Skincare during menopause - Tips for dry and sensitive skin

When women enter menopause, hormone levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone decrease, causing skin changes.

Estrogen helps stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, so when it decreases, it can cause faster skin aging, wrinkles, reduced firmness, thinner skin, larger pores, and overall dry skin.

Progesterone helps stimulate sebum production in the skin. Lower progesterone levels can lead to drier and more sensitive skin.

Low progesterone relative to estrogen can also cause an excess of androgens and testosterone, which can cause acne and skin rashes.

Pigmentation and age spots can increase due to poorer circulation and hormonal changes.

Hot flashes and redness are common in women during menopause. It can also worsen any existing rosacea. Read more about Rosacea in this article.

A decline in the skin’s barrier function can lead to an increase in eczema and itchy skin. The skin simply becomes drier and more sensitive in several ways, and you need more patience with your skincare.

How can you support the skin during menopause?

Choosing the right products makes a big difference in how the skin feels and looks during menopause. With the right skincare, you can maintain healthy and radiant skin, so don’t despair.

Because the skin ages faster when hormone levels drop, it is important to use skincare adapted for mature skin that helps “replenish” elasticity, firms, and adds radiance.

To avoid premature aging, you should also have a product that protects the skin from UV damage and environmental stress.

Since the skin becomes drier and more sensitive, skincare designed to rebuild the skin’s barrier layer and provide deep hydration is beneficial.

Avoid irritating ingredients such as synthetic substances and synthetic fragrances, and instead choose natural ingredients. Look for ingredients that can help rebuild the skin’s protective barrier layer.

Of course, our lifestyle also affects the skin, which you can read more about here.

Effective and active skincare ingredients suitable for menopausal skin:

• Hyaluronic acid is naturally produced in the skin as one of its building blocks and can hold over 1000 times its weight in moisture. When menopause occurs, the levels of hyaluronic acid in the skin decrease.
• Peptides are small components of proteins that can stimulate collagen and improve skin elasticity to make the skin look more youthful and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
• Cell turnover decreases during menopause, which can make the skin look dull. Bio-Retinol can help improve cell turnover, add radiance, and reduce age spots. Bio-Retinol is a natural, plant-based alternative to Retinol that does not cause skin irritation. It comes from Bakuchiol or Bidens pilosa.
• Ceramides are clinically proven to reduce water loss in the skin and rebuild the skin’s barrier layer.
• Probiotics/Prebiotics can restore the balance of friendly bacteria on the skin surface that contribute to the skin’s barrier layer.
• Vitamin C can help support the skin’s own collagen production. It is also clinically proven to reduce uneven pigmentation and brighten the complexion.
• Soothing ingredients can reduce redness, support healthy circulation, and counteract rosacea-prone skin.

Cleansing

Choose a gentle facial cleanser that does not strip moisture from the skin, dry it out, or irritate.

• Evolve Organic Beauty Gentle Cleansing Melt is nurturing for sensitive and dry skin. The facial cleanser easily dissolves makeup without irritation. It nourishes the skin and suits normal to dry skin.
• Akamuti Sweet Orange Facial Cleanser is a cleansing balm based on organic almond oil and organic beeswax that cleanses without drying out.
• Inlight Face Cleanser is an organic cleansing balm that removes impurities and makeup while deeply nourishing. Suitable for all.
• i+m Naturkosmetik Demanding Skin Facial Cleansing Oil is an oil-based facial cleanser that gently cleanses without drying out.
• Odylique Coconut Cleanser is a mild and moisturizing organic cleansing cream for the face that deeply cleanses without disturbing the skin’s natural protective barrier.
• Odylique Silk Touch Cleanser is a gentle yet effective facial cleanser that turns milky on contact with water, suitable for very dry, sensitive, and mature skin.

Toners

After cleansing, you can use a hydrating mist to cleanse, cool the skin, and/or increase moisture.

