To optimize your moisturizing experience, it's essential to know that there are three different types of moisturizing ingredients that can benefit your skin: humectants, emollients, and occlusives. Each has a different purpose and can work wonders in your upping the hydration factor of your routine. These moisturizing ingredients work best when paired together.
Humectants
Humectants are moisturizers that draw water to them. Think of these ingredients as sponges, which attract moisture from air into the skin and hold them in place. Humectant products can be used by all skin types, but they are best for those with normal to slightly dry skin.
Humectants provide temporary anti-aging effects because the extra hydration is extra volume, which effectively plumps out the skin and makes lines and wrinkles less noticeable. However, this effect is transient – as soon as the moisture content in skin decreases, lines and wrinkles will return to normal size. Unfortunately, some skin care brands may use high concentrations of humectants in their products that are claimed to provide anti-aging effects without any other ingredients to correct signs of aging. You may think the product is working because your skin looks plump after use, but these effects are just from the humectant.
The most well-known humectant is hyaluronic acid, glycerin and saccharide isomerate.
Occlusives
Occlusives are like puffer coats for your skin, except instead of sealing in heat (the way an actual puffer jacket does), they lock in moisture and prevent it from evaporating into the environment. An occlusive is a type of moisturizing ingredient that helps protect the skin, slow transepidermal water loss, and seal in moisture. They help coat and protect skin from moisture loss and support a healthy skin barrier. Examples include petrolatum, lanolin, silicon, olive oil and coconut oil.
Since occlusive ingredients form a protective barrier on the surface of skin, they are best for those with very dry skin and conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Applying an occlusive moisturizer immediately after bathing may be an effective way to trap additional water in the skin.
Those with oily or acne-prone skin should avoid most occlusives except silicones.
Emollients
Emollient ingredients help to repair the skin barrier function. Remember from previous article that the skin barrier is composed of dead skin cells held together by a lipid matrix. Without these essential lipids, the barrier is weakened. A weak or damaged barrier leads to transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and may allow harmful things like allergens, bacteria, and irritants to pass through into the deeper layers of skin. This can lead to symptoms of dryness, itching, and irritation, and may eventually cause skin conditions such as acne, eczema, sensitive skin, and even signs of aging. Using emollients can help to fill in the spaces between dead skin cells where the barrier has been depleted, ultimately leading to soft hydrated skin. Most commonly used emollients are ceramides, cholesterols, fatty acids, avocado oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil and shea butter.
Nearly everyone can benefit from an emollient product. Whether or not you should use an emollient moisturizer largely depends on what emollient ingredient is used in the product. For example, those with oily or acne prone skin should avoid products with comedogenic emollients, such as coconut oil and avocado oil, and only use products with non-comedogenic emollients, such as jojoba oil, safflower oil, and squalane, to prevent clogged pores and acne breakouts.
Our Advice
For dry, sensitive and itchy skin, including skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis, choose a moisturiser which include all 3, humectant, occlusive and emollient to gain the best benefit out of it. Our Piifoo Itch Relief Moisturiser has carefully selected 100% natural ingredients from all three categories above.
However, one product doesn't fit all, our product might not be suitable for oily and acne prone skin due to heavy emollient content.
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