Skin barrier from A to Z

Nowadays you can hear a lot about the importance of barrier and skin protection. But what do we mean exactly? What is skin barrier, what is its role and how can we protect it?

Okay, what exactly is it?

As the name suggests, skin barrier is the protective layer of skin, namely, the outermost layer that we see with our eyes. By barrier, the cosmetics mean the waterproof lipid envelope around the cells on the outermost layer of skin. It’s like brick and mortar: the binder is the lipid envelope (the barrier) that bonds skin cell-bricks together.

What is the barrier’s role?
Its main role is to make us “waterproof”: the barrier holds water and nutrients inside the body and protects us from harmful environmental toxins and other stressors.

How do you know if your skin barrier is damaged?
If the skin barrier is healthy, your skin is soft and hydrated. But if it’s damaged, your skin might be irritated and you may also be dealing with inflammation, dehydrated and dry skin. Moreover, well-proven products may sting and burn your skin.

What causes skin barrier damage?

Various environmental factors and wrong skin-care routine can damage the skin barrier. Windy, cold weather and using too much air-conditioning can also cause problems – in these cases, we must replenish the lipids and apply sunscreen! And of course, it's also possible that your skin-care routine isn't very barrier-friendly... let’s see what to avoid in your routine:

• Avoid overwashing your face: we know, you diligently wash your face to remove dirt, but soaps with drying effect and high pH aren’t your friends.
• We hope you always avoid irritating ingredients, but menthol, alcohol and harsh fragrances are particularly avoidable.
• Don’t use too many products with powerful active ingredients – try to find the ideal concentration and frequency.
• Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen...
• If you feel something is wrong with your barrier, it’s time to return to the well-proven basics: gentle cleansing & moisturizing & sunscreen!

What should you pay attention
to when it comes to gentle cleansing?

Look for gentle, creamy or jelly cleansers and don’t wash your face too much: once (maximum twice) a day is enough to get rid of dirt.