In recent years, there has been increased attention to maintaining a healthy and elastic skin barrier, but the ingredients involved in its repair are less talked about. As 2024 approaches, a clear trend is emerging: a shift towards skin care product formulations that reflect the science behind barrier repair.
If you don’t know about the skin barrier, here’s what you need to know first.
The moisture barrier is the outermost layer of the skin that retains moisture and protects the skin from external aggressors such as bacteria and environmental debris. Think of it like your skin’s personal bodyguard. It helps put good things into your skin and keep bad things out. It is made up of lipids (oils) that bind skin cells together. If undamaged, it helps keep your skin soft and smooth. When the moisture barrier is damaged (from over exfoliation, retinol, harsh product use, etc.), tiny invisible cracks appear. Moisture can easily escape through these cracks, and irritants can easily enter. Your skin may feel tight, dry, and sensitive. Essentially, it’s like your skin has lost its protective bodyguard and needs to be repaired.
So, what materials and methods are best for repair? What is your barrier?
From a product formulation perspective, these are five effective methods: repair broken barriers What you need to know when choosing skin care products.
1. Use products that contain approximately 2-4% niacinamide.
This versatile ingredient not only repairs the skin barrier, but also plays an important role in promoting overall skin health. Niacinamide is the most beneficial of all serums and moisturizers left on the skin, so it has time to penetrate the upper layers of the skin and take effect.
2. Using products containing usnic acid (usnea)
Usnic acid is a natural extract from lichen and is a gentle solution for barrier repair. Balances the skin’s microbiome and soothes the skin. Usnic acid is found in products in the form of sodium usnate or Usnea barbata (lichen) extract.
3. Use products containing ceramides, essential fatty acids, and fatty acids
These ingredients work in harmony to strengthen and replenish the skin barrier and provide essential building blocks for healthy skin. Look for ingredients like phytosphingosine, ceramide AP, and ceramide NP. Phytosterols are also great for barrier repair and are very similar to ceramides as they are part of the skin’s structure.
4. Use products containing fatty acid and omega-rich vegetable oils
Incorporating plant oils into your daily routine nourishes your skin with essential fatty acids and omegas and promotes barrier recovery. Shea butter, jojoba oil, and squalane contain ingredients similar to the structure of human sebum, so they blend naturally and protect the skin barrier.
Vegetable oils rich in omegas are borage oil, evening primrose oillinseed oil.
You can use a moisturizer rich in vegetable oils or apply a few drops. pro remedy oil Lock in moisture as the last step in your skin care routine. We’ll show you how to apply it the right way.
5. Use products that contain occlusive ingredients
In skin care, occlusive refers to ingredients that form a barrier on the surface of the skin, preventing moisture loss and increasing moisturizing power. It’s a common misconception that occlusive ingredients (ceramides, squalane, shea butter, etc.) clog pores and prevent the skin from breathing. In fact, you need the right amount of occlusive ingredients to create a protective seal, prevent water loss, and help repair the barrier. Sunflower oil is a vegetable oil that: Phytolipid Comfort Cream It works to restore the skin’s moisture barrier function.
When purchasing barrier repair products, look for the following occlusive ingredients:
With many brands touting barrier repair claims, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the science of how products achieve this. Many brands claim that their moisturizers and masks repair the barrier, but it’s very important to understand how the product achieves this. We hope you now have some understanding of the “how” of effective barrier repair. Now you can make sure your skin care choices are in line with the facts behind healthy, glowing skin.
Celebrity Esthetician & Skin Care Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, René Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating audiences, and building an award-winning product line. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has resulted in real-world solutions: products formulated to: 9 different skin types So your face gets exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare enthusiasts around the world, it’s her vast real-world knowledge and constant research that has led Marie Claire to call her one of the “Most Passionate People We Know.” That’s why I call him a “specialist skin practitioner”.
