Cleansing and moisturizing are the key components to maintaining healthy, youthful skin. Cleansing removes dirt, grime, and dead skin cells, but cleansers also have a harmful effect on the skin by drying it out. Moisturizers not only increase the skin's water content, but they also protect the skin and encourage an orderly desquamation (shedding) process that makes the skin appear more smooth.
The number of moisturizers on the market is astounding and most claim to have properties that no other moisturizer has. In this article, we will cover the key ingredients in moisturizers - humectants, occlusives, emollients, and miscellaneous ingredients - and discuss their effects on the skin. Imagine being able to read and understand a moisturizer ingredient label. Grab your moisturizer bottles, jars, and tubes and we'll get started.
Sources:
Del Rosso, James. "Cosmeceutical Moisturizers." Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology - Cosmeceuticals. Ed. Zoe Diana Draelos. Elsevier, 2005. 99-102.
Fluhr, Joachim, et al. "Clinical Effects of Emollients on Skin." Skin Moisturization. Ed. James J. Leyden and Anthony V. Rawlings. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2002. 222-243.
Johnson, Anthony. "The Skin Moisturizer Marketplace." Skin Moisturization. Ed. James J. Leyden and Anthony V. Rawlings. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2002. 7-16.
Loden, Marie. "Moisturizers." Cosmeceuticals and Active Cosmetics - Drugs Versus Cosmetics, 2nd Edition. Ed. Peter Elsner and Howard Maibach. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis Group, 2005.
Rawlings, Anthony, et al. "Humectants." Skin Moisturization. Ed. James J. Leyden and Anthony V. Rawlings. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2002. 248-257.
Rawlings, Anthony, Canestrari, David, and Dobkowski, Brian. "Moisturizer technology versus clinical performance." Dermatologic Therapy Vol 17. 2004: 49-56.
