In our pursuit of glowing skin, we often focus on the latest skincare trends and products, disregarding the fundamental role of our skin barrier. Glowing skin is all about a robust skin barrier – and this is the biggest skincare lesson worth learning.
So, what is the skin barrier? The skin barrier refers to the outermost layer of your skin and does exactly what its name implies: protect your skin from environmental assault and trans-epidermal water loss, which can cause all the skin issues you don’t want, like acne, inflammation, and accelerated aging.
And while barrier function seems like the most obvious thing, it only recently captured the full attention of the skincare world. This newfound focus comes in response to the widespread issue of a compromised skin barrier, often perpetuated by our over-excessive use of harsh actives that disrupt the skin’s delicate microbial balance, and being overzealous with exfoliating products that focus on taking away – rather than nourishing and supporting the barrier layer.
At Qey Beauty, we are all about skin barrier health, and we want you to be too. So, here we reveal all about strengthening your barrier..
UNDERSTAND THE SCIENCE
A healthy skin barrier is composed mainly of lipids, and the three key components are ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol. To strengthen your protective barrier, you want to use ingredients in your skincare that rebuild and fortify these components. One effective ingredient to replenish your barrier is ceramides. Think of ceramides as the mortar between bricks – if the bricks are your skin cells, that is. Ceramides help hold skin together by forming a protective layer that limits moisture loss and protects against pollution.
Next, you want to use ingredients that stimulate lipid production. Here, niacinamide (Vitamin B3) is the top ingredient. Not only does niacinamide stimulate lipid production, but it is also an antioxidant, so it helps to protect your skin against environmental damage.
Another ingredient that really strengthens your skin barrier is probiotics. Probiotics are microorganisms, and microorganisms live on your skin and inside of your body. There are good ones, and there are bad ones. Probiotics happen to be the good ones – the ones that you want to flourish. Topically on your skin, probiotics strengthen your skin’s natural barrier by repairing it and help to improve its overall immunity.
Now that you know the best barrier-boosting ingredients, make sure you have good products and hone your routine! Stick to a condensed routine and banish any steps that aren’t wholly necessary or that aren’t designed to cosset and nurture the skin barrier. Simple, gentle, and fortifying is the way to go.
