Ceramides: what they can do for dry skin

Does your skin feel tight after washing or rough in winter? Dry skin often lacks the fat between the cells that holds water in the skin. With a cream with ceramides, you can support your skin here.

The key points in brief

• Ceramides are fats that your skin forms itself and that help it retain water.
• In the skin, they work together with cholesterol and fatty acids.
• Depending on the product, you apply them as a cream in the evening, as a balm as needed or as a foundation in the morning.
• In a study, the moisture of dry skin increased after a single application, for up to 24 hours.

What do ceramides do in the skin?

Ceramides are lipids, that is, fats. They sit in the horny layer, the top layer of your skin. There they lie in thin layers between the cells.

Think of a wall: the cells are the bricks, the fats are the mortar. The mortar holds the water in the skin.

The mortar consists mainly of three fats: ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids. There are roughly equal numbers of particles of each. Dry skin often has too few ceramides.

There are many types that differ in their structure. On the ingredient list, they appear with letters, for example as Ceramide NP or NG.

Who are they suitable for?

Ceramides suit you if your skin is dry, feels tight or feels rough.

If you use retinol, your skin can become dry at the beginning. According to the directions for use, the Recovery Crème is intended for this time.

Have you been to the cosmetics studio, for example for microneedling? The Sheald Recovery Balm from iS Clinical is intended for the time afterwards.

Who are they less suitable for?

If your skin is broken, inflamed or very red, have a dermatologist look at it first.

If your skin reacts to fragrances: the Tint Du Soleil contains oils from geranium, ylang-ylang and sandalwood, plus linalool and farnesol. The Sheald Recovery Balm and the Recovery Crème list no fragrance on their ingredient list.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: please consult your doctor.

How to use them

1. Cleanse your face and apply your serum.
2. With the Recovery Crème: in the evening, take a small amount for face and neck and gently massage it in.
3. During the day, sun protection with sun protection factor 30 or higher comes last.

You use the Sheald Recovery Balm on its own: on dry or stressed areas, also on the lips, several times a day as needed.

If you use retinol, the Recovery Crème goes on top as the last step in the evening.

Good to combine, better not together

Stay with one brand: the Recovery Crème from ZO Skin Health and the Sheald Recovery Balm from iS Clinical are alternatives, not a joint routine.

Good together:

• Hyaluronic acid: it binds water, ceramides help retain it. The Sheald Recovery Balm contains both.
• Retinol: according to the directions for use, the Recovery Crème is intended as care alongside retinol.
• Peptides: the Recovery Crème already contains them.
• Sun protection: the Tint Du Soleil brings ceramides and sun protection factor 30 in one step.

Better not together:

• Foundation on injured skin: the manufacturer of the Tint Du Soleil advises against this.

What you can expect

In a study, 24 people had dry skin, almost all women and on average 55 years old. A cream with ceramides was applied to one side of the shin, and a different care cream to the other for comparison. After a single application, the moisture on the side with ceramides increased, for up to 24 hours.

After 28 days with cream twice a day, the researchers measured more moisture on this side. Even 7 days after stopping, it was still higher there.

In a study with women with dry, itchy legs, a cream with ceramides was applied to the skin for 4 weeks. Afterwards, the researchers found more ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids in the top layer of the skin. The women reported a more comfortable skin feel.

For you, this means: each result applies to the cream tested. In both studies, the cream was applied to the skin for 4 weeks. Allow for this time.

In our shop

You can find all products in our Ceramides collection. These three contain ceramides according to their ingredient list:

• Sheald Recovery Balm from iS Clinical: rich balm with three ceramides, cholesterol and hyaluronic acid, for very dry areas and the time after cosmetic treatments. It contains some retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A, so sun protection belongs to it during the day.
• Recovery Crème from ZO Skin Health: rich cream with Ceramide NG, peptides and shea butter, intended as care alongside retinol. It contains some retinol and retinyl palmitate, so sun protection belongs to it during the day.
• Tint Du Soleil Whipped Foundation SPF 30 from Colorescience: foundation with Ceramide NP and sun protection factor 30, as the last step in the morning. It also contains some retinyl palmitate.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, hyaluronic acid or ceramides?

The two have different tasks: hyaluronic acid binds water, ceramides help your skin retain it. You can use both: first a serum with hyaluronic acid, then a cream with ceramides.

Which is better, ceramides or peptides?

Both have different tasks. Ceramides help your skin retain water. Peptides are short chains of protein building blocks and can support a firmer skin feel. The Recovery Crème contains both.

Can you use only a serum without a cream?

If your skin gets shiny quickly, a light serum can be enough. If it is dry, a cream belongs after the serum. The fats in the cream help hold the water in the skin.

What does dry facial skin lack?

Dry skin often lacks fat between the cells, above all ceramides. A cream with ceramides can support it in retaining water.

Sources

1. Coderch L, López O, de la Maza A, Parra JL (2003): Ceramides and skin function. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology 4(2):107-129. DOI 10.2165/00128071-200304020-00004, PMID 12553851.
2. Draelos ZD, Baalbaki NH, Raab S, Colón G (2020): The Effect of a Ceramide-Containing Product on Stratum Corneum Lipid Levels in Dry Legs. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology 19(4):372-376. DOI 10.36849/JDD.2020.4796, PMID 32272513.
3. Lueangarun S, Tragulplaingam P, Sugkraroek S, Tempark T (2019): The 24-hr, 28-day, and 7-day post-moisturizing efficacy of ceramides 1, 3, 6-II containing moisturizing cream compared with hydrophilic cream on skin dryness and barrier disruption in senile xerosis treatment. Dermatologic Therapy 32(6):e13090. DOI 10.1111/dth.13090, PMID 31585489.