Your Skin Barrier – What It Is, Why It Matters, and How to Protect It 💡

Your skin barrier (aka the stratum corneum) is the outermost layer of your skin and it’s your first line of defense. Think of it as a brick wall: 🧱 Dead skin cells = bricks 🧈 Lipids (ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids) = mortar holding everything together A healthy skin barrier helps to: ✔️ Lock in moisture ✔️ Keep out bacteria, irritants, and pollutants ✔️ Prevent inflammation and sensitivity 🔬 When your skin barrier is compromised, you might experience: ❌ Dryness ❌ Flakiness ❌ Redness ❌ Burning/stinging sensations ❌ Breakouts or over-sensitivity to products ✅ How to support and repair your barrier: – Use gentle, low pH cleansers – Avoid over-exfoliating (especially with AHAs, BHAs, or scrubs) – Focus on barrier-repairing ingredients: • Ceramides – restore lipid layer • Centella Asiatica – calms irritation • Panthenol – improves hydration and healing • Squalane – mimics skin’s natural oils – Don’t skip moisturizer (even if you have oily skin) – Always use SPF to prevent UV-related damage 👩🏻‍⚕️ Barrier health = skin health. Many skin concerns (acne, redness, sensitivity) actually start from barrier damage. Take care of your skin barrier first and everything else will start to improve naturally 💗