15 Perfect High Street Products For Sensitive Skin

All-natural? It's all good.

1. Organic Surge Daily Face Wash, £5.69

Organic Surge

Key ingredients: Aqua, Aloe Vera, Glycerin, Rose Geranium Leaf Essential Oil. Full list here.

How natural is it? 98.89% of the ingredients in this face wash are certified by ECOCERT Greenlife as natural, with 22.1% of ingredients certified organic. Vegetarians and vegans can use this too, as it's free of animal-derived materials.

The verdict: This cleanser is great value for money for a high-quality natural product. It lathers up nicely and scrubs makeup off without stripping skin of moisture. It claims to be SLS-free, although there is some debate as to whether coconut-derived sodium coco sulfate is as irritating as skin baddies like sodium lauryl sulfate.

2. Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz, £4.99

Botanics

Key ingredients: Aqua, Alcohol Denatured, Glycerin, Rosa Damascena Extract. Full list here.

How natural is it? Botanics claims that this spritz is made from 100% organic ingredients and contains no parabens. The presence of denatured alcohol is slightly concerning, as it can irritate and dry out skin.

The verdict: Beauty bloggers go crazy for this £4.99 toner: It's been favourably compared to Caudalie's more expensive Beauty Elixer. The light rosewater scent is lovely and it does leave skin feeling fresh and lightly hydrated – but if you're looking for a strictly all-natural product, this isn't it.

3. Biona Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, £4.75

Biona

Key ingredients: Coconut oil, duh.

How natural is it? No nasties present – this is cold-pressed from organic coconuts and has not been refined, bleached or deodorised.

The verdict: Been reading about coconut oil as a skin saver but not sure where to start? Find this in the supermarket aisle, decant into a travel-size pot, and trial it as a balm for dry patches. If your face drinks it up, try using it as make-up remover and balm cleanser.

4. Balance Me Radiance Face Oil, £30

Balance Me

Key ingredients: Sweet Almond Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Kukui Nut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Rosehip Oil, Buriti Oil, Moringa Oil, Camellia Oil. Full list here.

How natural is it? This award-winning facial oil is packed with eight soothing and nourishing essential oils and contains no parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oils, or artificial fragrances.

The verdict: Don't be put off by the price tag! You only need three to four drops to leave your face feeling plump and moisturised, so this lasts for ages. It also doubles up as a spot treatment and works wonders as a light, non-greasy facial massage oil. Did I mention the heavy glass bottle makes it feel super classy? If you're not convinced, you can trial the 10ml rollerball dispenser. Get it here.

5. Burt's Bees Herbal Blemish Stick, £10.99

Burt's Bees

Key ingredients: Alcohol Denatured, Calendula Flower Oil, Borage Oil, Yarrow Oil, Parsley Oil, Willow Back Extract, Lemon Peel Oil. See full list here.

How natural is it? It's composed mainly of natural herbal oils, although the alcohol component is slightly worrying, as it can have a drying and irritating effect on skin.

The verdict: Most spot treatments contain synthetic ingredients that aggravate sensitive skin. Burt's Bees is one of the few (mostly) all-natural products in drugstores, tackling zits with antiseptic oils like tea tree while calendula calms the skin. Advance warning: You'll either love or hate the smell. Think black liquorice but stronger.

6. Trilogy Rosehip Oil, £16.50

Trilogy

Key ingredients: Rosa canina (rose hip) seed oil. That's it.

How natural is it? Certified organic, baby. Make sure you test it on a small patch of skin first. Rosehip oil contains Vitamin A which helps cell turnover, but some people can be sensitive to it.

The verdict: Rosehip oil has been touted as a wonder product for treating eczema, reducing redness and eliminating acne scars. Trilogy's product is fantastic value for its quality and you only need one to two drops for your whole face. Use this as a serum underneath your regular moisturiser.

7. Nivea Pure & Natural Moisturising Day Cream, £5.35

Nivea

Key ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Alcohol Denat., Cetearyl Alcohol, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract. Full list here.

How natural is it? 95% of the ingredients in this sensitive day moisturiser are from natural origins. No parabens, silicones, colourants or mineral oils. It also contains both organic chamomile and argan oil to soothe and moisturise.

The verdict: Try this if you're looking for a cheap day cream – it absorbs quickly without a greasy residue and works great as a makeup base. BUT it does contain denatured alcohol and is way too perfumed for my liking. Give this a miss if you're really allergic to fragrance.

8. Botanics 97 Organic Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm, £8.99

Botanics

Key ingredients: Olive Fruit Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Beeswax, Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Rosa Canina Seed Oil. Full list here.

How natural is it? This cleanser is formulated without parabens and contains 97% organic ingredients as certified by the Soil Association and the Ecocert Association.

