Your skin wants to drink! Moisturising ingredients in cosmetics

On hot days, we think above all of large quantities of cool drinks… Our skin also badly needs water because only well-hydrated skin will remain elastic, taut and resistant to drying out. In other words, simply healthy and youthful. Over the years, however, the skin’s ability to self-hydrate and retain water decreases.

 

How much water should we drink

We lose around 2.5 litres of water every day – through evaporation from the skin, from the respiratory tract or through urine. Nutritionists remind us to drink approx. 2 litres of fluid per day (depending on our gender, physical activity, quantity and quality of meals consumed). The balance should also be balanced by the water contained in solid food and metabolic water – produced by our body’s chemical processes. However, the amount of water we drink has little effect on the hydration level of the skin, as it is not able to reach the outer layer of the skin. One of the causes of dry skin is staying in dry, air-conditioned and heated rooms. On the other hand, in hot weather, water escapes, i.e. evaporates, through intense solar heating and high temperatures. Bathing in sea water and strong winds, e.g. at the seaside, are also drying. Often, therefore, after a holiday our skin becomes rough and dry, loses its firmness and radiance. On the other hand, skin that is constantly dry ages more quickly.

 

skin hydration

The skin is an organ impermeable to moisture, so we will not moisturise it with frequent baths. On the contrary, after a long soaking, the epidermis becomes rough and definitely drier. This is because water washes away part of the natural hydro-lipid barrier, which protects the skin and above all retains water and prevents excessive evaporation. Moisturisers therefore aim to stop water escaping and protect the hydro-lipid barrier. The NMF (Natural Moisturising Factor), or natural moisturising factor, is responsible for the ideal hydration of our skin. NMF is a natural, water-soluble substance produced in the epidermis. It consists mainly of amino acids and their derivatives. A decrease in the level of NMF is the cause of moisture loss and results in a feeling of tightness and roughness, as well as flaking and chapping of the epidermis.

 

How to moisturise the skin

Adequate skin moisturisation largely depends on, among other things:

– the number of the skin’s sebaceous glands and the level of sebum secretion;

– the method and preparations for daily make-up removal and skin cleansing;

– the preparations we choose for skin care;

– sun protection and other aggressive factors,

Most popular moisturising ingredients

Hyaluronic acid (Gr. “hyalos” – glassy) – belongs to the group of polysaccharides, or complex sugars, and is a natural component of the dermis and connective tissue. It has strong hygroscopic properties, i.e. it binds and stores water in the tissue, and is thus responsible for the proper hydration of the skin, its cohesion, elasticity and firmness. As an ingredient in cosmetic preparations, its ability to penetrate the skin is strictly dependent on the size of its molecule. Both macromolecular and low-molecular hyaluronic acid are used in Chantarelle preparations.

Urea – a component of NMF, the skin’s natural moisturising factor. Has a moisturising effect – in concentrations up to 10% and an exfoliating effect in higher concentrations, increases the permeability of the stratum corneum. Reduces transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and increases lipid biosynthesis. Softens, refreshes and makes the skin more supple. Reduces roughness and soothes irritation.

Lactic acid – a natural moisturising ingredient and also one of the basic components of NMF. By reducing the level of transepidermal water loss (TEWL – Transepidermal Water Loss) and the level of evaporation from the epidermis, it binds water in the epidermis and restores the tightness of the hydro-lipid barrier. At a content of more than 5% in a cosmetic preparation – it has a keratolytic and slightly exfoliating effect, activating the mechanisms of renewal and regeneration of collagen and elastin fibres. Cleanses the skin, softens, evens out colour, improves elasticity and firmness; provides excellent hydration also of deeper skin layers.