Do I actually need a moisturiser?

It’s a fair question — especially if your skin doesn’t feel dry, or if you’ve tried moisturisers that felt greasy, heavy, or didn’t sit well on your skin. Skipping it can feel like a reasonable choice.

Whether you need one becomes much clearer once you understand what a moisturiser actually does.

Your skin is always losing water — even when it feels fine

Your skin loses water constantly. It evaporates from your skin’s surface into the air around you — a process called transepidermal water loss (TEWL).

This happens throughout the day, regardless of how your skin feels. The question isn’t whether this is happening — it’s how quickly.

Your skin’s outer layer — the skin barrier — controls that rate.

When it’s working well, your skin barrier slows water loss and helps your skin stay comfortable.

But it doesn’t stop that loss completely. Without support, water can still escape faster than ideal — which is when your skin can start to feel dry or tight.

A moisturiser helps reduce that loss by supporting the skin barrier. That’s its core job.

This applies to every skin type — not just dry skin

Dry skin shows water loss most visibly, which is why moisturiser feels obviously necessary for people who have it.

But oily, combination, and normal skin all lose water in the same way. The process is the same — what differs is how it shows up.

Oily skin is one of the most common reasons people question whether they need a moisturiser, so it’s worth addressing directly.

Oily skin can feel like it already has enough — so adding a moisturiser can seem unnecessary.

But oil doesn’t help your skin hold onto water in the same way.

Your skin can feel oily on the surface and still lose water faster than it should.

When that balance isn’t right, your skin can feel less comfortable — and may start to produce more oil, making it feel even oilier over time.

A moisturiser helps reduce that water loss, which can make your skin feel more balanced overall.

Why a moisturiser can still be useful

Using a moisturiser isn’t about forcing your skin to do something it can’t do on its own.

It’s about support.

A moisturiser helps your skin hold onto water more effectively, which keeps it more comfortable and reduces how quickly dryness or tightness shows up.

With consistent use, this support helps your skin stay more stable day to day.

What this means

Your skin is always losing water.

A moisturiser helps slow that loss and supports your skin barrier so your skin can stay comfortable.