How To Manage Skin Redness: 6 Easy Tips
July 2026
For those with normal skin types, minor irritation caused by external factors such as harsh weather tends to be fleeting; it may last a day or two and then clear up. But for those with more reactive skin, irritation can be long-lasting and accompanied by frustrating symptoms, such as sensitivity and redness on cheeks or around the face. While sensitivity certainly has its challenges, redness on skin can be particularly frustrating to manage, especially if you’re not sure of the cause.
Fortunately, redness is a relatively common skin concern. Over more than 170 years, we’ve developed several powerful products containing proven natural and science-backed ingredients that can help manage irritation and calm the appearance of red, sensitive skin. Ahead, we’ll look at what causes redness on the face, and teach you how to reduce skin redness with gentle Kiehl’s products.
Redness on the skin: Key takeaways
- Redness on the skin and face is a common condition that can have several underlying causes.
- The most common causes of redness on the cheeks and face are allergies and irritants, sun damage, and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
- Several at-home adjustments can help to alleviate redness on the skin, including adding hydration-focused creams and serums to your skin routine along with using sun protection.
- For instant relief from red and irritated skin, try Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream, designed to provide up to 96 hours of hydration.
What Is Skin Redness?
Skin redness, also known as erythema, is any reddening of the skin. It can be temporary (as with redness due to sunburn) or persistent, meaning it doesn’t go away. Facial redness is often the result of some type of irritation. As such, those with sensitive skin types may be more prone to developing chronic skin redness.
Though it can happen anywhere on the face, most people experience facial redness on their cheeks, forehead, or nose. Redness on skin can be painless, but in some cases, it can feel sore, itchy, or dry. For this reason, it is important to identify the cause of the redness as quickly as possible.
What Causes Skin Redness?
To visibly reduce skin redness, it’s crucial to understand what’s irritating the skin in the first place. However, pinpointing the cause can be tricky. Countless stressors can instigate or worsen skin redness, and some are easier to address than others. Among the most common causes of redness on the skin are:
- Allergic reactions & irritation: temporary redness on skin is most often caused by allergic reactions or environmental irritants. Everyday products, from soap to shampoo, can cause this type of redness to appear. In most cases, redness stemming from allergic reactions will disappear when you remove the triggering substance.
- Medication side effects: some stronger medications, including steroid creams, can trigger a sunburn-like reaction on your skin after use. Make sure to check any medication you are using to see if you should avoid sunlight to ensure you don’t get this type of redness on the face.
- Seborrheic dermatitis: a common condition, Seborrheic dermatitis causes a red, scaly rash to appear on the face. This type of redness on skin does require medical treatment.
- Rosacea: a chronic skin condition that usually begins with a tendency to blush easily, rosacea causes redness on the face that does not disappear. Rosacea may require medical treatment.
- Psoriasis: red, scaly rashes on the face and body may be caused by psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes cells to form too quickly and pile up into red, raised patches.
- Eczema: red rashes that appear suddenly may be caused by eczema.
- Sun damage: extended exposure to UVA/UVB rays can cause redness on the skin and sunburn, which causes red, raised patches. Sun damage can also affect the function of the skin’s barrier, which can also cause redness and irritation.
How To Reduce Redness On Your Face
The best way to treat skin redness is to eliminate its cause. If your irritation results from harsh weather or drying skincare ingredients, for example, you’ll want to avoid those triggers. But if you can’t determine an obvious cause for your redness, it may be that your skin barrier isn’t working as it should. This may require updating your skincare routine. You can also use anti-redness creams and moisturisers to visibly minimise blotchy, red skin and restore your skin’s healthy appearance.
Discover some of our favourite skincare for redness below, plus tips for keeping your skin feeling soothed.
Tip #1: Use a Mild Facial Cleanser
Every day, we come into contact with a host of external stressors, including air pollution. Over time, these stressors can accumulate, damage the skin, and contribute to various skin concerns (including redness). However, washing your face can help remove these potentially irritating impurities from your skin’s surface, making it a necessary first step if you’re looking to keep your skin looking its best.
That being said, you want to make sure you use the right cleanser for your skin, as anything too harsh could potentially exacerbate redness. For a daily cleanser that leaves your skin feeling soft and conditioned, we recommend our Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash. Formulated with calendula and glycerin, the gentle formula helps melt away dirt and other impurities without drying out the skin. Using Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash helps skin to look instantly refreshed and revitalised, making it ideal for use on skin redness.
Tip #2: Reach For a Skin-Soothing Toner
If your redness on skin is accompanied by discomfort, we recommend soothing your skin with a calming facial toner after your morning and evening cleanse. Try Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner (a Kiehl’s favourite for more than 60 years). The calendula-infused formula provides a gentle, soothing cleanse that refreshes skin. It also helps improve skin’s texture with consistent use—just splash it on with your hands (or swipe it onto your skin with a clean cotton round) after cleansing for a fresh, balanced feel.
Tip #3: Protect Your Skin’s Natural Moisture Barrier
As we mentioned above, skin redness is often linked to a dehydrated or poorly functioning skin barrier. As such, repairing the skin barrier can help strengthen and protect your skin from the damaging effects of internal and external stressors.
If you have sensitive or reactive skin, we recommend incorporating Vital Skin-Strengthening Hyaluronic Acid Super Serum into your daily routine. It’s made with 11kDa hyaluronic acid (a small form of hyaluronic acid capable of penetrating skin’s deeper layers) as well as a proprietary Adaptogenic Herbal Complex. Our super serum deeply penetrates skin’s surface layers** and neutralises skin-ageing stressors to visibly renew skin.
**Stratum corneum layers.
Tip #4: Don’t Skimp On The Moisturiser
No matter your skin type, moisturising is essential to keep the skin barrier functioning at its very best and keep redness on cheeks at bay. For mild redness, we recommend moisturising with our brand new Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream. Formulated with 1% colloidal oatmeal, dexpanthenol, and α-bisabolol, our Ultra Recovery Cream offers sensitive skin relief in 5 minutes* and up to 96 hours of hydration**. Designed for use on sensitive, stressed, and eczema-prone skin, 95% of users agreed skin feels deeply moisturised*** 90% agreed skin looks soothed instantly* after use.
*Self-assessment, 65 people
**Instrumental test
***Consumer test, 65 people, 4 weeks
Tip #5: Try a Calming Face Mask
One of our favourite ways to quickly soothe red skin on the face is with a face mask, specifically our Calendula Petal-Infused Calming Mask. Made with calendula extract and aloe vera, this lightweight gel face mask instantly cools the skin, leaving it feeling hydrated and refreshed. It also helps revitalise the skin to reveal a healthier appearance over time. We suggest using this mask around three times per week, or whenever your skin feels like it could use an extra dose of soothing hydration.
Tip #6: Wear Sunscreen Every Day
Even if your redness isn’t caused by sun exposure, UV radiation can weaken the skin barrier and make you more susceptible to irritation. To keep your skin looking and feeling its best, wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 (30 if you have fair skin) every day.
We recommend using Better Screen™ UV Serum Sunscreen . Apply it to exposed skin at least 15 minutes before going outside, and continue to reapply sunscreen throughout the day for the best possible results.
Help Reduce Redness on Skin with Kiehl’s
Though redness on the cheeks and face is a common skin concern, that doesn't mean it's a welcome one. If you are living with redness on the skin, Kiehl’s is here to help, with a range of products that target and soothe red skin, to bring back your best complexion, including our new Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream - formulated to offer sensitive skin relief in just 5 minutes*.
Shop our Ultra Facial Meltdown Recovery Cream
*Self-assessment, 65 people
