Top 5 Moisturizing Ingredients (Plus Other Ways to Hydrate Your Skin)

You’ve probably noticed how the words “moisturizing” and “hydrating” never fail to describe just about every emerging skincare product line. This is because skin moisture level greatly affects the skin’s appearance, texture, and resistance to infection and inflammation.

Dry skin can cause cracks in the skin’s outer layer where germs can enter. It can also feel tender to the touch, sore, and very itchy.

Moisturizers work by rehydrating the outermost layer of the skin cells and lock water in to relieve dryness. This is achieved using three major types of ingredients:

• Humectants – These are ingredients that aid in attracting moisture. Some examples of humectants are hyaluronic acid, ceramides, sorbitol, glycerin, and lecithin.
• Occlusives – These substances help lock in moisture within the layers of the skin. Occlusives include silicone, lanolin, petrolatum (more popularly known as petroleum jelly), and various oils.
• Emollients – These are ingredients with water, oil, and an emulsifier to keep the two separated. These are lighter than oils or petrolatum. Examples of emollients are linolenic, linoleic, and lauric acids.

Here’s a list of the top five personal care ingredients that effectively supplement and lock in skin moisture. Before shopping cosmetics, Saudi Arabia beauty shop recommends looking into these.

Petrolatum

When it comes to skin hydration, petrolatum is one of the oldest solutions available. Commonly known as petroleum jelly, this ingredient serves as an occlusive barrier in most skin care products to reduce the amount of moisture the skin loses over time.

Although petroleum jelly and similar ingredients may not be appealing to people with oily skin due to the sticky consistency (not to mention the tendency to clog the pores), these are essential for those with dry skin. This is because they coat the skin with a protective layer that prevents water from evaporating.

Petrolatum is considered the most effective substance in locking in skin moisture. It works even better if it is combined with humectants such as glycerin.

When using pure petrolatum, it would be best to apply it right after you take a shower to seal in the moisture. But if you’re not keen on the heavy ointment feeling that comes with this, you can opt for moisturizing lotions containing smaller amounts of the substance.

Glycerin

As a humectant, glycerin is an ingredient that draws water into itself. This means that applying the substance to your skin helps replenish moisture supply as well.

Glycerin is probably one of the most common moisturizing ingredients included in skincare products. This is because it was found to be the most effective humectant, according to a 2016 review of common hydrating ingredients.

Take note, however, that this substance may not do well for this purpose in dry environments. Since they draw moisture from the air, the lack thereof would mean it might draw water from the lower layers of your skin. So instead of treating the problem, it may lead to even more dryness.

This is the reason why many products combine an emollient ingredient (e.g., shea butter) with glycerin to keep the skin from drying out.

Hyaluronic Acid

Another humectant commonly found in skin moisturizing products is hyaluronic acid. But did you know that this substance also naturally occurs in your skin to seal water in?

With that said, you may be wondering if such an ingredient is even necessary in your skincare routine. Normally, it isn’t. But as you age, your skin gradually loses hyaluronic acid, which leads to dryness.

For this reason, older people are advised to use skincare products with this ingredient to replenish what they lost and maintain the skin’s capacity to lock in moisture.

People exposed to UV light over extended periods should also consider supplementing their skin’s hyaluronic acid supply. 

Shea Butter

If there’s one ingredient that a lot of beauty products sold online contain, it’s shea butter.

This ingredient, which is categorized as an emollient, is extracted from shea tree nuts. It has an off-white or ivory hue and is solid under warm temperatures.

Shea butter is also easy to spread, making it an excellent addition to products meant to soothe, smooth, and condition the skin. Its moisturizing effects can be attributed to the fatty acids it contains, which include oleic, linoleic, stearic, and palmitic acids.

When applied topically, oils in shea butter are absorbed rapidly into the skin, serving as a moisturizing and “refatting” agent. It helps restore the skin’s lipids and supports the barrier between the outside environment and the skin to reduce dryness and hold moisture better.

Squalane

If you’ve been reading skincare magazines and product labels, you’re probably familiar with the term squalene, a naturally occurring substance in the sebaceous glands of the skin.

But don’t think that the word was accidentally misspelled in this list item – it’s not. Squalane – with an “a” – is a newer ingredient and variant of squalene that feels lighter on the skin while still acting as an emollient. It is absorbed easily into your pores and serves not just as a moisturizing agent, but also as an antioxidant.

In the past, both variants have been used to treat skin problems and wounds. As years passed, squalane continued to fight free radicals while serving as an essential skincare ingredient in products that aim to:

• Treat scars
• Reverse damage from sun exposure
• Improve the appearance of wrinkles
• Brighten freckles
• Smoothen out skin pigmentation

Other Ways to Fix Dry Skin

Besides using products containing the above-listed ingredients, you can also improve dry skin by:

• Cutting showers short

Don’t shower longer than five to 10 minutes every day. Extending your bath might strip away your skin’s natural oils and lead to moisture loss. It is also recommended that you stick to lukewarm water and avoid hot water when bathing.

• Reducing the use of soaps

Switch to soap-free cleansers. Skip soap products that are scented, deodorizing, and alcohol-based because they remove natural oils from the skin. Avoid using fabric softeners as well and swap laundry detergents for fragrance-free variants.

• Resisting scratching

Instead, consider using a moisturizer to control itchiness due to skin dryness. If that doesn’t work, try applying a cold compress or a cold pack onto the itchy areas.

• Using a humidifier

If the air is dry due to air-conditioning or cold weather, consider using a humidifier to boost your home or office’s humidity by up to 60 percent.

• Treating your skin gently

Avoid bath scrubs, sponges, and rough washcloths that may be too abrasive for your skin. Pat your skin dry instead of rubbing it with a towel.

Here’s to Supple, Well-Moisturized Skin

Supple and well-moisturized skin not only looks great, it feels great, too. When buying skincare products online, be on the lookout for the moisturizing ingredients listed here and follow the bonus tips for fixing dry skin.