Over 50% of people are classed with having sensitive skin and it’s a growing problem with more people diagnosed every year.

Sensitive skin is not just an annoying skin type, it can lead to more serious skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea and skin infections due to the breakdown of the skin barrier function caused by frequent inflammation of the skin’s surface through over sensitivity. A new and unusual answer to controlling skin sensitivity has been discovered in the form of the venom produced by sea anemone in order to paralyse their prey as well as to protect itself from attack. There’s a single peptide present in the sea anemone venom that inhibits the pain receptor in skin that is responsible for an ‘over-reaction’ to external irritants. However, harvesting real sea anemone venom would be impossible, so a synthetic version of the peptide found in the sea anemone venom has now been manufactured. UK company Venomtech, who specialise in venom based products, have made SensAmone 5, a synthetic copy of the sea anemone venom peptide which can be used in creams to help reduce skin sensitivity. A double blind placebo trial on SensAmone 5 found that it calmed over-reactive skin in just one application, minimised the skin’s response to stress and reduced itching.