If active ingredients like vitamin C, retinol, and exfoliating acids were the skincare focal point of the previous year, this year is definitely marked by a rise in discussion around skin barrier function. Known as the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of your skin (i.e. the skin barrier) plays a crucial role in your overall skin health, essentially working as a barrier to protect your skin from the external environment by keeping irritants out, as well as locking hydration in and preventing transepidermal water loss.
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Factors like over-exfoliation with AHAs and BHA, harsh cleansers, overwashing your face, and acne treatments can contribute to a damaged skin barrier. Though the accompanying irritation generally makes it easy to tell when you have an impaired skin barrier, telltale signs include redness, peeling skin, scaly texture, sensitivity, and stinging or burning even when applying non-active ingredients. A damaged skin barrier can also lead to issues like eczema, acne breakouts, and fine lines.
To repair a damaged skin barrier, look for a good skin barrier cream; a step above a traditional moisturiser, a barrier cream not only aids in moisturising and hydrating your skin, but the thicker formula also helps support skin barrier function and prevent transepidermal water loss.
What ingredients should you look for in a skin barrier cream?
Good ingredients barrier cream ingredients include ceramides, fatty acids, glycerin, urea, and hyaluronic acid, which work to nourish and repair the skin. Other ingredients like centella asiatica (cica/gotu kola), niacinamide, squalane, and peptides also work to strengthen and maintain the skin barrier.
The 8 best skin barrier creams
1. Avene Cicalfate+ Repairing Protective Cream
Designed to repair dry, cracked skin, Avene Cicalfate+ Repairing Protective Cream uses a combination of zinc sulfate and copper sulfate to reduce bacterial proliferation, while thermal spring water soothes irritation and the rich formula nourishes and heals skin. This French pharmacy staple is ideal for use after adverse reactions to skincare products, or on dry or sensitive skin.
2. Philosophy Cica Complex Recovery Moisturizer
A restorative moisturiser for sensitive, dry, or damaged skin. Cica helps repair and restore skin barrier function while fatty-acid rich shea butter hydrates and comforts the skin. A surprisingly lightweight formula, it soothes and hydrates skin while working well under makeup during the day.
3. Bioderma Sensibio Rich
Another French beauty favourite, the Bioderma Sensibio Rich cream uses two patented complexes to increase the tolerance of sensitive skin and strengthen the skin’s resistance to irritants and external aggressors. Designed for dry to very dry skin, its rich formula soothes feelings of stinging and tightness while improving skin barrier function over time.
4. CeraVe Moisturising Cream
Dermatologically designed, the CeraVe Moisturising Cream contains three types of ceramides – a fatty acid naturally found in skin cells – which work to strengthen the skin barrier and prevent moisture loss, while patented technology provides hydration for 24 hours. This budget-friendly formula is also fragrance-free and suitable for eczema-prone skin.
5. La Mer Crème de la Mer
The original La Mer formula that started it all, this luxurious formula harnesses the power of the brand’s signature miracle broth to strengthen the skin barrier and alleviate dryness. Combined with a combination of mineral oil and petroleum, it provides intense moisture with its thick formula meaning it’s best used at night.
6. Essano Hydrating Rosehip Moisture Restorative Night Crème
Rich in fatty acids, cold-pressed rosehip oil combines with skin-soothing aloe vera, shea butter, and jojoba oil in the Essano Hydrating Rosehip Moisture Restorative Night Crème, working to support the skin barrier and restore moisture lost during the day.
7. Dr Roebuck’s No Worries Face Moisturiser
A lightweight yet effective barrier cream, Dr Roebuck’s No Worries Face Moisturiser uses hyaluronic acid to support hydrated skin, as well as macadamia oil, rosehip oil, and vitamin E to moisturise and provide relief from itchy, dry, tight skin.
8. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5
Combining the therapeutic, anti-inflammatory benefits of madecassoside, a constituent found in the cica plant, with hydrating panthenol (vitamin B5), the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5 is a rich, intensely nourishing balm formula ideal for soothing redness and skin barrier damage, and healing skin after dermatological treatments.
9. Swisse Bio-Retinol Renewing Night Cream
While retinol is definitely an ingredient you should avoid when repairing a damaged skin barrier, the Swisse Bio-Retinol Renewing Night Cream makes use of bakuchiol, a plant-based alternative to vitamin A which boasts the wrinkle-targeting effects of retinol while providing a soothing effect on the skin. Teamed with skin-strengthening polypeptides, this formula soothes and comforts the skin while providing anti-ageing benefits.
9. Ole Henriksen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturiser
Harnessing the skin-strengthening benefits of peptides and ceramides, this luxuriously rich cream works to firm the skin while boosting skin elasticity and reinforcing the skin’s moisture barrier. Enriched with plant-based collagen and hyaluronic acid, its balm-like consistency provides instant relief to sensitised skin and promotes better skin elasticity with continued use.
Words by AR Staff
Feature image by Jean-Baptiste Mondino for Numéro Homme
