BEAUTY HOTLIST: The Eczema Edit...
Everything I rate, and don't rate as a lifelong eczema sufferer....including the secret potion that saved my skin.
A couple of months ago I wrote a piece for The Guardian about my lifelong eczema battle. Honestly, I thought it was super niche idea and nobody would read it, but to my surprise I received hundreds of messages from those sharing their experiences of living with this infuriating and seemingly incurable skin issue.
Part of the reason for that reaction - I think - is because you seldom see much written about eczema in the mainstream media or beauty press; nobody gives two sh*ts about us itchies because it’s just not a sexy topic. The other reason is that there’s not a tonne of money in eczema as a beauty topic, so it doesn’t warrant the coverage that anti-ageing products or injectables have for example. But we - the invisible itchy population - are here; a huge 1.5 million people in the UK suffer from a form of dermatitis, and in the US it’s 31.6 million.
In the Guardian feature I didn’t have enough space to list the products I’d tried to help my eczema; it was more about the journey and emotional impact of living with it. So, this is precisely that; my tried and tested eczema shopping list/gift guide, which also includes secret product that has hugely helped me, but I haven’t openly spoken about (will explain why shortly.)
Please do share this with any itchies in your life and lots of these products will also work for those with sensitive skin, psoriasis, and more. I’m not a doctor, just a beauty journalist who has tried everything out there - so if you’re cautious about anything, check with your derm before you try anything new. And if you do live with a chronic skin issue - I see you (and your itchy, inflamed skin) and I’m sending you all the love!
PS: If you’re enjoying my writing, then please do upgrade to read the whole edit. Thank you - your support means a lot!
Beauty Kin Soothing Bar, £9.95
When my skin had a huge flare up during the pandemic (see pic above) and I tried this soap and my ultra dry and itchy skin felt less taught and reactive as a result. It contains a mix of prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics (that’s all the biotics covered then…) and is pH balanced and fragrance free. I preferred it - and saw an actual improvement to my skin’s condition - compared to prescription/medical body washes like Epaderm and Dermol that didn’t help me, and I still use it.
INGREDIENTS: pH-Balanced Base, Aqua (Base), Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (Base), Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (Base), Glycerin (Base), Colloidal oatmeal , Lactobacillus ferment and extract, Avena Sativa (oat) Kernel Extract, Borago officinalis (Starflower) Seed oil , Sunflower seed oil , Mango seed butter , Mentha piperate (peppermint oil), Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate ,
Avene Tolerance Extreme Facial Moisturiser, £15.60
I was recommended this range by an itchy friend, and it’s still part of my emergency kit. This face cream contains a minimal amount of ingredients (just 7 in fact) and is hydrating without being heavy or irritating. Avene is also infused with thermal water, which has long been shown to help chronic skin conditions and this cream has a special lid that keeps it sterile without parabens (which aren’t bad, they just might irritate already irritated skin…)
INGREDIENTS: THERMAL SPRING WATER ( AQUA), CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, GLYCERIN, BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII (SHEA) BUTTER (BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER), CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS (SAFFLOWER) SEED OIL (CARTHAMUS TINCTORIUS SEED OIL), BEHENYL ALCOHOL, SODIUM ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, WATER (AQUA)
Skin Rocks The Rich Moisturiser Fragrance Free, £65
One of the worst parts of eczema - aside from the weeping skin, and feeling of hopelessness - is that you lose the joy of using beauty products. Everything becomes about function, and your bathroom starts to resemble a chemist, with giant white tubs spread across every surface. Moisturising becomes a job. That’s why I LOVE that skincare expert Caroline Hirons has created fragrance-free versions of her Skin Rocks line, and though fragrances don’t irritate everyone with sensitive skin, having the option to pick something that doesn’t come in a clinical white tube is brilliant!
This cream is really working for my skin right now especially during these colder months in the UK, and it contains ceramides to help our skin’s barrier retain water better, which helps reduce dry, itchy, flaky skin. There’s a dose of other moisturising ingredients like essential fatty acids and oat kernel oil to soothe and nourish too - and crucially, it doesn’t feel or look like it was prescribed at all. REJOICE!
INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water/Eau), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Propanediol, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyglyceryl-3 Cetearyl Ether Olivate, Olus Oil (Vegetable Oil/Huile Végétale), Jojoba Oil/Macadamia Seed Oil Esters, Olive Glycerides, Jojoba Esters, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Octyldodecyl PCA, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Phenoxyethanol, Carbomer, Ceramide NP, Squalene, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Gluconate, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Acacia Decurrens Flower Wax, Polyglycerin-3, Sodium Hydroxide, Phytosteryl Macadamiate, Tasmannia Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Phytosterols, Ceramide AP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Ceramide EOP.
CeraVe Moisturising Cream for Dry/very Dry skin, £17
Before Cerave, I needed to use body oil, then a layer of something greasy like Epaderm (which, for the uninitiated is a petroleum jelly type greasy sludge) over the top to keep my skin to keep it hydrated and non-itchy - and I’d do that twice a bloody day. But now I use Cerave once a day, and my skin is generally fine. It’s been a real game changer which is due to the ceramides in the formula - so this is the only body cream I will use. Tip: wait until there’s a sale or discount and stock up. If you use this daily like I do, they do get pricey. My mum asked what I wanted for Xmas and I was legit like, ‘just some Cerave' - thanks!’
INGREDIENTS: AQUA / WATER / EAU, GLYCERIN, CETEARYL ALCOHOL, INGREDIENTS: CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, CETYL ALCOHOL, CETEARETH-20, PETROLATUM, POTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, CERAMIDE NP, CERAMIDE AP, CERAMIDE EOP, CARBOMER, DIMETHICONE, BEHENTRIMONIUM METHOSULFATE, SODIUM LAUROYL LACTYLATE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, CHOLESTEROL, PHENOXYETHANOL, DISODIUM EDTA, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, TOCOPHEROL, PHYTOSPHINGOSINE, XANTHAN GUM, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN
Jojoba or Almond Body Oil , from £3.29
In the colder months I do still use body oil immediately after I shower to lock in moisture. There are fancy body oils you can buy for sensitive skin, but I either use jojoba or almond oil and I get mine from The Soapery. I’ve tried coconut oil but it doesn't work for my skin and I end up getting clogged pores - it’s also a ball ache to heat up and use in the cold. And actually, Jojoba is the oil that’s structurally closest to our skin’s natural oils, so that’s probably the best you can use. And it’s more or less fragrance free too.
Dermatology M
I tried this range towards the end of my recent flare up and was impressed by how nice the products are to use and this east-meets-west approach to caring for chronic skin conditions. The brand and clinic (based in Brighton) was created by Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor, Mazin Al-Khafaji and both specialise in helping people with skin issues. I’ve tried a number of products from the eczema range and liked the soothing cream most, but it’s best if you speak to them to get the right recommendations for your condition, hence why i’m not recommending a particular one.
As a side note, a lot of people think TCM is ‘woo woo’ (which is a phrase I loathe.) There’s good and bad in every form of medicine including western medicine- just look at how poorly it treats people of colour, or how little research about women’s health gets funded.) But to disparage something, just because it differs from western medicine is, in my opinion, close minded. Also, lots within western medicine is based on principles taken from indigenous healing practices or other cultures; turmeric is now being used in wound healing in the western medicine, when it’s been used as such in Indian ayurvedic medicine for centuries. I’ll jump off my soapbox now, just wanted to caveat that!