Sensitive Skin Isn’t Just Genetic
If you’ve ever said “I just have sensitive skin; it runs in my family,” you’re not alone. Genetics can play a role in sensitive skin, but in many cases, it’s only a small piece of the puzzle…
How much of Sensitive Skin is Genetic?
Some professionals will say that true sensitive skin does not exist. I agree with this to an extent; you may have a genetic predisposition to sensitivity, but that only accounts for just 5-10%. Just because you have a gene, that doesn’t mean that it is automatically turned on; that often comes from environment. Lifestyle has a much bigger influence on how your skin behaves.
One of the most fascinating examples of this comes from twin studies. Identical twins share the exact same DNA, yet when they’re separated at birth and raised in different environments, researchers see dramatic differences later in life: differences in health, inflammation, aging, and yes, their skin. Same genes. Very different outcomes. That’s because genes are not destiny; they’re more like a blueprint. Your environment determines how those genes are expressed.
Another important piece of this conversation: families share environments, not just DNA. If sensitive skin “runs in your family,” it may be because you share:
Similar skin care habits
The same laundry detergents and cleaning products
Similar diets
Similar levels of stress or inflammation
When those patterns are passed down, it can look genetic, even when it’s largely environmental. This doesn’t mean genetics don’t matter at all. Some people truly do have skin that is more sensitive and reactive by nature. But for most people, sensitivity is something that develops over time, and that means it can often be improved.
“Sensitive Skin” vs. Sensitized Skin
Many people actually have sensitized skin, meaning the skin barrier has been compromised from environmental and lifestyle factors.
This can happen from:
Using the wrong skincare products, overusing active ingredients, or no skincare at all
Scrubbing, rubbing, or over-cleansing
Fragrances in skincare, laundry detergent, air fresheners, and home cleaners
Poor gut health and internal inflammation
Food sensitivities and allergies
Prescription or OTC drugs
Environmental stressors like pollution, pollen, sun exposure, or indoor toxins
Stress or lack of sleep, leading to high cortisol levels
When the skin barrier is impaired, the skin becomes easily irritated; redness, itching, burning, stinging, dryness, oiliness, and acne often show up together.
It’s also important to note that sensitized skin is different than reactive skin. Reactive skin means that your skin responds to a stimulus, like an active skin care ingredient or extractions. We may not like the way this looks but this is a good thing and is a sign of properly functioning skin! Some people are naturally more reactive than others. I always tell clients that if they turn red when they workout, they’ll likely turn red at the spa. And if you do turn red, the redness will generally go away within an hour or two, if not sooner.
My Personal Journey With Sensitive Skin
For years, I blamed my sensitive skin on genetics, specifically my dad, who like me, would react to many products. My skin was a mess…redness, breakouts, irritation, oiliness and dryness, all at the same time. I truly believed that being a swimmer and being in the chlorine all the time was a big contributing factor to my skin issues as well.
But when I started addressing the root causes of skin sensitivity, everything changed.
When I changed my diet, my skin began to calm down.
When I changed my skincare products, the improvements were even more noticeable and my skin was fully able to heal.
Today, my skin flushes when I use active ingredients, and that’s normal. Redness is a healthy skin response. What I don’t experience anymore is burning, itching, stinging, chronic dryness, excessive oiliness, or ongoing breakouts, even with swimming a few times a week. That’s not to say that I won’t get one of these sensations every so often due to environment or lifestyle choices, but it’s not an every day occurrence.
My redness is greatly reduced, my skin is resilient, and my complexion is more even overall. I’m sharing it to show you what’s possible when skin sensitivity is addressed holistically.
Left: a few months after changing my skincare, Right: my every day redness (and this was with makeup trying to cover it up!)
Healing Sensitive Skin Takes Time, but It’s Possible
There is no quick fix for sensitive or reactive skin. Healing takes:
Consistency
Trial and error
Lifestyle shifts
The right skincare for your skin
When you support the skin from the inside out, by prioritizing gut health, minimizing inflammatory triggers, choosing gentle products, and protecting the skin barrier, the skin can relearn how to function properly
If You’re Dealing With Skin Sensitivity, Ask Yourself:
Is my skin barrier supported or constantly disrupted?
Am I overusing actives or exfoliants?
What products am I exposing my skin to daily?
Am I supporting my body internally?
Your skin is incredibly intelligent. When you remove what’s harming it and give it what it needs, it responds beautifully.
What You Can Actually Do If You Have Sensitive Skin
If sensitive skin were truly just genetic, there wouldn’t be much you could do about it. But because lifestyle, environment, and daily habits play such a huge role, there are very real, actionable steps you can take.
1. Ditch Artificial Fragrance
One of the most sensitizing things for the skin, and the most overlooked, is artificial fragrance.
When you see the word fragrance on an ingredient list, it can legally represent over 3,000 different ingredients, and companies are not required to disclose what those ingredients are. Many of them are known skin irritants and allergens. Yes, these companies know that their fragrance ingredients can cause skin irritation and allergies and they use them anyways.
If a product:
Lists “fragrance” without explanation
Doesn’t disclose where scent comes from
Doesn’t have a clear fragrance policy
It’s best to avoid it, even if your skin isn’t sensitive because these questionable ingredients are also linked to other health issues, like hormone disruption.
