Ceramides are skin lipids essential for the skin barrier and moisture preservation.
What are ceramides for?
Ceramides hold skin cells firmly together in the uppermost skin layer. This not only keeps the fluid in the skin but also protects it from allergens and external aggressors. Ceramides are not only important for a healthy appearance, but also for a healthy functioning skin.
Ceramides are the building block of a healthy skin barrier
Naturally present in high concentrations in the outermost layer of the skin, ceramides are essential components of the epidermis. These are natural lipids, which are the building blocks of skin, produced by your skin.
Ceramides help support the skin’s barrier layer for moisture retention and help hold healthy cells together. This is what keeps skin hydrated, smooth, and healthy. Ceramides represent about 50% of the lipids in this layer, along with cholesterol and fatty acid which make up the rest. Collectively these lipids act like mortar in a brick wall, binding skin cells — which are the “bricks” in this analogy — together.
So it’s no surprise they pay a vital role in determining how your skin looks and how it responds to environmental threats.
How ceramides benefit skin
Ceramides will help reinforce your skin’s barrier and increase hydratation — giving you plumper, smoother, firmer-feeling skin with fewer visible lines and wrinkles, as well as fewer signs of sensitivity.
Ceramides benefit all skin types, since they help replenish skin’s natural moisture and won’t increase breakouts or oiliness. However, ceramides are especially critical and beneficial for people who have chronically dry skin.
Topical ceramides can help strengthen skin’s barrier — supporting skin hydration and guarding against irritation. In short: ceramides can help skin bounce back.
