How to Nourish Your Damaged Skin Moisture Barrier: Tips for Skin Hydration

There’s a lot of talk in the skincare world about skin moisture barriers – and for good reason.

The skin moisture barrier is our skin’s protective layer against external elements. A healthy skin moisture barrier acts as a barometer for imbalances in the skin such as dehydration and sensitisation. A damaged skin moisture barrier, however, cannot prevent water loss in the skin or keep out harmful stressors – so it’s essential to care for your skin moisture barrier with nourishing ingredients that support skin hydration.

In this guide, we’ve collated our expert skincare tips on how to repair a skin moisture barrier, along with our recommended products, ingredients, and hydration advice.

What is the skin moisture barrier?

Our skin is a complex system of different layers. The skin moisture barrier or ‘stratum corneum’ is the outermost layer of the epidermis¹ and is comprised of skin cells, lipids and ceramides. We can think of the skin moisture barrier as our body’s protective shield against external aggressors like UV rays, pollution, improper skincare, bacteria, and harsh weather conditions like winter, dry heat, or high humidity. It also plays a crucial role in skin hydration – helping to seal in moisture and prevent transepidermal water loss.

¹https://training.seer.cancer.gov/melanoma/anatomy/layers.html

9 signs of a damaged skin moisture barrier

A balanced skin moisture barrier will feel smooth, plump and supple, with noticeable clarity and radiance. But a damaged skin moisture barrier means that your skin loses its ability to protect and lubricate itself, giving it the appearance of stressed skin.

Depending on your skin type, you might experience any of the following concerns:

• Dryness
• Flakiness
• Tightness
• Dullness
• Rough texture
• Excess oil in oily skin types
• Possible blemishes
• Redness
• Increased sensitivity to external stimuli – even products you may have used before
  
  
  

What causes a damaged skin moisture barrier?

Unfortunately, your skin moisture barrier isn’t invincible, and this protective layer can be compromised by a variety of external aggressors and internal changes. These include:

• UV exposure
• Pollution
• Cold weather
• Very humid or very dry environments
• Over-exfoliating
• Over-cleansing
• Stress
• Hormonal fluctuations
• Over-applying powerful skincare ingredients (like retinol and chemical exfoliants)
• Astringent products with alcohols and fragrances

Certain skin types are also more susceptible to a damaged skin moisture barrier than others. For example, dry skin holds fewer lipids in the skin and may be more prone to moisture loss (which leaves the skin vulnerable to aggressors). A compromised skin moisture barrier can even exacerbate sensitive and allergy-prone skin.

Key ingredients for skin hydration

The skin moisture barrier can be fickle at times, so it’s important to use ingredients that support and strengthen its function. You can care for your skin moisture barrier with efficacious ingredients that nourish the skin and encourage moisture retention.

Such hero ingredients include:

• Hyaluronic acid – How could we discuss skin hydration without mentioning this key ingredient? Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, meaning it attracts water – which is how it hydrates the skin’s surface. Hyaluronic acid is also naturally occurring in the body, making it highly compatible with various skin types.
• Glycerin – Used for its emollient and humectant properties, glycerin is formulated in a range of moisturisers and cleansers to help boost moisture, soften the skin, fortify the skin moisture barrier, and provide comfort to sensitive and allergy-prone skin.
• Ceramides – These are the naturally occurring lipids (oils) in the skin that help seal in hydration for a robust skin moisture barrier. Using ceramides in skincare acts as a further shield for your skin against environmental aggressors.
• Squalane – A plant-derived oil, squalane is a highly effective emollient that mimics the skin’s natural lipids to help reinforce the skin moisture barrier and comfort sensitised skin.

How to repair your skin moisture barrier

When curating a hydrating skincare routine to maintain a healthy skin moisture barrier, you can seek out products formulated with some of the aforementioned ingredients to help protect and fortify the stratum corneum. Thankfully, keeping this protective layer happy is very simple – most of the time, in fact, it actually requires a minimal approach.

