Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

Sensitive skin

Sensitive skin is a skin condition in which skin is prone to itching and irritation experienced as a subjective sensation such as when using cosmetics and toiletries. When questioned, over 50% of women in the UK and US, and 38% of men, report that they have sensitive skin.

Last revised
Jul 19, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
202 w
Citations
3
Source
A 1914 photograph for Emily Lloyd's dermatology book detailing the benefits of massage for all skin types; the c. 1870 text reads, "Extremely sensitive skins sometimes become irritated under even the lightest treatment but these are exceptions to the rule."12 source ↗

Sensitive skin is a skin condition in which skin is prone to itching and irritation experienced as a subjective sensation such as when using cosmetics and toiletries. When questioned, over 50% of women in the UK and US, and 38% of men, report that they have sensitive skin.3

See also

See also

References

References

  1. Maurer, Ruth D. Johnson (1914). The skin; its care and treatment. The Library of Congress. Chicago, McIntosh battery & optical company.
  2. The Electro-therapeutist. 1897.
  3. Miranda A. Farage; Alexandra Katsarou; Howard I. Maibach (29 June 2006), "Sensory, clinical and physiological factors in sensitive skin: a review", Contact Dermatitis, 55 (1): 1–14, doi:10.1111/j.0105-1873.2006.00886.x, PMID 16842547
Further reading

Further reading

  • Leslie Baumann (2009), "Sensitive skin", Cosmetic dermatology, McGraw-Hill, p. 94, ISBN 978-0-07-149062-7
  • Olivier de Lacharrierre (2010), "Self-perceived sensitive skin", Cosmetic Dermatology, John Wiley and Sons, p. 22, ISBN 978-1-4051-8635-3
  • Enzo Berardesca; Joachim W. Fluhr; Howard I. Maibach (2006), Sensitive Skin Syndrome, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 978-0-8493-3058-2