveloping. In addition, there are only a few products without exotic extracts, fruit extracts, essential oils, etc.

The most compatible option for rosacea is mineral makeup in powder form, which only consists of natural, non-reactive mineral pigments. This does limit the options for the look and application somewhat, but it is always a solution if other makeup products are not working. Incidentally, mineral powder makeup contains zinc oxide, which can reduce papules and pustules because it counteracts inflammation.

When it comes to cream products, it's worth making sure that they contain as few plant oils as possible. If you can tolerate certain plant oils, you can of course look for make-up that contains these oils.

Tip: Instead of makeup, you can use a tinted sunscreen. The mineral filters in natural cosmetic sunscreen are usually well tolerated, you need one less product and the tint means you don't have a "whitening effect". The disadvantage could be the oils. See the section on skin care above.

Unfortunately, there is not much makeup in natural cosmetics that is suitable for rosacea. Don't put pressure on yourself: Especially with makeup, it's OK to make compromises if the market doesn't offer what you want.