Jenny Brownlees

Each day in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, courageous healthcare workers are putting themselves at the forefront of the battle against the virus – working on hospital wards, in care homes and helping those most vulnerable nationwide. PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) is necessary to be worn at all times, in order to shield from infection – but wearing these for often 12+ hour shifts is leaving many frontline workers with painful skin sores.

Fighting the ongoing pandemic in a truly heroic fashion, healthcare staff are not only facing incredibly stressful and trauma-inducing working conditions, overcrowded wards and supply shortages, but on top of this are experiencing painful pressure marks from medical masks that can cause bruising, chafing, acne and dry cracked skin. On top of this, frequent hand washing from strict sanitation measures is also causing painful irritation, making their already unimaginably tough jobs even more difficult.

The NHS has provided an official guide to preventing and dealing with skin damage from PPE which you can read in full, here.

They suggest:

“Taking regular breaks, (recommended every two hours) from wearing a mask to relieve the pressure and reduce moisture build-up.”

“Drinking plenty of liquid as well as applying simple moisturisers. When applying moisturisers, it is advised that they are used at least half an hour before the mask is applied to ensure they sink into the skin and do not damage the material of the mask.”

Title image credit: @katiedraws

Whilst that is the advice given on-ward, we wanted to share the products that will help hydrate skin, to be used in the all-too-short period of time frontline workers are at home.

Whilst no cream is going to entirely prevent marks on the skin when it’s under such intense pressure for long periods, (although the NHS recommends wearers removing PPE masks every two hours, this isn’t always possible in the current circumstances.) Using what little time workers have between shifts to ensure skin is soothed and hydrated will prevent skin becoming as dry or irritated as going without.

If you usually undergo a skin-care routine that treats existing conditions like acne, ceasing using ingredients like benzoyl peroxide and retinol is advised for a short period, as these could irritate the skin further.

When it comes to extremely dry or irritated skin, pharmacy derived brands commonly used to treat skin conditions like eczema are a blessing, as they don’t contain fragrance or chemicals that can further inflame the skin.

We’ll share our picks of the best available. If you’re an NHS worker however, The Beauty Banks charity has pledged to send free products wherever they are needed. They have stated: “If you would like beauty products for yourself and your co-workers please drop us an email at beautybankscharity@gmail.com from your NHS email account with location, contact number, number of staff, wishlist and we’ll reply as quick as we can.”

Alternatively, if you’re a friend or family member of a healthcare worker, consider the below suggestions a practical thank you that you could gift. We’ll also be sharing the many beauty brands offering free products to healthcare staff, and those shifting their production practises to support the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beauty brands pledging to help in the COVID-19 pandemic:

The LVMH Group has worked hard to alleviate the risk of shortages of hand sanitizer gel, mobilising production facilities at several of its renowned Perfumes & Cosmetics houses including Guerlain, Parfums Christian Dior and Parfums Givenchy, to create hand sanitizer. Large quantities have been gifted to Paris hospitals and other healthcare establishments, something they say they will continue to do as long as it’s needed. 

L’Oréal is another company mobilising its plethora of beauty brands to create hand sanitiser. Both L’Oréal-owned Garnier and La Roche-Posay will equip all partner hospitals, care homes and main partner pharmacies in Europe with sanitiser. 

Clarins meanwhile has aimed to make over 200,000 bottles of hand sanitiser by the end of April. The brand has also donated 30,000 moisturising creams to French hospitals and 50,000 toiletry kits to NHS workers in the UK. 

Beauty brand Oskia has begun using its Wales-based lab to create hand sanitisers for local care homes, and are donating their Renaissance Hand Creams to NHS hospitals.

Medik8 is now using its Hertfordshire based lab to create ‘Hygienic Hand Rub’, an 80% ethanol-based hand sanitiser made according to the published WHO guidelines. They have gifted these to the most vulnerable in their local community. 

Tan-Luxe has also turned their attention to sanitiser, the first batch is being donated to Beauty Banks charity, before being given to NHS workers, care homes and supermarket staff across the UK. 

Molton Brown has donated 25,000 of its best-selling soap to Beauty Banks charity as well as distributing 3,000 bottles of hand lotion to NHS hospitals.

REN Clean Skincare has provided over 3000 products to both the Beauty Banks Helping Hand Appeal, and directly to the NHS.

Luxe beauty brand favourite 111Skin has started production of a hand cream especially for NHS workers, as well as sending its Y Theorem Day Cream to frontline workers in order to combat irritation caused by wearing protective masks for long periods.

This Works has created a wonderfully heart-warming scheme, opening its customer service line to support anyone who is feeling lonely during the lockdown period.

Pai has begun a ‘Buy One Give One’ campaign, where you can purchase a hand sanitiser and your order means an NHS frontline worker, care home, homeless charity or beauty bank will receive a donation of one, too. So far they have donated over 3000 units. 

L’Occitane en Provence was one of the first brands to donate to the NHS, they have gifted thousands of hand creams and toiletries to healthcare workers – with over 10,000 units donated so far.

Filorga has donated its nourishing beauty products to a local NHS team, to help combat the dry skin caused by PPE face masks and frequent hand washing.

The Body Shop has donated over 255,000 toiletry items to frontline NHS workers, with the aim to help workers having to shower onsite in between long shifts. A further 100,000 bars of soap and 1000,000 hand creams are being sent to the temporary hospitals currently being created, including the Nightingale at London’s Excel Centre.

Revlon, through its brand Elizabeth Arden, has donated over 4000 of its soothing Eight Hour Cream® products to the NHS.

Boots has partnered with The Hygiene Bank and FareShare to give both NHS staff and vulnerable people access to the toiletries they desperately need. Over 200,000 essentials are being donated by the retailer from the brand’s best-selling N07, Soap & Glory ranges and more.

Avon meanwhile is campaigning to the government to act now in order to protect the vulnerable under lockdown, especially the women and children who are more likely to be victims of abuse. They have donated £150,000 to the UK national domestic abuse charity, Refuge, helping them keep their 24-hour helpline operating. The brand has also announced a $1 million commitment to support frontline services tackling the issue.