Your skin barrier is the protective shield that protects your skin from outside harsh environments and triggers. The skin barrier acts as the first defense for your body. It helps in locking the moisture in. This creates a protective film that protects from the outside environment.
This barrier could get damaged or compromised due to harsh chemicals, harsh weather or even over-exfoliation can damage the barrier of the skin. This leads to extreme dryness, itching or redness on the face. Now in order to preserve the barrier layer of the skin you need to choose right skincare products which do not harm the barrier.
Gentle cleansing is the first step of skincare which matters a lot for protecting the skin barrier. If you use a harsh cleanser it would totally strip the moisture barrier of the skin with time.
So opt for a gentle cleanser which is formulated using suitable ingredients which do not strip the moisture barrier. It aligns with the pH of the skin as well and helps keep the skin protected. This gentle cleanser with right moisturizing and mild cleansing agents serve the purpose best and becomes a key choice.
Understanding skin barrier
The skin barrier being considered as the outermost layer of the skin is also called the stratum corneum. Skin cells, ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids which help in maintaining the moisture on the skin combine to make the skin barrier.
The pH of the skin barrier or outer layer is around 5.5 ideally. This protective film helps in locking the moisture along with protecting the skin from outside triggers. It protects skin from all the triggers. It is the first line of defense from harsh environmental and climatic changes, restriction of bacterial entry, toxins, allergens in the skin.
The skin barrier gets affected or breaks when the moisture is stripped from the skin making it exposed to outside harsh triggers.
Factors affecting the skin barrier:
- Over exfoliation
- Hot water
- Aggressive cleansers
- Environmental changes
Why are traditional cleansers not suitable?
Harsh cleansers are not the top choice for a compromised skin barrier. Traditional cleansers are formulated using harsh sulfate based surfactants which upon cleansing strip the moisture barrier of the skin.
This excessive stripping causes rapid transepidermal water loss which might make the skin excessively dehydrated, flaky and dry. Moreover these products have a highly alkaline pH which might not be suitable for the skin and disrupt the acidic mantle of the skin as well.
It allows invasion of bacteria, fungi and other infections. These harsh cleansers won’t help in protecting the skin barrier at all. Instead, it would strip the barrier and make the compromised barrier even worse. This results in skin dryness, redness or inflammation.
Gentle cleansers for the skin
A gentle cleanser for the skin helps in lifting off the impurities from the skin without disrupting the skin barrier at all. These cleansers are the best for sensitive or damaged skin barriers.
They help in gently cleansing the skin because of the presence of mild cleansing surfactants that help in cleansing without causing damage to the skin along with moisturizing the skin.
Properties of a gentle cleanser
- It must be able to gently lift off the impurities from the skin
- It should be formulated using mild or non-ionic surfactants instead of harsh sulphates
- It should align with the pH of the face
- It should not have very strong harsh foaming action, low foaming or non-foaming action is best
List of ingredients in a gentle cleanser
| Category | Ingredient | Purpose |
| Cleansing agent | Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate | Helps in producing a gentle rich foam for clearing buildup by lifting it from the skin and gets derived from coconut |
| Cocamidopropyl Betaine | An amphoteric surfactant that helps in mild cleansing because its soft textured foam | |
| Barrier supporting ingredients | Ceramides | Help in replenishing the ceramides in the skin which help in repairing the skin barrier and locks the moisture in the skin |
| Allantoin | Delivers triple benefits to the skin by soothing, moisturizing and repairing the skin barrier | |
| Moisturizing agents | Glycerin | A natural humectant which pulls the moisture right into the skin making it look moisturized by sealing moisture |
| Hyaluronic acid | Humectant that has water attracting action into the skin and helps greatly by holding water molecules that hydrate the skin and make it look plump | |
| Active ingredients | Glycolic acid | Chemical exfoliant that helps in removing the surface impurities from the skin. Glycolic acid face wash works for brightening the skin providing an even tone |
| Salicylic acid | A beta hydroxy acid which dives into pores of skin and helps in clearing buildup of impurities from the skin |
Skincare routine for barrier protection
- Wash face with water
- Use a gentle cleanser for cleansing the skin but do not over exfoliate the face with it
- Pat dry your face after rinsing the face wash
- Apply a light textured toner to settle the pH of the face
- Now apply your hydrating moisturizer to seal the moisture, it must be non comedogenic
- After that apply a broad spectrum sunscreen to protect skin from harsh UV rays
Final thoughts
Following a well-structured skincare routine to repair the damaged skin barrier is most vital. Cleansing is the first step of skincare so extra care should be conducted while choosing your cleanser to protect the barrier of the skin. Always look for subtle cleansing agents with suitable barrier repair ingredients for your face.
