8 Products People With Sensitive Skin Should Know About

Navigating ingredient labels on personal care products can make one spiral out.

Perhaps you had a moment of clarity when you pinpointed the specific ingredient causing all of your annoying skin irritations. You’re sure it was the synthetic fragrance. So, you toss everything with fragrance on the label, only to find the same subtle symptoms—small bumps on your skin or slightly puffy eyelids.

So you keep scanning the ingredient labels.

When you go down the rabbit hole and really start examining all the ingredients, you discover the existence of SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate, a common chemical compound used to make suds or foam in products like detergent and shampoo).

“Sodium lauryl sulfate may sound harmless, but its tiny size and powerful cleaning abilities can actually irritate your skin,” says Emily Spilman, Program Manager for Health Living Science at Environmental Working Group “This ingredient has a knack for penetrating between skin cells, leading to potential sensitivity issues. That’s why most skincare products only include SLS in wash-off products, like cleaners, rather than leave-on ones.”

It’s nearly impossible to navigate all of these ingredient labels alone, and that’s why we’re here. We care about anything we use on a daily basis, especially like products that touch our skin, mouth, vagina—you get the picture.

Below are swaps to try if you have sensitive skin—everything from laundry detergent to toilet paper to makeup remover. Scroll down for eight SLS-free recommendations!

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Molly's Suds Laundry Detergent

Price: $23

The laundry category of products is extremely hard to navigate. Brands often market their products for sensitive skin, but even the fragrance-free versions can cause irritation. Molly’s is great for anyone convinced their detergent is why their skin feels itchy.

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PlantPaper Toilet Paper

Price: $16

If you have ever dealt with vaginal itch, dryness or general irritation down there, you know subpar TP can only cause further woes. Most toilet paper stocked at the grocery store uses a chlorine bleaching process to make the paper white. When companies skip this process, the paper may appear light brown or beige in color. It’s not often you see these options on the shelves at your local Walmart. But it’s worth ordering online if you worry that your current toilet paper may be the culprit behind any ongoing irritation. PlantPaper is toxin-free, PFAs-free and made of organically grown bamboo (which requires no fertilizer).

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Kirk's Castile Soap

Price: $3

Many common soaps you’ll find at the grocery store claim to be for sensitive skin and not made with SLS. But they include other surfactants (the ingredient that makes suds), and their labels often include a sodium L something. This may be the type of ingredients to avoid if you feel like you’ve tried everything and still have irritation. Kirk’s has been around since 1839 and is made with 100% coconut oil.

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Cora Comfort Fit Tampon

Price: $9

It’s shocking how few “clean” products are available in the feminine hygiene aisle. Cora’s tampons consist of GOTS-certified organic cotton that’s made without pesticides, dioxins, fragrance, or chlorine.

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365 Volume & Thickness Shampoo & Conditioner

Price: $10

Available at pretty much any Whole Foods, this shampoo and conditioner is made for anyone who has gone through their entire house, throwing away all products with fragrance on the ingredient label. Obviously, fragrance on labels is often a red flag, since companies aren’t required to list what is in the fragrance, and most fragrances are synthetic. This shampoo is formulated without harmful sodium lauryl sulfate, and all-natural fragrances making this product a welcome exception to the fragrance-free rule.

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Simple Micellar Cleansing Water

Price: $5

There are many fancy oil-based makeup removers. But if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to one, you know it’s not something you want to deal with on a recurring basis. Simple Micellar Water can take off everything from waterproof mascara to camouflage-caliber foundation. Wipe it all away with this unscented cleanser, splash your face with water to remove any residue, and you’re good to go.

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Arm & Hammer Essentials Fluoride Toothpaste

Price: $21

After discovering you are sensitive to sodium lauryl sulfates, you may start to look at every single ingredient label in your home. Toothpaste—especially if you have been using the same brand since you were a kid—can be a hard product to swap (and many include SLS). Arm & Hammer Essentials Toothpaste may take a few days to get used to, due to the slightly coarse minty texture, but once you do, it will quickly become a household staple.

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EOS Organic Lip Balm

Price: $9

When you start running your beauty products through the clean apps like EWG and Yuka, many lip balms not only score low, they get a zero out of 100. Most mainstream lip treatments are made with mineral oils, which are some of the worst ingredients to put on your mouth where they are easily ingested. Mineral oils are flagged as a petroleum-based product that could be a carcinogen and are said to stay in your body once ingested. EOS is sold right next to most of the drugstore brands at the grocery store. Instead of a petroleum base, it’s made with shea butter. If you’re wondering if it works, the answer is yes. But there’s an adjustment period whenever you change lip balms, so give it a few days when making the switch.

The content provided in this article is provided for information purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice and consultation, including professional medical advice and consultation; it is provided with the understanding that Poosh, LLC (“Poosh”) is not engaged in the provision or rendering of medical advice or services. The opinions and content included in the article are the views of the author only, and Poosh does not endorse or recommend any such content or information, or any product or service mentioned in the article. You understand and agree that Poosh shall not be liable for any claim, loss, or damage arising out of the use of, or reliance upon any content or information in the article.

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