The Skin Barrier: Why It’s the Secret to Really Good Skin

Most recently updated 3/26/21

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but in the case of your skin, what’s outside counts for a lot. Keeping this all-important, superficial layer of skin healthy is the key to maintaining optimal skin health — that is, smooth, clear, comfortable skin. Conversely, damaging your skin barrier is like opening a Pandora’s Box of problems, like redness or dryness — and it’s much more common than you may think.

The worst part? It’s all too easy to harm your skin barrier, so much so that you might not even realize that you’re self-sabotaging your own skin with everyday habits or skincare products. Here’s your cheat sheet on how the skin barrier works and why keeping it healthy is so important:

• The skin barrier prevents moisture loss and defends your skin against outside aggressors
• Your skin barrier can weaken as a result of aging and genetics as well as external contributors, like over-cleansing and UV exposure
• The signs of a damaged skin barrier include dryness, dullness, redness, sensitivity, and breakouts
• You can repair skin barrier damage by adjusting your skincare habits and moisturizing properly
• The best ingredients for your skin barrier are humectants, emollients, ceramides, and antioxidants

What Is the Skin Barrier?

First, a quick Anatomy 101 lesson: The skin barrier is called the epidermis, which is the outermost layer of cells on the skin. It sits above the dermis, which houses the blood vessels, sweat glands, nerves, and, importantly, the collagen and elastin, the two structural proteins that give skin firmness and bounce. Beneath that is the subcutaneous layer, which is primarily made up of fat to give skin a little cushion.

Being the layer that’s in contact with the outside word — hence the “barrier” in skin barrier — it oversees some key functions. 

“The role of the epidermis is to protect the skin from any sort of foreign substance, whether it be bacteria or chemicals,” says Marisa Plescia, research scientist at NakedPoppy. “The epidermis also works to prevent water loss and keep the skin hydrated.”

The skin barrier has a unique structure to help pull this off. “The epidermis is composed of cells — mostly dead skin cells towards the top — and a lipid matrix surrounding these cells,” says Plescia. “The lipid composition of the epidermis functions to reduce transepidermal water loss.”

The easiest way to visualize it is by imagining the skin barrier as an actual wall. 

The bricks in the wall are your cells, while the mortar, in this particular analogy, is the lipid matrix, through which good things — think active ingredients — can easily pass (bad things, such as bacteria and allergens, can pass through, too, but not as easily). The lipids within that matrix, such as ceramides and essential fatty acids, need to be in a certain ratio for the skin barrier to function properly.

When the skin barrier is intact, this construction works beautifully to keep hydration in and bacteria, pollutants, and allergens out. That’s the epitome of healthy skin.

What Is a Damaged Skin Barrier?

When the skin barrier is damaged, that lipid matrix — your mortar — isn’t as sturdy as it should be, leading to cracks and gaps. When that happens, “it does a poor job keeping irritants or germs out of the skin and preventing water loss from the skin,” says Plescia. Not only does skin become dry and dehydrated, but those external interlopers could cause inflammation, too.

The most common causes of a damaged skin barrier are:

• Genetics
• Age
• Aggressive skincare habits, such as overwashing and over-cleansing
• Environmental aggressors, like UV exposure and pollution

A damaged skin barrier can be caused by a number of things. First, there’s genetics — these include certain conditions like atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, which is an inflammatory skin condition accompanied by a weak skin barrier. That keeps it from functioning properly, which in turn leaves skin dehydrated and vulnerable to infection. Age is also a contributor, since your ability to produce oil wanes over time. This makes it harder to replenish the lipids that are so essential to the integrity of the skin barrier.

Up next are the external factors — basically, self-sabotage.

A common offender is over-cleansing. By cleansing too often or with ingredients that are too aggressive, you can strip the skin of its natural oils. (An easy way to tell is if your skin feels squeaky-clean or tight after you rinse.) That could damage the lipid matrix in your skin barrier.

The more intense counterpart to over-cleansing is over-exfoliation, in which — you guessed it — you exfoliate too frequently or with too-harsh materials.

Chemical exfoliants, while excellent at removing dead skin cells from the surface of skin, could potentially damage the live, healthy cells in your skin barrier if the concentration is too high. (And don’t even get us started on products that exfoliate via some types of alcohol or essential oils — they’re a recipe for disaster.) Meanwhile, mechanical exfoliants, such as scrubs or other abrasives, can create microtears in the skin, which, not surprisingly, also harms the skin barrier.

Finally, there’s the environmental factor. Dry air in the winter or created by indoor air control (like your AC unit or heating system) can sap moisture from the skin barrier.

On top of that, anything that spurs the release of free radicals, such as sunlight and pollution, can also impact the integrity of the skin barrier. Free radicals, for the uninitiated, are unstable molecules that wreak havoc on skin, damaging cells, lipids, collagen, and even DNA in the process and ultimately accelerating the aging process.

What Are the Signs of a Damaged Skin Barrier?

When your skin barrier is compromised, it can manifest in a number of ways. Sometimes, your existing skin concerns or conditions — like breakouts or sensitivity — can become even worse or flare up. These tend to be the most common signs of a damaged skin barrier:

Dry or Dull Skin

When your skin barrier is compromised in any way, there’s an uptick in trans-epidermal water loss. Read: The moisture in your skin escapes and evaporates. That leaves your skin with signs of dryness, like a rough texture, tightness, or flakiness. The same goes with dullness, as dull skin and dry skin are linked. “Hydrated skin is dewy and plump,” says Plescia.