The verdict: Hot cloth cleansing is insanely popular right now. Basically, it entails massaging a balm into your skin and wiping it off with a comfortably hot, damp washcloth. Trust me when I say it transformed my tight and flaky skin. This Botanics balm is a solid budget alternative to pricier options like Eve Lom, although its heavy texture is best for drier complexions.

9. Super Facialist Rose Hydrate Brighten & Refine Facial Scrub, £8.99

Super Facialist

Key ingredients: Cocoa Seed Butter, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Shea Butter, Geranium Oil, Menthol, Pro-Vitamin B5, White Willow Bark Extract. Full list here.

How natural is it? All Super Facialist products are free from mineral oils, petrochemicals, animal ingredients, synthetic colours, and are not tested on animals. Vegans and vegetarians, this is for you.

The verdict: A little goes a long way with this thick exfoliator, which helps slough off dry skin without being too abrasive. The addition of cooling menthol was a plus, but it may irritate and inflame very sensitive skin.

10. Lanolips Banana Balm 3-In-1, £8.99

Lanolips

Full ingredients: Lanolin, Shea Butter, Vitamin E and Banana Extract.

How natural is it? Lanolin is a vegetarian-friendly oil extracted from sheep’s wool. This creamy lip balm has 99% natural ingredients and 1% shimmer. No artificial colours or flavours, parabens, petroleum, mineral oil or sulphates.

The verdict: If you like banana, you are IN FOR A TREAT. This smells yummy and combines the all-natural moisturising effect of the original cult Lanolips without the greasy thickness. (It’s also £2.23 cheaper.) The small amount of shimmer also adds a cute shine to lips.

11. Weleda Wild Rose Night Cream, £12.50

Weleda

Key ingredients: Peach Kernel Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Alcohol, Lanolin, Beeswax, Olive Fruit Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Sedum Purpureum (Orpine) Extract, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Commiphora Myrrha (Myrrh) Extract. Full list here.

How natural is it? Free of synthetic preservatives, fragrances, colourants and mineral oil derivatives. Suitable for vegans and vegetarians. However, it does contain alcohol and some essential oil-derived components that can cause problems for fragrance-sensitive customers.

The verdict: This rich and comforting nighttime moisturiser sunk into my dehydrated skin without feeling too heavy. If you want to try a low-cost alternative to Dr Hauschka's Rose Cream, give this a go – but skip if you're very sensitive to fragrance.

12. Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, £5.99

Burt's Bees

Key ingredients: Coconut Oil, Beeswax, Olive Fruit Oil, Candelilla Wax, Sunflower Seed Oil, Lanolin, Shea Butter. Full list here.

How natural is it? Unlike many drugstore lip balms, Burt's Bees uses 100% natural ingredients and is certified as cruelty-free.

The verdict: If you're looking for a tinted balm equivalent of MLBB ("My Lips
But Better"), Burt's Bees do a sizeable range of nine shades that moisturise lips with a sheer slick of colour. A solid petrolatum-free dupe for the popular Maybelline Baby Lips balms.

13. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water, £4.99

Garnier

Full ingredient list: Aqua, Hexylene Glycol, Glycerin, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Disodium EDTA, Poloxamer 184, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide.

How natural is it? As you can see, this isn't a particularly all-natural product. But Garnier does win points for being hypoallergenic and free from fragrance and alcohol.

The verdict: If you're looking for an easily available version of the cult French pharmacy cleanser Bioderma, this is as close (and cheap) as it gets. It easily takes makeup off without the sticky or tacky sensation that other budget micellar waters leave behind.

14. Super Facialist Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask, £8.99

Super Facialist

Key ingredients: Glycerin, Kaolin, Rosa Damascene Flower Water, Beeswax, Urea, Geranium Oil, White Willow Bark Extract. See full list here.

How natural is it? All Super Facialist products are free from mineral oils, petrochemicals, animal ingredients, synthetic colours, and are not tested on animals.

The verdict: This luxurious clay mask is super affordable and left my stressed-out skin looking plump and smooth. The cream goes on thick but dries to a thin white layer on the face and noticeably calmed a few angry spots. It doesn't smell too strongly of roses, which is a plus if you're not into the granny-ish associations.

15. Organic Surge Eye Gel, £7.99

Organic Surge

Key ingredients: Glycerin, Witch Hazel Extract, Aloe Vera Extract, Camellia Sinesis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Menthol. See full list here.

How natural is it? 97% of the ingredients are from natural origins and the product has been tested on sensitive skin. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The verdict: This light gel absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue, which makes it great to use under makeup. It didn't do much for my dark circles, but it did reduce puffiness and had a refreshing cooling effect on skin.