• Organic rose water prepares the skin for cream by neutralizing the pH level and acts cooling and refreshing. Rose water suits dry, oily, red, and sensitive skin.
• i+m Naturkosmetik Deep Water Hydrator is a fragrance-free toner with AquaCacteen™, MultiMoist CLR™, Hyaluronic Acid, and Aloe Vera. AquaCacteen™ from cactus seed oil provides effective hydration.
• 100% Pure Restorative Sea Culture Hydrating Toner is an intensely moisturizing toner for the driest skin.
• Inlight Floral Tonic is a facial toner with uplifting and astringent flower extracts that tone and refresh the skin. Ideal for mature, dry, and red skin.

Serums

It is beneficial to use several different serums to meet the needs of menopausal skin. You can layer serums on top of each other and vary them depending on the season and how your face feels.

For example, you can first apply a serum with hyaluronic acid, then an oil-based serum or a facial oil, and finally a face cream. Serums hydrate the skin deeply, and face creams hydrate while sealing the skin so all moisture penetrates deeper.

• Evolve Hyaluronic Serum 200 helps restore hyaluronic acid in the epidermis and fill in dryness lines.
• i+m Naturkosmetik Mix & Match Bakuchiol Elixir is a serum that supplies the skin with plenty of moisture. Hyaluronic acid binds moisture and Bakuchiol stimulates collagen production.
• i+m Naturkosmetik Demanding Skin Serum Repair is a serum for mature skin that protects against blue screen light. It stimulates skin cell renewal and provides abundant moisture.
• 100% Pure Multi-Vitamin + Antioxidants Potent PM Serum appears to reduce lines, increase skin firmness and elasticity, and even out skin tone. A big favorite.

With vitamin C

• Evolve Bio retinol + C Booster is perfect for brightening the skin and reducing pigmentation. It contains Bio-Retinol Bakuchiol and a stable form of vitamin C.
• i+m Naturkosmetik Mix & Match Vitamin C Nectar is a vitamin C serum that revitalizes, firms, hydrates, and gives a clear complexion.
• 100% Pure Vitamin C Serum is rich in antioxidants that brighten and even out skin tone and add radiance.

For the driest skin

• Evolve Blue Velvet Ceramide Serum also works for the driest skin. It helps reduce dry skin with natural ceramides and olive squalane.
• Even i+m Naturkosmetik Regeneration Face Oil Immortelle is a facial oil that works for the driest skin types. Immortelle stimulates cell renewal and the oil restores balance in very dry skin.

Anti-age facial oil

Eco by Sonya Glory Oil is a facial oil that reduces fine lines, counteracts signs of aging, reduces scar damage, and provides moisture. Very good for red skin, redness, and irritated skin.

Face creams

It is important to choose a moisturizer that hydrates well and restores with active ingredients.

• Evolve Multi-Peptide 360 Anti-Ageing Cream is a rich moisturizer suitable for daily use on the face and neck to nourish dry skin during menopause.
• Evolve Pro+ Ectoin Soothing Cream is a fragrance-free cream that soothes sensitive skin prone to redness, also suitable for Rosacea.
• i+m Naturkomsetik Creme de la Creme is an organic face cream for very dry and demanding skin.
• i+m Naturkosmetik Demanding Skin Nourishing Cream is a face cream for normal and mature skin with plant-based collagen, aloe vera, and hyaluronic acid.
• Evolve Nightly Renew Facial Cream contains Bio-Retinol from Bidens pilosa. At night, the skin is in repair mode, and a night cream can provide extra nourishment.
• Inlight Night Balm is a blend of nourishing oils and soothing botanical extracts ideal for skin during menopause.

To protect the skin during menopause, it is important to also choose products with ingredients that protect against UV radiation and pollution. If nothing else, to counteract pigmentation issues such as age spots. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen daily.

• Evolve's Climate Defence Facial Cream SPF 30 provides UVA and UVB protection while moisturizing the skin thanks to natural hyaluronic acid.

After menopause, when estrogen levels have stabilized and reached their lowest point, most skin problems improve. However, some changes remain, such as less elastic skin, fine lines, and wrinkles. It is a part of life’s natural process that we need to embrace.

But we can still influence the skin daily and give it life and radiance with good nutrition and fine, natural skincare products. So keep taking care of your skin with the products you like the most.

Here you can read about which supplements suit the skin.

What supports your skin? Please tell us!