Katalin Berenyi, a Paris marketer, and Hojung Lee, a Korean scientist, created Erborian in 2007, naming it for herbes d'Orient, and in 2009 it launched the first BB cream in Europe; the Centella Barrier Cream and Red Serum both lean on centella, the plant also called cica. Dr. Jart+, which launched first in dermatology clinics, makes the Cicapair serum for redness. Eadem, started by two friends who met at Google, makes Mami Wata, a mist with cica, panthenol and ectoin for irritated skin. A mist is handy over makeup during the day, when a thick cream would be too much.

Innisfree draws its ingredients from Jeju Island, and the Green Tea Ceramide Cream is made for dry, sensitive skin. Aestura's AtoBarrier line began as a hospital and clinic product and holds skin lipids in a capsule form the brand calls DermaON; the water cream version is cooling. Jane Wurwand, a UK-trained skin therapist, founded Dermalogica in 1986 without common irritants such as lanolin and artificial fragrance, and its Stabilizing Repair Cream targets redness. Experiment, from Lisa Guerrera and the cosmetic chemist Emmy Ketcham, makes Molecular Mesh with ectoin and centella. What I would skip is layering five soothing products at once. When skin is angry, fewer steps calm it faster.

Wash with lukewarm water and a mild cleanser, then apply one cream while skin is damp. Pause exfoliants and retinoids until the stinging stops. Wear sunscreen daily, and keep a note of what you changed so you can spot the trigger. If redness, burning or flaking lasts more than two weeks, see a dermatologist, since it could be rosacea, eczema or an allergy. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together What Is BB Cream, Explained With Eight to Try and Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream and the Barrier Creams Like It.