When life gets busy, your skin often feels it too. Stress can be a common trigger for eczema flare-ups, leaving you feeling even more uncomfortable. It’s a reminder to slow down, breathe, and give your skin – and yourself – a little extra care.
But are stress and eczema actually linked? For many people, they are – but there are also other triggers which can cause flare-ups, such as cold weather, detergents and allergens.
Here we’ll take a closer look at how stress impacts the skin, why it can make eczema worse and how selecting eczema-friendly skin care can help.
At a glance:
- The “mind–skin connection” links emotional wellbeing to skin health
- Stress can trigger or worsen eczema flare-ups due to increased cortisol, which weakens the skin barrier and causes inflammation
- You can help to support your skin in times of stress with gentle, fragrance-free and natural skin care products
- Green People’s scent-free products and Organic Babies Soothing Baby Salve offer eczema-friendly care for face, hands and body
- Managing stress and other lifestyle triggers can also help promote healthy skin
Does stress make eczema worse?
In short, yes, stress can make eczema worse. When you feel stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol.
In small doses, cortisol helps you cope with challenges, but when stress lasts a while, it can disrupt your skin’s natural balance. Cortisol can weaken the skin barrier, making it harder for your skin to retain moisture and defend itself.
This can lead to dryness, itching and redness - all common symptoms of eczema. Stress can also trigger inflammation throughout the body, which may make eczema patches more sensitive and harder to heal.[1]
Emotional stress is a well-known trigger for eczema flare-ups[2], alongside other irritants such as cold weather, detergents and allergens.
The mind–skin connection
The relationship between your emotional wellbeing and your skin’s health is often called the mind–skin connection. When you feel anxious, tired or under pressure, your body’s stress response can affect how your skin functions.
This can slow healing, increase inflammation and heighten sensitivity. For people with eczema, this often means flare-ups appear more easily or last longer during stressful times.
Taking time to rest, practise mindfulness or spend time outdoors can all support both mental balance and skin health. Browse our natural self-care essentials for aromatherapy and massage, designed to soothe the senses and support calm, balanced skin, even during life’s more stressful moments.
It’s also important to look at the environment around you and the products you use, to see if that’s affecting your eczema too.
How to calm stressed skin on the face
If you’re feeling the effects of stress on your skin, moving to comforting, calming products that use natural and organic ingredients to avoid irritation can help. Our Scent Free Our range is made for ultra-sensitive calming skin and is eczema-friendly too.
Our scent-free products are all dermatologically tested, rich in calming natural ingredients and skip the ingredients that can cause a reaction, such as fragrance, drying alcohol or SLS.
Shop eczema-friendly, scent-free skin care
Created especially for ultra-sensitive skin, Green People Scent Free Cleanser gently clears impurities and make-up without irritating your skin.
Made with soothing Calendula, nourishing Shea Butter and rebalancing Inulin Prebiotics, it leaves skin feeling soft and clean, not stripped. There is no scent nor any drying ethyl alcohol.
This fragrance-free cleanser is a sensitive skin essential
423,00 kr
Scent Free Cleanser 150ml
The much-loved Green People Scent Free 24-Hour Cream is our best face cream for restoring calm to a stressed complexion. Eczema-friendly and packed with natural and organic ingredients to support healthy, balanced skin, it’s our bestseller for a reason.
Deeply nourishing and moisturising, this clinically proven and dermatologically tested moisturiser is suitable for ultra-sensitive skin.
Scent Free 24-Hour Cream 50ml
Healthy skin starts with our bestselling moisturiser for sensitive skin
394,00 kr
If you can be prone to getting eczema near your eyes, we recommend trying Green People Scent Free Eye Cream.
This ultra-gentle eye cream for sensitive eyes calms, soothes and nourishes - whilst also helping to smooth away fine lines, puffiness and dark circles. It is made with Seaweed Extract, Tuberose, Everlasting Flower and Inulin Prebiotics to support your sensitive eye area without irritation.
Scent Free Eye Cream 10ml
Rejuvenate and soothe with our gentlest eye cream for sensitive skin
146,00 kr
How to calm stressed skin on hands and body
The skin on your body can also be prone to eczema flare-ups, especially in places like your hands, elbows and knees. Using hand and body care products with ingredients that cause irritation can make flare-ups feel worse too.
Using gentle, non-drying hand wash, shower gel and moisturiser can help support stressed skin. Look for natural, organic ingredients that support your skin’s natural balance and products that are free from ingredients like drying alcohol, SLS and fragrance.
Shop eczema-friendly, scent-free body care
We understand how hard it can be to find a hand wash for eczema-prone skin that flares up during stressful periods, so we created our Scent Free Hand Wash with sensitive skin in mind.
Instead of drying, irritating ingredients, it contains organic Aloe Vera to soothe and hydrate your hands, as gentle bubbles cleanse your skin.
Soap-free and organic, this fragrance-free hand wash is a sensitive skin essential
226,00 kr
Scent Free Hand Wash 300ml
If you are looking to relax after a stressful day, you can even add it to running water to create a bath filled with skin-friendly bubbles.
Scent Free Shower Gel 200ml
A hypoallergenic shower gel for gently cleansing ultra-sensitive skin
255,00 kr
Scent Free Body Lotion 150ml
Discover deep skin hydration with our soothing, fragrance-free body lotion
423,00 kr
View all scent-free products now.
Eczema-friendly salve for flare-ups
When flare-ups strike, reach for our eczema-friendly Baby Salve, a rich, multi-purpose balm loved by adults and children alike.
Formulated with organic Shea Butter, restorative Hemp and soothing Calendula, it deeply soothes and protects dry, sore skin.
Organic Babies Soothing Baby Salve 100ml
Protect, soothe, and calm with our best-selling organic baby salve
248,00 kr
For on-the-go comfort, carry a little pot of One Balm. This certified organic skin balm knows just what to do to shield your skin from dryness, irritation and the elements.
Packed with protective plant oils and rich, reparative actives this is the skin barrier boost to reach for whenever your skin needs a helping hand.
Foaming Face Wash 100ml
Purify, tone and clear with this certified organic foaming face wash
292,00 kr
If you are concerned about eczema or any other skin condition, always consult your GP or other medical professional.
Would you like help choosing the right products for your eczema-prone skin? Our friendly UK customer care team is happy to help with any questions about ingredients and can be contacted on 01403 740350 or on social @GreenPeopleUK.
If you wish to republish this content, please credit Green People as the original creator with a link to 'Stress and Eczema.' Please do not use an affiliate link.
[1] Neuroimmunology of stress: skin takes center stage - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16845409/
[2] Stress and eczema - https://eczema.org/information-and-advice/triggers-for-eczema/stress-and-eczema/
