Over half of adults say their skin is sensitive. Fortunately, gentle products formulated with soothing ingredients can help skin feel good again.
Elaine Li is no stranger to living with sensitive skin. As a teen she experienced rosacea and eczema, despite seeing numerous doctors and specialists. Her search for products that could soothe and protect her skin was unsuccessful. It inspired her to launch her own company, Iremia Skincare, in 2008. Her goal then and today was providing effective, high-quality products to help manage sensitive skin that are also family-friendly, while streamlining skincare routines.
About 60 to 70 per cent of women and 50 to 60 per cent of men describe their skin as “sensitive,” according to one global survey. Redness, dryness, discomfort, and stinging are common signs of reactive skin. Working with a chemist, Li created products that combat those symptoms while calming and strengthening the skin barrier.
Uncomplicating skincare for all
Iremia Skincare’s Protective Cream was the company’s inaugural offering. “It was the formula that we nailed down first,” says Li. “I wanted something gentle, hydrating, and rich for the face and body. It had to be multipurpose and luxurious, but without the high price point.” She calls it “a tall drink of water for thirsty skin” thanks to nurturing ingredients such as cocoa butter, avocado oil, and palmarosa oil.
What you leave out of a formulation customized for sensitive, dry skin is just as important as what you put into it. Li’s made-in-Canada products are free from ingredients that can exacerbate dryness and redness, including fragrances, colours, and synthetics, and are not tested on animals. That applies to Iremia’s best-selling Soothing Lotion, a lightweight yet deeply hydrating moisturizer that’s effective as an eye and face cream, and ideal for daily use. Its award-winning line- and wrinkle-reducing formula includes soothing natural ingredients — African mahogany bark extract, aloe vera, manuka honey, and calendula.
How stress and lifestyle choices impact skin
Choosing the right products is just one component of managing sensitive skin. “The best approach is a holistic one,” explains Li, a busy working mom of two children, ages 12 and 6. “It also needs to include diet, sleep, and stress management.” Stress is often an underlying cause of skin issues since it can cause levels of the hormone cortisol to spike, leading to an increase in the body’s inflammatory responses.
“That leads to a weakened skin barrier and transepidermal water loss, which contribute to skin sensitivity,” notes Li. “What happens is you reach for products to help the skin, but when they’re not the right ones, the skin will become more sensitive and that sets up an endless cycle.” It may also increase the probability of developing inflammatory skin conditions like rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis.
When choosing products for sensitive skin, less is more. You don’t need a complicated skincare routine — just a few gentle products created with ingredients designed to calm and soothe reactive skin.
Iremia Skincare offers a well-curated lineup that’s simple yet sophisticated, since every product features ingredients that were carefully chosen with purpose in mind. “At the beginning of the development process, I wondered, ‘Why are skincare routines so needlessly complicated?’ No one has time for a 12-step regimen,” says Li. “My goal was to make beautiful, luxurious products, without the exorbitant price tags, that everyone can use.”
Discover more about Iremia Skincare at iremiaskincare.ca.
