Once you have a plain moisturizer that works, it is fun to look around at others with a similar temper. These are the barrier-minded creams I would compare it with, each with its own texture and character.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Meltdown is made with colloidal oatmeal, the old soothing ingredient, and it is called a medicated face cream, so it is the one to read the label on before you buy. Dr. Barbara Sturm's Face Cream is a gentle daily cream for sensitive skin, and the most polished-feeling of the group. The INKEY List's Bio-Active Ceramide moisturizer is the plumping one, with barrier-strengthening ceramides. Ole Henriksen's Strength Peptide Barrier Boost pairs hyaluronic acid with niacinamide, and it sits nicely under a mineral sunscreen. IT Cosmetics' Confidence in a Cream is the barrier-boosting daily cream of the group.

Caudalie's Grape Water is a moisturizing face mist, and I keep it in a different category on purpose. It is a top-up, not a moisturizer replacement, and it helps on a dry train or a heated office.

A quick test for any cream: put a little on the inside of your wrist for two days, then on one cheek. If nothing happens, go ahead. If your skin gets itchy, red or tight, stop using it, and see a doctor if it does not settle.

I would also avoid trying two of these creams in the same week. Sensitive skin gives you clearer answers when you ask one question at a time.

Cleansers are where sensitive skin often goes wrong. A wash that feels satisfying, foamy and squeaky is usually one that leaves you tight by the afternoon. I choose the ones that feel a little dull in the hand.

The Ordinary's Glucoside Gentle Foaming Cleanser is made for oily skin and lathers softly. Dr. Jart+'s Cicapair Gentle Foam Cleanser is made for sensitive skin, and it is good on mornings after a late night. Clinique's Take The Day Off Facial Mousse Cleanser is airy and light, easy to use in a hurry. Augustinus Bader's The Cream Cleansing Gel is a soft gel wash that rinses clean. Merit's Great Skin Double Cleanse is made to remove makeup, and Drunk Elephant's Slaai butter cleanser melts makeup away, which suits nights when a wipe will not do.

What I would skip: hot water, rough washcloths and any cleanser with a strong scent, especially on days your skin already stings. Also skip washing three times because you feel oily. Once in the morning and once at night is enough, and a splash of lukewarm water is a perfectly good morning wash for a lot of us.

Pat, do not rub, and put your moisturizer on while your face is still a little damp.

The shelf I would build is small: a gentle cleanser, one plain moisturizer for night, one mineral sunscreen for day, and a richer barrier cream held in reserve for cold weeks.

Introduce anything new on its own, and give it time before you judge it. Fragrance-free is a good starting rule, though it is not a promise that nothing will bother you. Skin that reacts a lot deserves a real conversation with a doctor or a dermatologist, and a pharmacist is a fine place to start too, given how this brand began.

On a rough week, I strip it back further: rinse, moisturize, sunscreen, nothing else. Two or three days of that is often enough to tell you whether the trouble came from your products or from something else, like weather, stress or a new laundry detergent. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Vanicream Moisturizer and Other Gentle Creams for Reactive Skin and Cetaphil Lotion, a Texas Pharmacist's Answer to Sensitive Skin.