Nourish Your Skin Moisture Barrier: The Ultimate Hydrating Routine

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. They also indicate imbalances in the skin such as dehydration and sensitisation. As an essential component of the overall health and appearance of your skin, it’s important to care for your skin moisture barrier with nourishing ingredients that support hydration. For guidance on how to strengthen your skin moisture barrier, we’ve consulted Kiehl’s skincare experts for their recommended products, ingredients and hydration tips.

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. The skin moisture barrier helps seal in moisture and prevent transepidermal water loss.

A disrupted skin moisture barrier can give the appearance of stressed skin. Depending on your skin type, you might experience dryness, flakiness, rough texture, excess oil in oily skin types, possible breakouts, redness, and tingling sensations. In fact, a compromised skin moisture barrier can even exacerbate sensitive and allergy-prone skin. On the other hand, what does a healthy skin moisture barrier look like? A balanced skin moisture barrier will feel smooth, plump and supple, with noticeable clarity and radiance.

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

Key ingredients to lock in moisture

The skin moisture barrier can be fickle at times, so it’s important to use ingredients that support and strengthen its function. You can help protect 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 hydration without mentioning this key ingredient? Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, meaning it attracts water, so it hydrates the skin’s surface. It is also naturally occurring in the body, so it is 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 and fortify the skin moisture barrier. It also delivers 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.
• Niacinamide – this water-soluble vitamin B3 can be applied topically to strengthen the skin moisture barrier and protect against harmful external stressors.

Creating your hydrating skincare routine

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. Your morning and evening routines will differ slightly, and you can also bolster your skincare practice with targeted treatments that further nourish and support the skin moisture barrier. Both your morning and evening hydrating skincare routine 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.