Understanding dry skin
Dry skin is a common skin condition affecting the top layers of the skin structure leaving skin feeling uncomfortable, tight, itchy and even prone to cracking in severe cases. Keeping skin moisturised and hydrated is vital to help combat dry skin and maintain it in its best condition.
Dry skin is caused and triggered by a range of different things:
- Some have a hereditary disposition to dry skin
- Temperature change
- Cold wind
- Hormonal changes
- Fabrics of clothing
What is common is that skin hydration and moisturisation are key to keeping dry skin in better condition.
Skin Moisturisation
In the skin's structure the cells are often referred to as the 'bricks' of skin and the lipid (oily) layer the 'mortar' that holds it together. It's this lipid layer that plays a key role in keeping skin moisturised. This lipid mixture contains a range of components such as fatty acids and ceramides, and forms a protective layer between the cells to keep them plump. When this lipid barrier becomes compromised not only does it allow external aggressors to enter into the skin, but it also means water is lost much quicker through the skin (trans-epidermal water loss). Examples of skin moisturising ingredients in our products are:
- oat oil
- shea butter
- grapeseed oil
- coconut oil
- baobab seed oil
Skin Hydration
This refers to the level of water in your skin. The deeper layers of the skin (lower epidermal layers) are much more concentrated in water and as cells move upwards towards the stratum corneum of the skin's surface they become drier and less hydrated. Cells in these lower layers of skin contain approx. 70% water and this reduces to 20-30% in the outer layers of the skin. So when levels of water in the outer cells drop below these levels the skin starts to look dry and dull.
Some skin cells also contain an important component called Natural Moisturising Factor (NMF). NMFs attract and hold onto water in the stratum corneum and play an important role in keeping skin hydrated. Lower levels of NMFs in the skin, which can be caused both by the environment and by poor skin health, mean the skin isn't kept well hydrated and can cause dry skin.
Examples of skin hydrating ingredients in our products are:
- colloidal oatmeal due to the high levels of beta-glucan
- glycerin
- water
To look after dry skin it's important to use a mix of hydrating and moisturising ingredients. Moisturising ingredients are important to support the skin barrier functioning because if this isn't working effectively then any water added to the skin will be lost through transepidermal water loss. Equally adding hydrating ingredients is vital to top up the hydration levels of the cells and keep skin looking healthy.
Our Farmologie range is formulated to be the perfect balance of hydrating and moisturising ingredients to quench the needs of dry skin. Our products contain lots of hydrating ingredients - not just the water that is in them but also our star ingredient colloidal oatmeal. Colloidal oatmeal is an humectant due to the high levels of beta-glucan in them which means that it attracts and holds water in the skin increasing its hydration levels. This is also supported by glycerin, another humectant which all boost the water levels in the skin.
The range also contains plenty of moisturising ingredients including our responsibly sourced oat oil. The lipid composition of the oat oil forms a protective barrier over the skin to keep it well moisturised. Our moisturisers and hand creams also contain shea butter from Ghana which is a great skin moisturiser supporting a healthy skin structure and reducing water loss from the top layer of the skin.