That said, natural fragrance isn’t automatically safe either. If you’re sensitive to a specific ingredient, even plant-derived scents can trigger irritation. A common example? Lavender. Many people with sensitive skin are actually allergic or reactive to lavender, even though it’s frequently marketed in “calming” or “sensitive skin” products.
And one more important note: unscented does not mean fragrance-free. Unscented products often contain fragrance to mask their original scent. Look specifically for fragrance-free on labels.
This applies not just to skincare, but also:
Laundry detergent
Dryer sheets (ditch these for wool dryer balls)
Home cleaning products
Candles and air fresheners
Your skin is exposed to these constantly, not just during your skincare routine.
Avoid Sulfates, Including the “Natural” Ones
Sulfates are harsh foaming agents that can be extremely sensitizing, especially for compromised skin barriers.
They’re commonly found in:
Facial cleansers
Body washes
Shampoos
Toothpaste
This is one ingredient I never use personally or at Skin Sanctuary.
A lot of people don’t realize they’re sensitive to sulfates because they’re so normalized. Even “natural” or coconut-derived sulfates are still sulfates, they just come from a different source. From the skin’s perspective, they behave the same way.
This is one area where ingredient rating apps can be misleading. Some platforms rate coconut-derived sulfates more favorably than synthetic ones, but your skin doesn’t care where it came from; it only cares how it reacts. If you’re struggling with sensitivity, sulfate-free is non-negotiable.
3. Support Your Gut! This Is Where Real Change Happens
If you want to see meaningful, lasting changes in your skin, you cannot ignore gut health.
Inflammation often starts in the gut and shows up on the skin first. Redness, acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc. can all be signs that something internally isn’t being tolerated well.
This is why I’m such a believer in the Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living program. The main focus is on gut health, which has a HUGE impact in all areas of your body, including your skin.
During the program, we:
Eliminate common sensitizing, addictive, and allergenic foods
Focus on whole, anti-inflammatory foods
Support digestion with prebiotics, probiotics, and digestive enzymes
Incorporate protein and greens to stabilize blood sugar and reduce inflammation
When you support your gut, that’s when the big shifts happen, not just in skin, but in energy, digestion, joints, nails, and overall health.
Eczema, Psoriasis & Food Sensitivities: My Personal Experience
I’ve been diagnosed with both eczema and psoriasis, and I haven’t had a single flare-up in over ten years. That’s not luck; that’s intentional changes.
In Western medicine, conditions like eczema and psoriasis are often treated topically with steroid creams, which can be helpful for calming an active flare-up but don’t address the root cause. I’ve definitely used them myself, and while they reduce inflammation short term, the relief is often temporary. Long-term use can also thin the skin, making it more sensitive and reactive, especially in high-exposure areas like the hands.
Environmental factors like cold weather and dry air don’t cause these conditions, but they can aggravate an existing internal trigger. When internal inflammation and external stressors work together, flare-up become more intense. True skin healing happens when we support the skin barrier and address what’s happening inside the body, not just what we put on the surface.
This takes patience and trial and error, but it’s life-changing once you identify your triggers.
For me:
Oranges trigger my eczema
Bell peppers and tomatoes trigger my psoriasis
All very “healthy” foods, but my body doesn’t tolerate them.
As a kid, I drank orange juice because I was told it was good for me, even though I never liked it. I had severe eczema flare-ups on my face, hands, legs, and bottom. When I stopped drinking orange juice because I didn’t like the taste of it, the eczema disappeared.
I unknowingly confirmed it a year or so later. At a soccer match, the only snack options were Sunny D and orange juice. I drank it, and had a flare-up. That’s when the pattern became undeniable. Because of this, I avoid oranges and orange oil in all my products, internally and externally.
My psoriasis triggers, bell peppers and tomatoes, are part of the nightshade family. Nightshades, which also includes potatoes, paprika, chili peppers, eggplant, naturally produce their own pesticides, and many people react to them. This reaction is surprisingly common.
This is why keeping a food diary and doing elimination diets matters. You can’t pinpoint triggers if you never remove anything long enough to see what changes, or track when your symptoms get worse.
Gluten, Dairy & Hidden Symptoms
Gluten and dairy are major triggers for many people, even if skin symptoms aren’t obvious at first.
When I went gluten-free, I didn’t just notice skin changes, I noticed:
Reduced joint pain
Stronger nails
Migraines gone
Overall reduced inflammation
I never would have connected those symptoms to gluten if I hadn’t removed it first.
This is another reason I love the 30-day elimination framework. We remove common triggers, then teach you how to reintroduce foods intentionally so you can actually see how your body responds.
I truly believe everyone benefits from doing this at least once. Even if you don’t think anything is “wrong,” many people are living with symptoms they’ve simply normalized.
Ready to Address Your Skin Sensitivity?
If you’re dealing with redness, irritation, or reactive skin and feel like nothing has worked, you don’t have to navigate it alone.
Dealing with sensitivity? Book a Signature Facial, and let’s tackle it together.
During your treatment, we’ll focus on calming inflammation, supporting your skin barrier, and creating a plan that works for your skin and your lifestyle. Your sensitive skin doesn’t have to be a life sentence. With dedication, patience, and the right support, healthier, calmer skin is absolutely possible.
