SOS

What can one turn to in the times of distress? When it comes to the skin, there's no better option than to sit back and let a select few hero products do the work. Soothing, gentle and reliable, these skin-saving failsafes have got the back of even the most sensitive and reactive of skins.

- Vanessa Grace Ng

Things will always get under your skin. It is an inevitable, unavoidable life experience that, for an unfortunate few, occurs more often than one is able to cope with. But when life's irritations start to get under your skin whether it manifests after a stressful day, environmental changes, or literal, under-the-skin blemishes - having reliable, soothing failsafes can make all the difference.

Irritated skin, in particular, can present in many ways: redness, dryness, or uncomfortable breakouts. As the skin maintains its standing as the body's largest organ, these reactions are often a signal, a cry for help, or a reminder that it needs a little tender loving care. When it comes to "tender," it is clear that battling irritation with a "fight fire with fire" method is not the catch-all technique to save one's skin.

The skincare market has always been quick to innovate, constantly pushing out trendy skincare cocktails labelled with the promise of soothing, healing, rejuvenating the skin and more. Heavily marketed are active ingredients, retinoids and other scientific-sounding formulations, pushed to users suffering from a myriad of skincare concerns. But these buzzy, hype-driven products are just band-aid solutions at best.

In some worst-case scenarios, they may even present as treacherous traps that may exacerbate an outbreak and amplify irritation to an overwhelming level. And so the solution to angry, inflamed skin may seem counterintuitive: it is best just to leave it be, and allow it some rest.