Ceramide – skin barrier and repair star

what is ceramide?

It is a lipid that naturally occurs in the skin. It forms a waterproof barrier on the skin’s surface. They not only help the skin lock in moisture, but also promote the skin barrier to self-repair and regulate skin cells. The skin of a newborn baby is often wrapped in a waxy substance. This substance is called fetal fat and is mainly composed of it to prevent skin moisture loss. The secretion of it in the skin decreases with age, which in turn causes dry skin, wrinkles and some skin inflammation.

What is the maintenance effect of ceramide?

1. What is the topical effect of ceramide?

The most well-known role of It is to form a waterproof barrier on the skin. Moreover, combination with other lipids in a certain ratio can enhance the barrier function of it. The optimal ratio is 50% ceramide, 25% cholesterol and 15% free fatty acids. This “clear layered structure” mixture has a unique moisturizing function. Therefore, there are mechanisms to explain the maintenance effect of it.

2. What is the transdermal absorption capacity of ceramide?

Since It is naturally present in the epidermis, it is not difficult to explain the penetration of ceramide into the stratum corneum. The “adhesive tape” experiment demonstrated that ceramide can penetrate deeper into the epidermis. The “adhesive tape” method is to apply a piece of tape to the skin and then tear it off to analyze the ingredients in the skin cells on the tape. Each time the tape is peeled off, a layer of skin cells is attached to determine the penetration of a component.

3.Has an experiment proved its effect?

• A Japanese study showed that It extracted from plants enhances the moisturizing function of the skin compared to placebo.
• A mouse study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dermatology found that topical ceramides not only repair the skin barrier, but also protect the skin from surfactants.
• A study by the Kao Group in Japan showed that a can of 8% ceramide E cream can improve skin moisture and improve atopic dermatitis. However, this experiment has neither blind nor comparative experiments. It is worth noting that many experiments use a concentration of 8%, but in fact, the content of It in skin care products is generally less than 1%.

4.How to choose the ceramide moisturizer that suits you?

1. There are too many types of It. But at least most of the commonly used It are maintenance-friendly.
2. Sometimes it works because it forms a protective film on the skin’s surface that locks in moisture. In this case, It is probably not much better than cheap mineral oil. And unless the formula is reasonable, the moisturizing effect is not necessarily better than the ordinary (non-ceramide) cream lotion. The best formula is a simulated sebum film formula containing it, cholesterol and fatty acids.
3. In other cases, It can help lock deep moisture in the skin due to its good skin penetration.