ALL ABOUT CERAMIDES: HOW THIS MULTI-TASKER WORKS FOR SKIN OF COLOR

Think of any great moisturizer you’ve ever used, and chances are it contains ceramides, powerhouse restorative ingredients that help to nourish skin by protecting its outer layers. Here, more on what these multi-taskers are and what they can do for melanated skin. 

First up, what are ceramides?

Ceramides are basically a class of waxy lipids (or fatty acids) that are naturally found in the outer layer of skin. They make up around 50% of skin’s composition, so they’re super important for helping maintain a healthy skin balance.  

What are their benefits? And what skin concerns do they address?

Ceramides intensely moisturize skin and help to restore its natural protective barrier for a visibly plumper and smoother skin texture. As boosters that protect and moisturize skin, ceramides can be helpful for all skin types but are especially essential for restoring aging, dry, and sensitive skin that needs extra TLC.

Why are they beneficial for skin of color? 

Some studies show that people of color experience a high level of transepidermal water loss (which means the total amount of water lost through the skin when there’s no sweating involved), along with low water and ceramide levels. These findings suggest that added ceramides for retaining moisture levels in the skin can be especially crucial for POC. 

How do they help hyperpigmentation or PIH? 

Because they both moisturize and protect your skin barrier, ceramides can help with limiting signs of skin sensitivity and preventing any inflammation that can cause PIH (or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation). 

How will I know if a product contains ceramides? 

Check out the label for notations like ceramides AP, EOP, NG, NP, or NS. Our Cloud Cushion moisturizer contains a trio of ceramides: NP, AP, and EOP. Our ceramides are a skin-identical lipid concentrate (meaning it resembles the structure of the lipid barrier in the stratum corneum, or the outermost layer of the skin) for enhanced skin moisturization and protection.

How should ceramides be used?

Ceramides play nice with many other ingredients since they already naturally occur in your skin. For the best skin results, you can use them with brightening antioxidants and emollient ingredients (like fatty acids and squalane) that soften and hydrate skin. They’re also gentle enough to pair with acids and retinol.