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The best rosacea products for every step of your skincare routine

Shop our hero buys from La Roche-Posay, Murad and more (iStock/The Independent)
Shop our hero buys from La Roche-Posay, Murad and more (iStock/The Independent)

Rosacea is a skin condition that impacts a lot of people, and yet there are still many questions that remain around the best products for rosacea, and how to effectively manage the condition.

What is rosacea?

Rosacea is a skin condition that causes redness and texture in the skin. According to Bupa, it is thought to affect one in 10 people in the UK. There are four types of rosacea and they may overlap, with various symptoms, such as red flushing of the skin, texture in the skin, irritation around the eyes and, in extreme cases, a thickening of the skin.

Though rosacea is a chronic skin condition that will need careful maintenance, the great news is that you can drastically reduce these symptoms with a simple (and often inexpensive) routine.

Speaking generally, adapting a skincare routine with a small amount of steps, prioritising a great cleanser, moisturiser and SPF, will help you on your way.

UV is thought to be one of the single biggest triggers for rosacea. By adding a dedicated SPF to your skincare routine every morning, you are not only protecting your skin from sun damage, including burning and premature ageing, but you are also drastically reducing your risk of a redness flare up.

From staple skincare to make-up products such as foundation and concealer, whichever options you choose, simple steps are the most powerful when managing redness. Have patience, give it time, and you’ll find your redness can be reduced easily, without needing to spend lots of money or invest lots of time. Small, gentle steps will take huge strides on your journey to calmer skin.

How we tested

We’ve split up our picks into sections that include the best moisturisers for rosacea, along with foundations, face washes, cleansers and SPF, to help you find everything you need to care for your skin.

The best rosacea products for 2022 are:

  • Best for reactive and sensitive skin – La Roche-Posay toleriane sensitive crème, 40ml: £17.50, Lookfantastic.com

  • Best for oily skin – Kiehl’s ultra facial oil-free gel cream, 125ml: £49.50, Kiehls.co.uk

  • Best for dry skin – Murad intense recovery cream, 50ml: £69, Cultbeauty.co.uk

  • Best skincare/make-up hybrid – IT Cosmetics your skin but better CC+ cream with SPF50+, 32ml: £33, Cultbeauty.com

  • Best viral product that lives up to the hype – L’Oreal Paris infallible 24 hour fresh wear powder foundation: £12.99, Boots.com

  • Best for concealing isolated red patches – Maybelline instant eraser concealer: £8.99, Boots.com

  • Best for setting make-up in place – Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder: £34, Boots.com

  • Best for textured skin – CeraVe SA smoothing cleanser, 236ml: £12.50, Boots.com

  • Best clean beauty option – Honest Beauty calm on foaming cleanser: £24, Cultbeauty.com

  • Best hydrating foam cleanser – Dr Jart cicapair tiger grass enzyme foam cleanser, 100ml: £18, Boots.com

  • Best make-up remover – Avene tolerance extreme cleansing cream, 200ml: £15.55, Amazon.co.uk

  • Best for targeting bumps – SkinCeuticals gentle cleanser cream, 200ml: £40, Skinceuticals.co.uk

  • Best make-up friendly SPF – Garnier Ambre Solaire super UV anti dark spots and anti pollution face fluid SPF50+, 40ml: £8, Boots.com

La Roche-Posay toleriane sensitive crème, 40ml

For those who have already spent too much time and money on solutions that do not work, we would advise retreating to the La Roche Posay toleriane range. This has been formulated specifically with reactive, sensitive skin in mind, and is gentle enough not to irritate while still potent enough to make difference. This particular moisturiser is great for twice a day, though if you would prefer a richer or lighter texture there are many in this general family that do a similar job.

Buy now £17.50, Lookfantastic.co.uk

Kiehl’s ultra facial oil-free gel cream, 125ml

If you have oily skin or you struggle to get your make-up to last for a long time, you’ll like the Kiehl’s ultra facial oil-free gel cream. This lightweight gel absorbs quickly and is densely hydrating, yet sits undetectable in a matter of moments. This, in turn, will allow your make-up to last for longer, as one of the main reasons your foundation can separate is if the skin feels dry and, consequently, absorbs moisture from your make-up.

Buy now £49.50, Kiehls.co.uk

Murad intense recovery cream, 50ml

For more of a dry skin type, the Murad moisturiser offers a rich, buttery texture. It will relieve any tightness in the skin and leaves a soft balmy residue, which is great for creating a hydrating base for make-up or soothing bare skin at the end of the day. An added bonus is that this is also safe to use around the eye area, and has been designed to target the impact of stress and irritation in the skin.