Skin Redness

As we mentioned, inflammation contributes to a damaged skin barrier. But to make matters worse…a damaged skin barrier also sets off more inflammation. That’s because those cracks in the skin barrier allow irritants and allergens to sneak through, which in turn spur an inflammatory reaction. If you notice skin redness or itchiness — both signs of inflammation — your skin barrier is involved in some capacity.

Sensitive Skin

Research suggests that an imbalance of lipids in the skin barrier, causing dysfunction, could lead to sensitive skin — so if you’re born with sensitive skin, keeping it healthy is especially important. That’s not all. While sensitive skin as a skin type is largely genetic, those external factors we mentioned earlier could make your skin sensitive, no matter what your base skin type is; this self-inflicted version is considered sensitized skin. “If skincare products, especially products that you have used before, cause stinging or burning, then your skin barrier may be damaged,” says Plescia.

Acne

“Blemishes and acne flare-ups can be a sign of a damaged skin barrier, as the bacteria that causes acne is more easily able to penetrate the skin,” explains Plescia. On top of that, traditional acne-fighting ingredients, such as benzoyl peroxide, tend to dry out skin — which can, in turn, further impair the skin barrier, creating an unfortunate cycle of breakouts. Acne has also (incorrectly) been seen as a matter of poor hygiene, leading people to over-wash their face in an attempt to “scrub” the breakouts away. But the only thing you’re actually removing is your natural, not to mention very important, oils.

How to Repair Your Skin Barrier

First, scope out your skincare habits and assess whether your skin needs a break. Your skin type comes into play here: If you have oily skin, cleansing in the morning and again at night might be fine. But if you have dry skin, you may be better off sticking to cleansing only at night and splashing your face with water in the morning.

Also, choose your cleanser wisely. A creamy formula is generally gentler on the barrier than a foam; NakedPoppy Nourish Cream Cleanser quickly melts makeup and impurities while leaving skin soft and smooth. You also can’t go wrong with a gentle micellar water, such as Ere Perez Ginkgo Micellar Water.

The same goes for exfoliation. Done properly, exfoliation is a good thing — it delivers radiance, a smooth texture, and more even skin tone. But you can have too much of a good thing, and in this case, that may mean a compromised skin barrier. If your skin looks red or feels uncomfortable after you exfoliate, either slow down the frequency or switch to a gentle formula.

Next, always moisturize. That goes for every skin type — even those who are oily or acne-prone. “A moisturizer should become a part of your skincare routine and if your skin barrier is highly damaged, you can never use too much moisturizer,” says Plescia. Your skin barrier can never max out on moisture. If your skin is particularly oily, consider an oil-free formula like Indie Lee Active Oil-Free Moisturizer, which delivers moisture with a weightless feel.

Finally, the best offense is a good defense. Rather than fixing a damaged moisture barrier, it’s far easier to prevent it from getting impaired in the first place. Sunscreen is an obvious winner here, since UV exposure leads to free radical activity on the skin — which, again, damages the lipids in your skin barrier. (Just make sure it’s a clean sunscreen, of course.) It’ll help you avoid a damaged skin barrier altogether, which is the goal.

The Best Ingredients for Your Skin Barrier

Humectants

Like little moisture magnets, these molecules are key for offsetting any trans-epidermal water loss that occurs when your skin barrier is damaged. “Humectants are substances that bind to water and retain hydration in the skin,” says Plescia. “Examples include glycerin, propanediol, hyaluronic acid, and other natural sugars such as sorbitol and erythritol.”

They’re often paired with water in formulas, which serves as a reserve so that humectants don’t draw water out from the deeper layers of skin. Ere Perez Quandong Green Booster Serum pairs hyaluronic acid, which binds to water, with an antioxidant-rich blend of chlorophyll and spinach leaf — like a green juice for your skin.

Emollients

Humectants work best as a team — specifically, alongside emollients. “Emollients can act as occlusive agents, meaning that they coat the skin and act as a seal further preventing water loss,” explains Plescia. In practice, that means humectants draw moisture into skin, while emollients ensure the moisture stays there. And in the case of barrier damage, “oils can then help make the skin softer and smoother by integrating with the lipid matrix of the epidermis and filling in any gaps in the lipid matrix of the epidermis,” she says.

Consider rosehip seed oil, olive oil, and sunflower oil, which contain key fatty acids, to replenish the lipid matrix in your barrier. NakedPoppy Revitalize Organic Facial Oil offers a blend of rare, high-quality rosehip seed oil, jojoba oil, argan oil, and poppy seed oil — among others — to hydrate and nourish both the skin barrier and the layers beneath it.

Ceramides

We’d be remiss not to mention ceramides, which are one of the most important lipids in your skin barrier. If your skin barrier is damaged in any way, there’s a good chance you’re missing them. You can find ceramides paired with vitamin C (a potent antioxidant) in the Indie Lee Daily Vitamin Infusion, which offers a one-two punch of replenishing the lipid matrix and defending it from free radicals.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are like the MVP of skincare ingredients. In working to neutralize free radicals and repairing any damage incurred, antioxidants help minimize lines and wrinkles, brighten skin, and, of course, defend the integrity of your skin barrier from environmental aggressors like UV exposure and pollution — think of them as your second-line of defense after sunscreen. The great news is that you can find antioxidants, such as vitamins C, E, and B3, in a huge number of skincare formulas these days, as well as in many plant-derived ingredients.

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Shop the story:

• NakedPoppy Nourish Cream Cleanser ✨
• Ere Perez Gingko Micellar Water 💧
• Indie Lee Active Oil-Free Moisturizer 🧴
• Ere Perez Quandong Green Booster Serum 💫
• NakedPoppy Revitalize Organic Facial Oil 🌹
• Indie Lee Daily Vitamin Infusion 🍓