Find our top five tips to repair a damaged skin moisture barrier below.

1. Simplify your skincare ritual

While you might be tempted to add more products to your skincare ritual in attempt to fix your damaged skin moisture barrier, this can end up having the opposite effect.

That’s why we recommend scaling back both your morning and evening regimen. Your skincare routine order should comprise three stages: cleansing, hydrating with serums, and moisturising. In the morning, you’ll want to prioritise SPF. In the evening, you might layer a richer moisturiser for deep overnight hydration.

By simplifying your regimen and focusing squarely on hydration for skin, you can avoid further disruption to your skin moisture barrier and strengthen this protective later over time.

2. Opt for a gentle cleanser

Cleansing is essential for removing impurities that can further upset the skin moisture barrier. For an effective hydrating skincare routine, you’ll want to seek out gentle formulas that nourish – rather than draw moisture from – the skin.

We recommend our best-selling Ultra Facial Cleanser, which combines gentle foaming agents with emollients like squalane and vitamin E for an efficient, pH-balanced cleanse that helps replenish a damaged skin moisture barrier. Depending on your skin, you may find it beneficial to double cleanse at night to remove makeup, sweat, oil and other debris that accumulates throughout the day.

3. Fortify with serums

Serums are a powerful skincare step that allow you to reach deeper layers of the skin and address concerns – like skin hydration. When you have a damaged skin moisture barrier, the best serum for your face should include some of the key hydrators we mentioned above.

Harness the power of 15% glycerin with our Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, which penetrates up to 10 surface layers to smooth the skin and improve the appearance of a dehydrated complexion.

To strengthen your damaged skin moisture barrier, we recommend our Vital Skin-Strengthening Super Serum, which is infused with hyaluronic acid to deliver deep hydration and our Adaptogenic Herbal Complex to deeply target skin-ageing stressors. Better still, it’s suitable for all skin types – including sensitive.

4. Layer on moisturiser

The key to a robust skin moisture barrier is – you guessed it – moisture! To help reinforce a damaged skin moisture barrier, the best moisturiser for your skin type is one that will supplement the levels of lipids and oils necessary for balanced skin. 

Nourishing plant-based ingredients such as avocado oil, squalane oil and apricot kernel feature prominently across Kiehl’s moisturising range – including our best-selling daily moisturiser, the Ultra Facial Cream. Its lightweight formula delivers up to 24 hours of hydration, imparting an enriching blend of squalane and glycerin to the skin.

At night, for an extra dose of hydration for skin, you can substitute your standard moisturiser for a nourishing face mask. We suggest the Ultra Facial Overnight Rehydrating Mask with 10.5% Squalane to soften the skin and stabilise skin moisture barrier function. 

5. Apply sunscreen daily

Lastly – but no less importantly – remember to complete your morning skincare with a broad-spectrum sunscreen. It’s one of the best tools in your skincare arsenal, and directly supports your complexion against skin moisture barrier stressors.

Ultra-Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA++++ helps protect against one of the main motivators behind a damaged skin moisture barrier. This lightweight formula includes advanced UVA and UVB protection and is suitable for all skin types.

Additional tips for skin hydration

In addition to your hydrating skincare routine, there are other measures you can take to improve your skin moisture barrier function.

• Drink plenty of water: this can help curb the effects of dehydrated skin: such as dullness, dry patches, and the appearance of fine lines.
• Use a humidifier: this is especially helpful during winter when the air is dryer (and thus dries out your skin) to help preserve your skin’s moisture content.
• Don’t take excessively hot showers: while it can be tempting to crank up the heat in cooler months, hot water can rob the skin of essential moisture – so try to avoid it where you can.
• Avoid harsh skincare products: over-cleansing, over-exfoliating, and harsher skincare ingredients like retinol can deprive the skin of moisture. So avoid astringent ingredients and focus on comforting products that promote hydrated, glowing skin. 

Skin hydration is essential all-year round, but you might find it particularly challenging as the weather cools down. Next, explore our expert advice on how to care for dry skin in winter.