Do you need special skincare for allergy season and hay fever?!?!?
I do suffer from hay fever and, for whatever reason, it’s been worse for those last years. Right now, I can assume that between February and August, everything green wants to kill me. My nose is runny, my sinuses stuffy, my eyes water, my throat is scratchy… it’s not fun. But when I encountered special skincare products for people with allergies like hay fever, and I started to wonder: do I need that?!
What’s the problem?
My symptoms are rather normal. For somebody suffering from hay fever, at least having one of these is common. What bugged me especially this year are my eyes watering at the smallest provocation. And of course, watery eyes mean that stuff gets into your eyes easily – eyeshadow, mascara, sunscreen etc. And THAT makes them water even more. A viscous cycle, and I was determined to stop it.
I made sure my sunscreen is as eye safe as it could be. My eye make-up was waterproof. Then I started to think about eye cream. It would make sense, wouldn’t it, to use the most gentle eye cream I could find, right? But then I saw companies not only marketing whole ranges of ‘allergy skincare’. And here we are, researching if you’d need that if you suffer from allergies, like me.
Hay fever and eczema
Nearly all promotion materials draw the following conclusion – allergies make your skin more reactive, like La Roche-Posay does below:
“For those with sensitive skin, the problem of hayfever and seasonal allergies is magnified. Sensitive skin is more vulnerable to irritation from external factors like allergens and toxins, and it’s more reactive to histamines – the substances your body produces in response to allergens, which can cause redness, itchiness and discomfort.
La Roche-Posay
Because sensitive skin is less able to defend itself against external aggressors, it can be left feeling even more itchy, sore and uncomfortable. Repeatedly blowing your nose or wiping your eyes can add to the problem.”
(Oh, toxins! *eyeroll*)
WebMD points out there may be a connection between seasonal allergies and eczema, although apparently it’s not well researched, but dermatologists seem to support that.
Still, if you don’t have eczema, I don’t see a reason to use special skincare geared towards allergy sufferers. Skincare won’t change your symptoms one bit. In this case, it seems to ME that the industry found another niche to exploit and a new group of people to sell products to. (Keep in mind that I’m not a doctor, and just speak from experience with my allergies.) Of course, reactive and sensitive skin will likely benefit from a very gentle routine anyways, allergies or not.
But wait! There’s one thing!
If your hay fever is like mine, you’ll run into mainly two problems: watery eyes and a sore nose. We’ll get to the watery eyes, but as any sufferer from a regular cold can attest to, active skincare ingredients on a sore nose aren’t fun. That’s the reason I’d go for a gentle products, at least around my nose, and maybe skip the actives for a while.
La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Ultra Eye Cream review
Yes, it’s LRP, those of ‘hey we found a marketing niche’ above.
The Toleriane Ultra Eye actually made a difference in how my eyes feel during allergy season: it’s a gel-cream that nicely moisturises but never feels heavy. It works great under concealer, and yes, even if you get it very close to your waterline, nothing stings. People who don’t like Niacinamide in their skincare should take note, because it’s included.
“ (…) this calming eye cream helps restore skin’s natural protective moisture barrier around the eyes and on the eyelids (…).
LPR
The ingredient list is short and sweet:
AQUA/WATER/EAU • GLYCERIN • SQUALANE • PROPANEDIOL • BUTYLENE GLYCOL • BUTYROSPERMUM PARKII BUTTER/SHEA BUTTER • PENTYLENE GLYCOL • NIACINAMIDE • DIMETHICONE • POLYMETHYLSILSESQUIOXANE • POLYSORBATE 20 • ACETYL DIPEPTIDE-1 CETYL ESTER • TOLUENE SULFONIC ACID • AMMONIUM POLYACRYLOYLDIETHYLTAURATE • DIMETHICONOL • DISODIUM EDTA • CITRIC ACID • ALUMINUM STARCH OCTENYLSUCCINATE • GLYCERYL ACRYLATE/ACRYLIC ACID COPOLYMER
My routine
I use a gentle cleanser like Paula’s Choice’s Calm Cleansing Gel or balea’s cleansing oil, a hydrating toner like cosrx’s Propolis toner (review), a treatment like a Hyaluronic Acid Serum or my current fave, Paula’s Choice’s CBD Milk (review). Then I apply LPR’s Toleriane Ultra Eye Cream. If my skin feels drier or more aggravated than usual, I’ll use a simple hydrating moisturiser like my HG Beyer & Söhne Crème (review) or Etude House’s Soon Jung 10-Free Moist Emulsion.
I then apply whatever SPF I feel I need that day (a good option for very sensitive skin is Sun Ozon Med Fluid SPF50 if you’re in Germany – review coming soon!), and use a mineral sunscreen around my eyes (there’re much less prone to make your eyes water than chemical ones). DONE.
Do you have a seasonal allergy, and do you have any skincare recommendations?
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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