Rosacea-friendly facial washes, creams, cosmetics

There are dozens of rosacea-friendly facial washes, creams, and cosmetics on the market. It can be hard to decide where to start your search. Be prepared to have to buy many products online. While you might find products like CeraVe, SebaMed, and Physician's Formula in area stores, there are many others that get great reviews that are not available in stores.

Rosacea-Friendly Facial Washes

At my first appointment with a dermatologist, she recommended using Cetaphil to wash my skin. Personally, I found it far too drying. Instead, I tried SebaMed and that helps. SebaMed balances your skin's PH level without irritating ingredients. I could by SebaMed locally, though the store that was carrying it have since discontinued it.

One product that I see many of my rosacea friends rave over is Dermalogica Ultra-Calming Cleanser. Dermalogica has a full line of red face solutions, and I hear the wash is wonderful, especially when it's followed by the Barrier Repair. When SebaMed no longer works for me, I am tempted to give Dermalogica a try, especially as they have a skin kit available that offers a small bottle of their four best rosacea products: UltraCalming Cleanser, UltraCalming Mist, UltraCalming Serum Concentrate, and Barrier Repair.

Rosacea-Friendly Creams/Moisturizers

For an affordable rosacea moisturizer, I find CeraVe is extremely effective. The AM cream has sunscreen, but I don't have oily skin, so if you do, a powder sunscreen is likely the better option. The PM cream is thicker and does a great job of keeping the skin from drying out, which is especially helpful in the winter!

Many men and women with rosacea find La Roche Posay's moisturizers to be an affordable, very effective option. If you need an intense moisturizer, pick Rosaliac AR Intense, otherwise Rosaliac Anti-Redness is a good choice.

If you have a bigger budget, MD Formulations Critical Care Shielding Cream is a great moisturizer. It's very effective at protecting red skin from rosacea against sun and bitter cold. SkinMedica Redness Relief is another pricey, effective option.

Rosacea-Friendly Cosmetics

Is it sunny outside? Before putting on any makeup, you need to start with sunscreen. Zinc powder broad spectrum sunscreens are ideal. The powder prevents any oily build-up that occurs with traditional sunscreens. Elta MD UV Shield (SPF 45), Colorescience Sunforgettable (SPF 50), and IS Clinical (SPF 20) are all popular choices among men and women with rosacea.

BareMinerals and Physician's Formula are two of the most commonly used makeup brands used by people with rosacea. The goal is to stick to mineral-based cosmetics, and they both deliver on that part.

If you want to hide redness, a foundation containing green pigment can help tone the redness. I have had great luck with Physician Formula's Super CC+, but as it has a moisturizer and sunscreen built in, it can make oily skin look shiny. If you'd rather have a powder foundation, try Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief.

Tips for Finding the Best Facial Products and Cosmetics for Rosacea Skin

People with rosacea quickly find that what works for one person isn't always the best for them. All of my recommendations have been successful for me, but I urge you to do a test on a small patch of skin to watch for breakouts, increased redness, or irritation.

High-priced products are not always ideal. I've talked to rosacea sufferers who swear by the pricier lines, and just as many have told me at how badly these same products dried their skin out. I know many people with a red face from rosacea love the effects of coconut oil on their face. Coconut oil clogged my pores and made the breakouts worse.

Don't expect a product to be the best choice forever. I used to use Aveeno Ultra-Calming products, and my skin looked less red. Months later, I started getting pustules. Facial redness became horribly out of control. Nothing in my diet changed, so I stopped using Aveeno. Soon enough, my skin started to improve. I suspect the manufacturer changed the formula, which is entirely possible, but it meant starting over to find the best product for my rosacea.