Spring bathroom cabinet check: which skincare to keep, question, and toss

Spring has a way of making you want to start fresh, open the windows, clear out the clutter, and feel like yourself again. But if you have sensitive or reactive skin, spring also tends to bring something less welcome—a new round of flares, irritations, and that familiar frustration of not knowing what's causing them.

Here's something worth considering before you buy anything new: it might not be the season. It might be what's already sitting in your bathroom.

Why your cabinet is worth a second look

Most of us build a skincare routine by accumulation. Something worked once, so it stayed. Something was on sale. A friend swore by it. And we don't want to get rid of something we bought. Over time, you end up with a collection of products that were never really designed to work together—and a few that might be quietly working against you.

For sensitive and reactive skin especially, the problem often isn't just one ingredient. It's the slow build-up of irritants or lack of nourishment across multiple products used daily. Your skin doesn't always react dramatically and immediately. Sometimes it just... stays a little inflamed... a little dry no matter what you do... a little unpredictable.

The slow build-up of irritants is one of the most common (and most overlooked) reasons reactive skin never fully settles.

What to toss

Let's start with the clear-cut ones.

Expired products. Check the small symbol on the back of your products. It looks like an open jar with a number inside (like 12M or 6M). That's the period after opening that the product is considered stable and safe. A product might even have a specific expiration date listed on it. Expired products can grow bacteria, oxidize, and become irritating even if they were perfectly gentle when new.

Anything that has consistently made your skin sting, burn, or flush. This sounds obvious, but many of us keep using something because we spent money on it, or because it worked for someone else, or because we keep hoping our skin will "adjust." If a product reliably irritates you, it's not your skin being dramatic. It's your skin being honest. Let it go.

Products that have visibly changed. Separation, changes in color or smell, thickened or watery texture—these are signs the formulation has broken down. This is especially common with natural products stored in warm, humid bathrooms.

What to question

These are the ingredients worth pausing on if your skin is sensitive, reactive, or prone to eczema or psoriasis. You don't necessarily need to throw everything out, but it's worth knowing they're there.

Fragrance (listed as "fragrance," "parfum," or "perfume")

This is one of the leading causes of contact dermatitis and skin sensitization. The catch is that "fragrance" is a catch-all term. It can represent dozens or even hundreds of individual ingredients that companies aren't required to disclose. Even "natural" fragrances and essential oils can be highly reactive for sensitive skin. My skin happens to react to linalool, which is a constituent in botanicals and essential oils like lavender. If you see it on the label, it's worth considering whether your skin would be calmer without it.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

These are the foaming agents in most cleansers, body washes, and shampoos. They're effective at removing dirt and oil, and sometimes they're too effective. They strip the skin's natural lipid barrier, which is already compromised in sensitive and eczema-prone skin. SLES is gentler than SLS, but both are worth swapping out if your skin is struggling. Look for sulfate-free cleansers instead, like ones with glucoside in their name.

Alcohol (denatured alcohol, alcohol denat., SD alcohol, isopropyl alcohol)

High concentrations of drying alcohols are often used in toners, lotions, mattifying products, and some serums to create a fast-drying, non-greasy finish. For reactive skin, they disrupt the barrier and trigger inflammation. Note: fatty alcohols like cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol are different. They're actually emollients (softening/mositurizing) and generally well-tolerated.

Synthetic dyes and colorants (FD&C or D&C colors)

These add nothing to the product's function. They're purely aesthetic. For reactive skin, they're an unnecessary risk. If you see D&C or FD&C colors on a label, that product could be reformulated without them and work exactly the same way, just like colors in food. Your skin just doesn't need the extra load.

Preservatives: Parabens, formaldehyde-releasing preservatives (DMDM Hydantoin, Quaternium-15)

Preservatives are necessary. Without them, products grow mold and bacteria. But some preservatives are more sensitizing than others. Parabens have become controversial, and while the research is still evolving, if you have reactive skin it's worth choosing products with gentler alternatives like gluconolactone and sodium benzoate, or sodium levulinate, sodium anisate, and glyceryl caprylate. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives are harder to spot by name and are among the more common causes of contact allergy.

High concentrations of exfoliating acids (AHAs, BHAs) when your barrier is already compromised

Glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and lactic acid can be genuinely helpful for certain skin concerns. But if your skin barrier is already disrupted (think: redness, flaking, sensitivity, eczema flares), layering in exfoliating acids often makes things worse before they get better. Save the actives for when your skin is calm and stable.

Any ingredients you suspect aren't agreeing with your skin. Your skin won't adjust to something over time just because you purchased it and want to use it all. If something bothers you, it will continue to build up. I highly recommend having a chemical patch test from an allergist. You'll have 80 different everyday chemicals applied to your back, and over five days you'll find out if you're allergic to any of them. The test is invaluable for knowing whether you need to stay away from certain ingredients or products.

What to keep (and why)

Not everything needs to go. Here's what tends to be genuinely supportive for a sensitive skin barrier:

• Gentle, fragrance-free cleansers that don't strip or leave your skin feeling tight

• Ceramide-containing moisturizers: ceramides are the lipids that hold your skin barrier together and are often depleted in eczema and dry skin (jojoba and sunflower oil contain high amounts of ceramides)

• Occlusive ingredients like butters, beeswax, and plant-based oils: these seal moisture into the skin and protect the barrier, especially when applied to damp skin

• Simple, short ingredient lists: fewer ingredients means fewer potential triggers

• Products formulated specifically for sensitive or reactive skin, ideally by someone who actually has it and has done the work to understand it

A note on pH (because it matters more than you think)

Healthy skin has a slightly acidic pH, usually between 4.5 and 6. This acidity is part of what protects us from bacteria and keeps the barrier intact. When product pH is not aligned, your skin's pH is disrupted with each use, which can lead to dryness, flaking, and increased reactivity.

Many cleansers and some toners are too alkaline, meaning their pH is higher on the scale. For example, handmade soaps made with lye, while they can be made with wonderful butters and oils, have a pH between 10 and 12. Studies have shown that’s way too high for skin and certainly not for everyday use. They’re better for household cleaning or when you need a really good clean.

Source: https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/scale

You can buy pH strips online or at a local pool/spa supplier if you're curious about your products. You don't need to test every product with pH strips, but it's worth knowing that "gentle" or “clean ingredients” doesn't always mean pH-appropriate. If your skin feels tight, dull, or reactive after cleansing, the pH of your cleanser is worth investigating.

How to do the cabinet check without getting overwhelmed

You don't have to do this all at once. Here's a simple approach:

• Start with the products you use every day, since those have the highest exposure and the most impact on your skin

• Check expiration dates first and remove anything past its best-by window

• Remove anything that has a history of burning or stinging your skin

• For everything that remains, check the ingredient list for the flagged ingredients above

• Make a note of anything you want to research further or replace

• Once your everyday products are sorted, you can move to another batch of products—skincare, body care, hair care, etc.

You don't need to replace everything at once. Even removing one or two consistently irritating products can give your skin barrier real room to recover.

The goal isn't a perfect cabinet. The goal is a calmer one, with a little more understanding of what your skin has been reacting to all along.

Want to walk through this together?

If this feels like a lot to do alone, that's exactly why I'll be talking about it inside my community, The Grove. We'll look at what's in your cabinet, talk through what to keep and what to replace, and I'll share some of the ingredients I reach for when formulating for sensitive and reactive skin.

If you're ready to simplify your routine with products made specifically for sensitive and reactive skin by someone who has lived with it, you're welcome to browse the shop.

Either way, your skin has been asking for this, and this is the perfect time to listen.