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Best Skincare Ingredients For Dehydrated Skin

Table Of Contents
  1. Hydrating Ingredients
  2. Hydration retaining ingredients
  3. Skin-barrier strengthening ingredients

Dehydrated skin needs 3 types of ingredients

Hydrating ingredients
These add hydration to the dehydrated skin.

Hydration retaining ingredients
These ingredients work like a semi-barrier and prevent the hydration from evaporating into the atmosphere.

Skin-barrier strengthening ingredients
The top layer of the skin acts as a barrier, a shield. It has two essential functions: help the skin retain water and prevent breakouts on the skin.

This top layer comprises substances that help it perform its barrier function. When these substances are affected, the barrier function is compromised.
These substances affect us daily, so we need to replenish them regularly. If we don’t, the skin becomes dehydrated and prone to breakouts.

So, use products with ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier function.

Hydrating Ingredients

Look for skincare products that have the following ingredients.

Glycerin

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hyaluronic acid

Panthenol

Tremella Fuciformis

Trehalose

Sodium PCA

Urea

Beta-Glucans

Gluconolactone

Peptides

Aloe Vera

Butylene Glycol

Propylene Glycol

Propanediol

Lactic acid

Mandelic acid

Pentavitin

Amino acids
(glycine, leucine, lysine, & arginine)

Sugar alcohols
(Sorbitol, Xylitol)

How do these hydrating ingredients work?

These ingredients are humectants. Humectants are water magnets. They attract water molecules in the atmosphere and pull these water molecules towards them, and thus bring all those water molecules from the atmosphere to the skin’s surface.

So, are all products with these hydrating ingredients equal?

No. Some humectants are stronger than others.
The quantity used also matters for most ingredients. The higher they are on the list, the more effective they are.

Serums, moisturisers, and creams – which hydrating products should I use?

All. Let me explain:

If your skin is dehydrated, use serums rich in humectants. After applying the serum, top it off with a cream or a moisturiser.
If your skin is not dehydrated, daily use of the serums is not required- a few times a week should be okay. These serums will provide the moisture the skin needs and reduce the chances of it becoming dehydrated. Often, the skin might not be dehydrated, but its moisture might not be optimum. Using hydrating serums regularly will help in this regard.
Make sure your moisturisers and creams have effective emollients and occlusives. Use them on top of the hydrating serums.
Emollients soften the skin. They also form a thin layer on top of the skin, act as a semi-shield, and prevent water loss through evaporation.
Occlusives form a thicker layer on top of the skin. They are more effective than emollients in retaining water, but occlusives are thicker and might not suit all skin types.

Should I wait until my skin gets dehydrated & then use these hydrating products?

No. Please don’t. Use these products even if the skin is not dehydrated. Maybe not every day – but frequently.

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Hydration retaining ingredients

Always top off hydrating ingredients (humectants) with a thin layer of ingredients that are either emollients or occlusives. Emollients feel light. Occlusives have a much richer, thicker feel to them. They are more effective but can feel slightly heavier on the skin.

Here are some good emollients…

Mineral oil

Shea butter

Cocoa butter

Petrolatum

Lanolin

Isopropyl palmitate

Bees wax

Stearic acid

Isopropyl palmitate

Various plant and seed oils

Paraffin wax

Squalene

Oleic acid

Linoleic acid

Cetyl alcohol

Propylene glycol

Caprylic/capric triglyceride

Isostearyl palmitate

Skin-barrier strengthening ingredients

A compromised skin barrier is what started this dehydration on the skin in the first place. Here are some ingredients that can strengthen that barrier:

Ceramides

Niacinamide

Colloidal Oatmeal

Peptides

Linoleic acid

Squalane

Panthenol

Shea butter

Cholesterol

Phospholipids

Urea