Which ingredients are most likely to cause reactions?Updated a year ago
Reactions to skincare products are very individualized. What might be irritating for one person might be fine for another, which is why patch testing is so important.
Some ingredient categories are considered more likely to irritate, such as fragrances (including natural essential oils), many preservatives (especially ones that work by releasing formaldehyde), and certain surfactants. Check out our guide to skincare for sensitive skin for a product-by-product explanation and how to build a safe routine.
Consider keeping a spreadsheet with products you’ve reacted to and their ingredient lists. By cross-referencing, you can figure out the precise ingredients or blends that irritate your skin. You can also compare the ingredient lists of products that irritate your skin to ones that don’t, to rule out ingredients as potential irritants.
Websites like INCIDecoder can help you identify the ingredient categories, to narrow things down even further.