Alexandra Anele has looked at more than 30 products aimed at sensitive skin. She approved most of them, gave a few mixed takes, and skipped a handful. Her approval rate for this category is 65%. That is a fairly approving record, and her skips are as useful as her approvals.
What does Alexandra Anele recommend for sensitive skin?
Lightweight hydration comes up again and again in her approving takes. She praised Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray for feeling light and not heavy on skin. She spoke warmly about The INKEY List Omega Water Cream, pointing to water as the first ingredient and calling water creams a really good choice for this skin type. CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is part of her own regular routine. She also rated Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Moisturizer with Retinol highly, calling it great and accessible, and noted that it contains tripeptides and ceramides. Those are ingredients that help repair and strengthen the skin barrier, which matters a lot for sensitive skin.
Alexandra Anele's sensitive skin picks, in her words
"I'm going to be using my [...] Tower 28 mist. I need like mist, I just it's been sitting for a minute and I want to rehydrate it so it's not too dry. It [...] has like a very lightweight feel which is really nice, doesn't feel heavy at all."
"This is the cream cleanser hydrating cream cleanser so this is what I keep in here obviously to cleanse my face especially on the nights when I'm using my tretinoin"
"Then I will go in with my Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado, which is super nice and creamy and rich. You don't need to use a lot, a little bit goes a really long way. I really like using it on the days when I'm filming or doing really glam makeup, because [...] I tend to get dryness around my eyes, and [...] I need that extra moisture because I like coverage there. It helps to counterbalance the powders or coverage that I'm applying in the delicate eye area."
"So I was like, 'Oh, I might as well just like try this slightly more gentle liquid exfoliant.' I just put it out on a cotton pad and wipe it on my face. [...] It's quite nice. It's gentle enough. [...] I've seen definitely like [...] an increase in positivity in my skin. It does a really good job of like just managing breakouts. And because it's nice and gentle, it's been like a very good counterpoint to my increase in tretinoin."
"I use a little bit of a hyaluronic acid serum from Vichy underneath my eyes"
"I'm going to go in with a tiny bit of the Aveeno Calm + Restore serum. This is great for helping with redness. [...] I like when I do skin care, I like to work it into the fingertips and then kind of dot it around the face. I feel like it's the easiest way to apply it evenly without having to apply a ton."
How many products has Alexandra Anele reviewed for sensitive skin?
Alexandra Anele has reviewed 34 products for sensitive skin, for an approval rate of 65%. 22 approved, 4 mixed, and 8 skipped.
What has Alexandra Anele skipped for sensitive skin?
Three of her skips come with clear reasons, and they are worth knowing. She skipped Prequel Multi-Quench Plumping Hydration Serum entirely because it pilled on her no matter what she tried. She linked the problem to glycerin in leave-on products generally, so anyone who has had pilling with glycerin serums should take note. She skipped Cally Grape Water Mist because, with her bleached hair, misting it on her face turned her hairline orange. And she skipped Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation, saying she wanted to love it but just didn't.
"It's Tower 28 sunscreen. I wanted to love it. They have like a bunch of different colors and [...] I just don't like it. It's really disappointing. Not to call them out directly, I love a lot of their products, but I just really wanted to love this and didn't."
"I understand that basically [...] one of the ingredients that Prequel revolves around is glycerin and I love that idea. [...] I want to love it. It doesn't work for me. This is the Multi-Quench Plumping Hydration Serum. It doesn't matter what I do, doesn't matter how little I use, doesn't matter what layering, if I use it on its own, it doesn't matter. It pills on me no matter what. And that seems to be the case with glycerin products. [...] In leave on products, it just doesn't work for me."
"It contains dimethicone, 1.2%. I have a difficult time with any kind of skincare product that contains silicone or some kind of a cone in it. It can be really, really great, it's a great ingredient, it's great for skin, especially for people who tend to be a little bit more on the oily side but need that hydration. However, the combination of the cone in the Aveeno moisturizer and the E.L.F. Power Grip Primer to me sounds like a bad combo. It feels like that's where we're going wrong."
"It's fine for breaking down sunscreen, but waterproof mascara, absolutely not. [...] It took ages for me to work this into my lashes to be able to break down my waterproof mascara, and even then I had flakes left over and I just couldn't rub my eyes anymore. So I personally would not recommend this product. [...] I used it to remove sunscreen and stuff and then do my regular cleansing, but it definitely doesn't remove waterproof mascara, so I wasn't really a fan of this."
What should you take from Alexandra Anele's picks?
Alexandra Anele's record on sensitive skin is solid, and her reasoning is specific enough to be useful. She names what she looks for, she names what failed and why, and her skips carry real practical information. If pilling is a concern for you, her reasons for passing on certain products are as informative as her approvals.
Watch Alexandra Anele say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen FoundationSkipped itWatch at 7:02
- Prequel Multi-Quench Plumping Hydration SerumSkipped itWatch at 2:02
- Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body LotionSkipped itWatch at 1:06
- BYOMA Melting Balm CleanserSkipped itWatch at 5:06
- Naturium Smoother Glycolic Acid Body LotionSkipped itWatch at 15:34
- COSRX Centella Toning MistSkipped itWatch at 17:03
- First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHASkipped itWatch at 17:23
- Oral-B Round Electric ToothbrushSkipped itWatch at 4:31
- Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial SprayRated itWatch at 4:06
- La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle CleanserRated itWatch at 13:35
- Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with AvocadoRated itWatch at 3:12
- Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 6% Mandelic Acid + 2% Lactic Acid Liquid ExfoliantRated itWatch at 20:51
- Vichy Mineral 89 Prebiotic Recovery and Defense ConcentrateRated itWatch at 3:16
- Aveeno Calm + Restore Triple Oat SerumRated itWatch at 2:51
- Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass SerumRated itWatch at 28:46
- Avène Cleanance Hydra Soothing CreamRated itWatch at 19:13
- SkinFix Eczema Extra Strength Body CreamRated itWatch at 15:47
- Almay Sensitive Skin Fragrance Free AntiperspirantRated itWatch at 14:40
- Rare Beauty Eye patchesRated itWatch at 2:45
- Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics SPF 50+ PA++++ (Korean formula)Rated itWatch at 5:51
- The INKEY List Oat Cleansing BalmRated itWatch at 2:46
- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair CreamRated itWatch at 11:02
- e.l.f. Power Grip Dewy Setting SprayRated itWatch at 0:43
- COSRX Advanced Snail Radiance Dual EssenceRated itWatch at 9:15
About this expert
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This guide reflects what Alexandra Anele said across her videos about 34 products for sensitive skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.