Read our round up of the best eye serums to treat dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles

Buy now £69.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk

IT Cosmetics your skin but better CC+ cream with SPF 50+, 32ml

Our favourite all-rounder is the IT Cosmetics CC cream. The founder of the brand, Jamie Kern Lima, had rosacea herself, so she created this one-step skincare, make-up and SPF hybrid. This offers a completely full coverage and sits comfortably on hot skin as it contains hydrating ingredients like niacin. It’s great for all skin types, in particular dry skin, and available in a natural, radiant or completely matte finish.

Buy now £33.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk

L’Oreal Paris infallible 24 hour fresh wear powder foundation

If you have more of an oily skin or you prefer using a powder, the L’Oreal infalliable 24 hour fresh wear compact offers an exceptional level of coverage and longevity. It went viral on TikTok with good reason – this velvety matte foundation covers redness, lasts the day, and won’t draw further attention to any bumps in the skin.

Buy now £12.99, Boots.com

Maybelline instant eraser concealer

If you wish to target the areas of redness alone, the Maybelline concealer offers a generous coverage but feels hydrating on the skin. The handy sponge tip also makes this great for touch ups on the go, as you can gently layer coverage, if you need to.

Buy now £8.99, Boots.com

Laura Mercier translucent loose setting powder

Whichever make-up option you choose, sealing it in place is key. Your skin may well be slightly more hot to the touch when you have redness or rosacea, meaning that make-up is more prone to sliding or even melting away altogether. Gently pressing in a translucent powder such as this one from Laura Mercier will seal your make-up into place and prevent it from disappearing through the day.

Buy now £34.00, Boots.com

CeraVe SA smoothing cleanser, 236ml

Many dermatologists would advise against using anything foaming on a red or rosacea prone skin, for fear of making an already compromised skin barrier even more dry. However, the likes of the SA cleanser from CeraVe is an ideal face wash if you suffer from texture in the skin. This will clean your skin and gently exfoliate any bumps, helping to reduce their appearance.

Buy now £12.50, Boots.com

Honest Beauty calm on foaming cleanser

For those with a desire to opt for clean beauty solutions, the calm range from Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty collection offers a gentle foaming cleanser. Designed to break down make-up and SPF as well as general pollution from the day, this soft foam is also packed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid to help retain moisture in the skin.

Buy now £24.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk

Dr Jart cicapair tiger grass enzyme foam cleanser, 100ml

A cult brand from the heart of Korea, the Dr Jart cicapair range has been the subject of many a viral TikTok video in recent months. Though it is widely known for its cicapair colour correcting cream, another trusty redness solution, this face wash is a great option for anyone who wants the feel of a cleansing foam with a hydrating skin finish.

Buy now £18.00, Boots.com

Avene tolerance extreme cleansing cream, 200ml

Ignore the name – there is nothing extreme about this gentle cleansing cream, except perhaps the extreme surprise you will feel when it effortlessly melts away all of your make-up and SPF. Cleansing creams are widely recommended by dermatologists as they clean your skin without stripping it of essential oils and moisture. This one will completely remove all make-up, SPF and debris without any irritation whatsoever. In fact, your skin may well feel even more hydrated after use.

Buy now £15.55, Amazon.co.uk

SkinCeuticals gentle cleanser cream, 200ml

If you are experiencing redness and texture and like the idea of a soft, hydrating cleanse that will also target bumps, the gentle cleanser cream from SkinCeuticals will be for you. This brand is known for the intelligent science behind all of their products, and as such this cleanser merges the comfort of a cream with the smoothing power of exfoliants.

Buy now £40.00, Skinceuticals.co.uk

Garnier Ambre Solaire super UV anti dark spots and anti pollution face fluid SPF50+, 40ml

Though relatively affordable, this sophisticated SPF offers a factor 50 sun protection and a lightweight texture. As a result, you’ll achieve an adequate sun protection without disrupting any make-up that you may wish to wear on top.

Buy now £8.00, Boots.com

The verdict: rosacea products

If you’re looking for an all-rounder, we’d suggest the IT Cosmetics CC+ cream as a one-step skincare, make-up and SPF hybrid. If your skin is on the oily side or you prefer using a powder, we also loved the viral L’Oreal infalliable 24 hour fresh wear foundation, which provided great coverage and longevity.

SPF is the most important step in your skincare regime and these are the best sunscreens for your face