Key word hydration:
what is the best cream for dry skin?

Everyone dreams of having smooth, taut, wrinkle-free skin. Nobody has perfect skin but there are things we can do to keep it healthy and attractive. The “moisturising effect”, for example, is a frequent indication with skin-care products. Moisture is in fact a key to beautiful skin but is not sufficient in itself.

Nature offers the skin a high level of protection against drying. However, the various stresses and strains to which the skin is exposed nowadays often weaken the natural moistening agents even from a young age. The result is that water evaporates and the surface of the skin dries.

What is more obvious for dry skin than to use a moisturising skin-care product? It is quite simple to bring smoothing moisture to the subcorneous layer simply by rinsing the face with normal water. Unfortunately, this effect is short-lived; it might last 30 minutes. In addition, moisturising with water is a highly unsuitable remedy for dry skin and it is much more appropriate to use a cosmetic product. But which one?

What the skin really needs

The upper parts of the skin which are affected by cosmetics consist of the subcorneous layer and the sealing hydrolipid film. They have three needs:
- adequate moisture
- NMF (natural moisturising factors)
- intact cell membranes including lipids such as oil and wax.

The skin is healthy and fresh when it receives adequate quantities of fat (lipids) and moisture at the same time rather than in succession. This is precisely what a good, balanced cream emulsion provides, with the best oils and a few good active ingredients. Even though a great deal of emphasis is placed on moisture, lipids and fats have an important role to play when choosing a basic skin-care product. This is true for normal skin and above all for dry skin, which is often described as sensitive.

The word “fat” does not sound particularly nice, as naturally nobody wants to have a layer of fat on their skin. This is not the case, as modern creams can be worked into the skin very successfully. Good natural and organic cosmetics contain appetising ingredients such as olive oil, sesame oil or macadamia nut oil as fats. They therefore use ingredients with which we are familiar in the kitchen. In general, a cream containing an adequate lipid content tends to be easier to apply.

Very dry skin tends to show fine lines and wrinkles earlier and requires special care in terms of moisturising and fatty products. Both are equally important. A light fatty later would offer ideal protection against a loss of moisture in the skin. This is a problem during the day and during leisure time the use of night creams is recommended in addition to a day cream. Skin-care products for dry skin contain a higher content and are intended to leave behind a thin fatty layer in order to protect and regenerate the skin.

The best basic ingredients for beautiful skin

Nature provides a host of high-quality ingredients for creams with effective moisturising skin-care characteristics. The most important ingredients are plant oils, as they are all genuine plant oils which, with the plant extracts, create a real cocktail of active agents with a range of highly-effective ingredients.
Fatty active oils are particularly significant. They are essentially obtained from very small seeds and are characterised by a high content of essential fatty acids. Essential means that the body needs them but cannot produce them itself. These oils keep the skin elastic and support its natural regeneration. This has a particularly positive effect on dry, sensitive skin.

Excellent oils for skin care and moisturising include:
• Shea butter. Penetrates successfully into the skin, softens it, retains moisture and encourages the absorption of other active ingredients. INCI: Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)
• Apricot kernel oil has an excellent moisturising effect and can also be applied pure to the skin for extra care. INCI: Prunus armeniaca (apricot) kernel oil
• Argan oil is also an ideal ingredient for dry skin. It combats premature ageing and minimises the appearance of wrinkles. INCI: Argania spinosa kernel oil
• Kiwi seed oil maintains moisture very well and promotes the regeneration of cells. INCI: Actinidia chinensis seed oil
• Wild rose oil is rich in vitamins and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It maintains moisture and softens and smoothes out rough skin. INCI: Rosa Canina fruit oil
• Evening primrose oil contains a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids and promotes the skin’s moisturising capacity. INCI: Oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oil
• Grape seed oil contains a high proportion of essential fatty acids and possesses effective lipid-regulating characteristics. INCI: Vitis vinifera (grape) seed oil
Other essential elements for an effective cream include nurturing, smoothing, protecting basic oils such as olive fruit oil, sesame seed oil, jojoba seed oil, sweet almond oil, macadamia nut oil and avocado oil.

Moisturiser: the top 5

The natural moisturising factor of the skin (NMF) consists of substances which maintain water and can be released by water. Similar substances are added as active ingredients to skin-care products in order to increase the skin’s moisture content.

Glycerine. Traditional glycerine offers proof that new is not always better. All measurements show that glycerine is incredibly effective as a moisturiser for the skin. However, it must be carefully measured as too high a dose dries the skin out.
Hyaluronic acid. This makes the skin soft and smooth as it produces a film which fixes the horny-layer cells and maintains moisture.
Urea. Urea is experiencing a real boom as a moisturising active ingredient. However, it cannot compete with glycerine as a moisturiser.
Aloe vera. Aloe vera is a tried and tested plant-based moisturiser for dry, rough skin. Its main active ingredients are minerals, enzymes, vitamins and amino acids.
Algae. Algae extracts and effective moisturisers which also protect the skin against free radicals.
Other effective moisturising agents used in natural and organic cosmetics include amino acids, the sugar alcohol sorbitol, sodium lactate and sodium PCA. Sodium PCA is one of the skin’s main natural moisturisers and is therefore an effective ingredient for maintaining moisture.

Summer fresh: liquids or gels

These products are considered to be particularly light and refreshing. Most of the very light formulations, like the liquid, consist of a mixture of gel and emulsion.

• Because a liquid also contains a certain proportion of lipophilic ingredients (fat components), it may be sufficient for a skin which tends to be greasy. These products may also be used as summer care for normal skins. However, they should not be used as a replacement for a day cream.
• Gel creators (thickeners) play a decisive role in traditional gels. They create a framework with spaces which can maintain large quantities of moisture. A pure gel can be used as a special product as an effective moisturiser. They may be used in the summer, for example, as an eye-care product or as a moisturising boost for the face. However, they cannot replace basic skin-care products (day and night creams).
• Serum is also generally considered as a special product which should be used in addition to normal day-care products.

The right product for dry skin

• Skin which is lacking in moisture should only be cleaned with very mild products. If the skin is dry, it is not necessary to clean it in the morning with a special product. Simply freshen the face with water and a face tonic before applying a day cream.
• If you have the feeling that you need to apply cream every few hours, something is wrong. It may be helpful to give the skin a “detox” by dispensing with a cleaning product in the morning, using a balanced cream emulsion for the corresponding skin type and leaving the skin overnight so that it can regenerate itself with its own resources. A skin that receives excessive skin care can soon become a problem skin.
• Special products such as treatment preparations or masks should only be applied occasionally and for specific purposes, as required by the skin. Peelings should also only been used to a limited degree.
• No cosmetic products can make up for what the skin lacks in internal strength. Models advise drinking lots of water for a good reason. It is just as important to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.