Not happy!

Had to send back the Elemis balm with TSV due to skin irritation and now feel my beloved PCMC, which I have used a long time, is making me reactive too. I look like I have Lupus or rosacea and don't know where to turn. Had the same with pro radiance so I am very twitched. Can anybody with ultra ultra sensitivity to lanolin and Aloe Vera and Elemis give me a heads up please, have used Gat and Dec in past with same problems. Thank you kindly.

I have no problems with either of these and I have mild roseaca. You could try the Anti Redness one from Elemis, I would look on ebay and get a small size cheap to try first though

Thanks Donna. It's not that I have rosacea, it's how these products make my skin look.

maybe you've developed a reaction to essential oils try a more basic range with simpler ingredients

I have a sensitivity to lanolin and very sensitive skin. I find Decleor perfect - either hydra-floral or Nutridivine depending on how dry my skin is, but Liz Earl also works. Hope you find something that helps!

I suffer from rosacea and elemis pro-radiance exacerbated it. I tried Liz Earle and now use nothing else, its transformed my sensitive skin. Of course it's all trial and error, but I hope you find something that doesn't irritate your skin. I'm a Nurse and i've worked in dermatology and you could certainly do worse than use some basic E45 lotion for a few days, it will help to sooth the skin, and then you can move on to try something new. x

essential oils are a lovely addition to skincare for smells and feeling of well being. lovely in candles and bath products but not on my face

I'm wondering if it could be Moringa oil, because I had the same red peeling skin on my face, mainly on and near my nose after using pro rad and bliss capsules----on separate occasions I may add. The girl on the Elemis counter told me that both these products contain Moringa. Don't know if it is in the balm though, it might not be the culprit but if it's not then I don't know what else it could be. Maybe your skin is not really reacting to pcmc on it's own, just that it is now been left sensitive by the other products and needs a bit more time to recover.

use nothing for a few weeks jus water and e 45 with no fancy ingredients then introduce stuff gradually. bet its the lovely oils

I would say just take your routine right back to basics. Personally I'd avoid E45 as even that can react go for something milder like acqueous cream or double base. Both can be used as a cleanser and moisturiser. Doublebase is more gel like and you will only need a wee drop of either as a moisturiser. Get it settled down and then move to adding in a product here and there. Both available over the counter at any chemist.

I went through a terrible stage with my skin ... adult acne ... but it was red raw and everything reacted. But it did get better. I couldn't use PCMC either but I can now.

Or if you want something less "clinical" you could try the Hemp cream from the Body Shop. It smells a bit earthy but its divine on sore skin.

You could have developed a sensitivity to essential oils you haven't had before because they are so potent in the cleansing balm.

I used to be OK with essential oils but have had terrible skin problems (for years) I had patch testing and came out as allergic to preservatives, metals, fragrance and an ingredient called citral which is a component of lots of essential oils and a standalone ingredient (its in absolutely loads of things) so maybe you've become allergic to something you were OK with but as Tinkerbelle says if you pare back and your skin gets back on track maybe you'll be OK with products you were previously OK with again.

Well it has taken a month for my skin to calm down. Woke up this morning with sudden considerable improvement in the itchy, red and lumpy persistent patch on one cheek and flushing on the other. I have decided never to use extra cleansing products again, single cleansing for me from now on, after this dreadful incident I will not be tempted again.

I can't use Elemis at all except their sensitive skin wash, I find the Gatineau serenite range sorts out any reaction to other products, but QVC don't sell this range anymore so buy it from feelunique.com

Glad it has gone Loveinamist. I know this hot weather my skin is going through a dodgy period, I can see very tiny spots on the side of my face. They are not there at the beginning of the day, but seem to develop at the heat builds up. I am sure no one else can actually see them, bit I could feel a roughness and looked closely to see them.

Have they changed the formula of PCM? I have just started using my PCM from the last TSV and it stings slightly when I first put it on (never had this problem with PCM) before. My son asked me for some moisturiser last night as his skin was feeling dry, gave him the PCM cream and he also complained that it was stinging!

Jackanory said:

Have they changed the formula of PCM? I have just started using my PCM from the last TSV and it stings slightly when I first put it on (never had this problem with PCM) before. My son asked me for some moisturiser last night as his skin was feeling dry, gave him the PCM cream and he also complained that it was stinging!

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I had the same reaction but thought the balm upset my skin balance so much that anything else irritated it. I had suspicions the formula for PCMC had changed, especially in the anniversary blue pot. Not good is it to be messed about with when skin care is a minefield already. I have used aqueous calamine cream to calm everything down but it has been a trawl.

I had this, thinking it was something I had used. Turns out it was because I had been caught in the sun a little too long for the spf15 I had on.

Oddly enough my GP gave me Diprobase, the main ingredient being lanolin. It didn't work so I used just very gentle cleansing and a higher spf. It's gone now, but has made me much more aware that spf isn't just important for anti-ageing!