How To Protect Your Skin Barrier
We’ve been talking lately all about fermented ingredients in skincare and all of the benefits that come with them. One major talking point is how they protect the skin barrier – but you may be left wondering what is the skin barrier, exactly, and what does it do?
Defining the Skin Barrier
You may have seen an illustration once of all the layers to the human skin and might have made the comparison with the earth’s crust or some elaborately tiered dessert. Each layer of skin is microscopically small but performs a necessary function in our bodies. The skin barrier is the top layer, the one we can all most obviously see. It has to be tough enough to withstand the bumps and scrapes of everyday life, and it also works to keep necessary moisture in and harmful toxins out.
Skin Barrier vs Microbiome
If you’ve been following us along on our blog journey, this may sound a bit like the microbiome. We’ve dedicated some time to explaining the purpose of that part of the body, which exists in tandem with the skin barrier as a living layer of bacteria. They work together to keep bad bacteria from finding sneaky ways inside of our bodies.
Things to Look Out For
Unfortunately, there are many things that can damage our skin barrier. The weather (especially if it's too humid, too dry or you’ve been exposed to too much sun), pre-disposed genes towards different skin conditions, allergens, harsh chemicals, over-exfoliation, and even stress. This can look like dry, flaky skin, infected patches of skin, or acne-prone skin, too.
How Fermented Ingredients Can Help
The fermentation process creates antioxidants and amplifies the vitamins that already exist in natural ingredients while shrinking them down, making them easier for the skin barrier to absorb while fortifying the barrier against bad bacteria and disease. Fermented skincare products are also good for dry, thin, and sensitive skin.
If you're interested in trying out fermented skincare products, we highly recommend checking out the entire Urban Calm collection. Each product within the collection is carefully formatted with a specific Fermented Ingredient that aims to target different skin concerns.
That’s a wrap on today’s lesson on skin and how to protect your skin barrier. Stay tuned for more informed skincare tips!
Love,
The FaceTory Team