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Your Ultimate Skincare Routine
for Sensitive Skin

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When you experience sensitive skin, building a skincare routine can feel like a game of Jenga, as you carefully stack skincare products – all while hoping nothing tips the balance.

One new formula, one shift in weather, one late night, and suddenly – your skin reacts. So, you react – piling on more and more ingredients in search of a solution.

But generally, what sensitive skin needs isn't more skincare products or combinations – it's a smaller, more precise, curated collection of products tailored to your skin type. These products, such as those in Kiehl's best-selling range of apothecary-inspired formulas, are chosen for their ability to support your skin moisture barrier, keep your skin hydrated, and reducing the visible signs of facial redness and stress.

In this guide, we break down what is sensitive skin, how to recognise it, and how to build a sensitive skincare routine that supports it daily – using targeted, skin moisture barrier-focused formulas such as our Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream.

What is sensitive skin?

Sensitive skin is a skin type (like dry skin, oily skin, or combination skin, which is a blend of both) that reacts quickly to changes in its environment. Products, temperature changes, and friction can all trigger visible changes or sensations that feel unpredictable.

So, how do you know if you have sensitive skin?

Common sensitive skin signs include:

  • Tightness after cleansing or introducing new skincare.
  • Visible facial redness after sun or wind exposure.
  • Dry skin or uneven texture.
  • Blemishes or breakouts appearing easily.
  • Tingling sensations, or ongoing discomfort.

Do these sensitive skin signs sound familiar? Try our Instant Skin Reader for a customised routine tailored to your sensitive skin's needs.

What causes sensitive skin?

Common sensitive skin stressors include:

  • Fragrance and soap-based formulas: which can lead to blemishes or dryness.
  • Harsh weather: such as cold wind or high humidity, which can affect hydration levels.
  • Sun exposure: which can make facial redness and uneven tone more pronounced.
  • Over-cleansing and scrubs: where frequent exfoliation can disrupt balance and increase dryness.
  • Laundry detergents and fabric softeners: which can transfer onto skin through clothing and bedding.
  • Fabrics like wool or nylon: which can create friction and lead to sensitivity.

Sensitive skin can be genetic – some people's skin naturally has a thinner outer layer, making it easier for irritants and environmental stress to penetrate. However, sensitive skin can also develop over time due to sun exposure, climate shifts, and repeated product use.

6-step sensitive skincare routine

Read on for our six-step sensitive skincare routine. From gentle cleansing to daily protection, each step is designed to help maintain hydration and minimise signs of stressed skin.

STEP 1

Remove impurities with a gentle cleanser

Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser

Cleansing should always be the first step in your sensitive skincare routine. A gentle cleanser clears surface buildup while keeping water and lipids – the skin's natural protective fats, which sensitive skin depends on – in place.

To this end, our Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser can help. Soap- and fragrance-free, it uses amino acid surfactants to break down dirt, sunscreen, and makeup without disrupting the skin's natural pH. Squalane supports the skin moisture barrier during cleansing, while glycerin helps rehydrate your skin by drawing water into its upper layers.

To apply, simply dispense a small amount onto damp skin and massage gently to activate the cream-to-foam texture. Rinse with lukewarm water – not hot – to avoid dehydrating skin.

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STEP 2

Rebalance with a toner

Calendula Herbal Extract Toner

After cleansing, water evaporates quickly from sensitive skin – so it's important to replace it immediately to help maintain hydration levels and protect your skin moisture barrier.

Here's where our Calendula Herbal Extract Toner comes in. Formulated with hand-picked calendula flower petals, this gentle toner helps soothe and rebalance skin while removing any remaining residue left behind after cleansing. Calendula extract helps to reduce visible redness and discomfort, while the alcohol-free formula helps avoid additional dryness – making it suitable for sensitive skin types.

To apply, press two to three drops into the skin with your fingertips or a damp cotton pad to help retain hydration.

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STEP 3

Nourish the under-eye area

Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

Because the under-eye area contains fewer oil glands, it loses moisture faster – meaning that it's often where the signs of sensitive skin appear first. To help protect this delicate area, it's important to use an eye treatment designed to nourish your skin – not overwhelm it.

Tested under ophthalmologist and dermatologist control, our Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado is suitable for sensitive skin around the eye area. It contains fatty acids similar to those naturally found in skin, which help support the lipid layer and reduce moisture loss. The concentrated texture stays in place to allow for even absorption – leaving under-eyes looking smoother and brighter.

Tap a small amount under your eyes, using your ring finger to apply. Allow the product to absorb, before gently blending in any excess.

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STEP 4

Hydrate with a reparative moisturiser

Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream

Sensitive skin needs hydration to maintain skin moisture barrier function, helping it retain water and better withstand environmental stressors.

That's why our Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream contains key hydration-supporting ingredients. These include over-the-counter ingredient colloidal oatmeal – which forms a protective film across the skin's surface – alongside α-bisabolol, which helps reduce visible redness linked to dryness. The lightweight formula melts in to help support extremely dry, sensitive skin while maintaining hydration.

Apply directly after toner while skin is still slightly damp, pressing evenly into the skin to distribute the formula.

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Support overnight recovery with a face mask

Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask with 10.5% Squalane

Night is when your skin shifts into repair mode. The skin renewal cycle – where older cells are replaced with new ones – accelerates during this time, making it the ideal moment to reinforce hydration.

Our Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask with 10.5% Squalane mimics the skin's natural oils, filling gaps between skin cells and slowing moisture loss while you sleep. This supports the skin's surface as new cells move upward – helping your complexion look smoother and more hydrated by morning, with fewer visible signs of sensitive skin.

Apply three times per week as the final step of your nighttime routine and leave on overnight.

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STEP 6

Protect with a broad-spectrum sunscreen

Ultra-Light Daily Facial Sunscreen UV Defense SPF 50 PA++++

The final step of your sensitive skin routine? Applying a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Given the condition of the ozone layer in New Zealand's atmosphere, SPF needs to be a staple not only of your summer skincare routine, but something you apply every morning.

Our Ultra-Light Daily Facial Sunscreen UV Defense SPF 50 PA++++ forms a lightweight, non-greasy layer that helps shield skin from environmental stressors such as air pollution, as well as the UVA and UVB rays of the harsh Kiwi sun. Better still, this matte, quick-absorbing formula is dermatologically tested, non-comedogenic, and suitable for sensitive skin.

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