As much as we all love the cozy wintry season, the dryness can really take a toll on sensitive skin. Skin redness and inflammation, for one, is the most common skin condition on sensitive skin when winter rolls around, and it manifests in redness, flare-ups and, sometimes, swelling. That's when you know your skincare routine can really use some extra help from ingredients that are famous for their potent anti-inflammatory power. From result-driven Korean skincare products to treating mind-boggling sensitive skin concerns, here are five most underrated—and most effective—anti-inflammatory ingredients that you should swear by to save those redness this season!

Centella Asiatica

Centella asiatica has a lot of “aliases” like Cica (the most commonly known), Gotu Kola, or Tiger Grass. It is a natural medicinal herb that grows primarily in Asia and is widely used for culinary and medical purposes. Now it has been recognized as a skin-saving solution among Korean Beauty products for stressed, acne-prone skin, which can be worsened by pollution, UV light, and other environmental stressors every day.

SKIN1004 - Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - SKIN1004

Starring the brand's signature Madagascar Centella Asiatica extract, this SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Light Cleansing Oil is the perfect candidate featuring centella asiatica to help your sensitive skin and skin redness stay cool, calm, and collected. It is also formulated with jojoba seed oil and olive fruit oil to help you dissolve makeup and sunscreen accumulated in your pores with an extra dose of soothing comfort.

Houttuynia Cordata

One ingredient you should ring in for your winter skin-soothing routine is houttuynia cordata — aka "heartleaf" — thanks to its powerfully soothing and anti-inflammatory properties. Being one of the buzziest K-Beauty ingredients, heartleaf is traditionally used for medicinal purposes in North-East India and China to treat snake bites by purifying the blood and relieving inflammatory conditions for the skin. Nowadays it is introduced as a common ingredient used in topical treatment for acne skin and red inflammation.

daymellow - Houttuynia Cordata Real Soothing Essence

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - daymellow

So if you're looking for some extra soothing remedy after your double cleansing step (as you should especially for winter), try the daymellow Houttunia Cordata Real Soothing Essence to give your daytime skincare routine some final boost. Packed with 90% Houttuynia cordata extract to deliver soothing moisture, this essence helps soothe and cool skin redness and inflammation for dry skin, along with tea tree oil that balances your skin's moisture and oil levels with a light, fresh scent.

Calendula

Officially called calendula officinalis, calendula (or calendula flower) has been used as a medicinal plant for centuries, and thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, it’s also effective when used topically as a calendula cream or calendula oil on acne skin and blemished skin to heal wounds and reduce skin redness. The nourishing benefits of calendula help to plump the surface of your skin to give you tighter, more supple skin. In the long term, calendula benefits your skin's collagen and elastin supply. In other words: products with calendula can lead to smoother, more supple, and more nourished skin.

Mary&May - Calendula Peptide Ageless Sleeping Mask

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - Mary & May

Try the Mary&May Calendula Peptide Agseless Sleeping Mask as it contains 2200 ppm Calendula petals with 25 types of Peptides which provides anti-inflammatory benefits to help soothe damaged skin and revitalize skin. The watery gel texture spreads smoothly on skin and adheres to the skin while the active ingredients work overnight for you to wake up with plump and radiant skin.

Bamboo Extract

Used for centuries as a means to heal wounds, bamboo also acts as a humectant by drawing moisture to the skin. This redness-soothing ingredient is rich in natural silica and methanol and works great as a healing agent as it packs a one-two punch by building collagen deep within the cell and by holding moisture on the surface of the skin. Bamboo is also a powerful antioxidant that provides anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties on blemished skin, especially after a break-out.

Haruharu WONDER - Black Bamboo Mist

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - Haruharu WONDER

The harsh dryness of the cold wintry season can cause skin redness and flare-ups more often than you think. And sometimes our skin can use a bit of cooling with the help of a face mist like the Haruharu WONDER Black Bamboo Mist. Infused with skin-benefiting, antioxidant-rich bamboo, this hydrating face mist offers deep nourishment and cooling hydration to exhausted skin. Its 95% natural formula also includes skin-regenerating beta-glucan that will leave your skin firmer and smoother, especially for those with easily irritated skin who want an immediate dose of healing moisture.

Niacinamide

Niacinamide is a form of vitamin B-3 that helps your skin grow and form a healthy ceramide barrier. Hailed as a powerhouse ingredient that serves a wide range of skin benefits, niacinamide is most known for its treatment for wrinkles and acne scars. It helps minimize redness and inflammation for acne-prone skin while regulate sebum production for oily skin.

COSRX - The Niacinamide 15 Serum

Courtesy of Korean Skincare Brand - COSRX

COSRX The Niacinamide 15 Serum is well-loved by many skincare fanatics, and for good reason. This niacinamide-enriched elixir is designed for skin types that are prone to flare-ups and breakouts, thanks to its high concentration of niacinamide that supports the efficacy of active ingredients and replenishes the skin barrier with intense hydration. The multi-benefit formula is fortified with zinc PCA to minimise the appearance of excess oils and sebum, which leaves your complexion mattified and radiant.

From Centella Asiatica to Niacinamide, give your sensitive skin a clean break and treat it right with the best anti-inflammatory ingredients to refine your winter skincare recipe! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get more instant product updates and skincare tips!