USA: The utilization of a moisturizer (lotion or cream) that contains both natural moisturizing factors (NMFs) and ceramides is better than a ceramide cream alone for improving barrier function, maintaining skin hydration, and reducing the clinical sequela linked with dry skin, says a new study.

"The marked improvement in skin moisturization following utilization of the formulation of ceramide plus MMF-enriched lotion and cream versus ceramide-based cream can be due to the inherent properties of the natural moisturizing factors," the researchers wrote in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.

These properties are known to maintain the stratum corneum's intercellular lipid membrane and humectancy, which directly improves the permeability barrier function of human skin in decreasing transepidermal water loss.
The skin is a complex barrier composed of stratified epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. The skin's primary function is to maintain a physical barrier against external exposures, preventing entry of harmful substances and maintaining physiologic water content. The epidermis' permeability barrier function prevents excessive fluid gain or loss from the body within the stratum corneum (SC), the outer portion of the epidermis.
When the skin is compromised by external and exogenous environmental exposures, permeability barrier function is compromised leading to increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This predisposes the skin to adverse sequelae of xerosis; decreased resiliency; microfissuring; natural elastic recoil, scaling, and hyperkeratosis; and an increased risk of microbial infections. The water content inside the SC is required to maintain the functional and structural integrity of the skin and the multiple functions of the skin barrier.
Topical skincare products, including lotions, creams, and ointments have been used widely to protect and maintain skin barrier structure and function. Ceramides are frequently included ingredients in many topical skin moisturizers due to their established major importance in skin barrier functions, and their impairment and/or quantitative reduction in several environmental or disease-associated scenarios; many formulations also have NMFs to further enhance the maintenance of skin barrier function by including compounds found in the innate epidermal barrier.
Against the above background, Hilary E. Baldwin, Acne Treatment and Research Center, Brooklyn, NY, and colleagues aimed to examine the effects of 2 ceramide plus NMF-enriched formulations versus a ceramide-based cream on skin moisturization.
For this purpose, the research team conducted two double-blinded comparative studies enrolling 35 (n=29 females, n=6 males) and 33 (n=21 females, n=12 males) participants. Participants applied ceramide plus natural moisturizer cream or ceramide-based cream (study 1) or applied ceramide plus natural moisturizing factor lotion or ceramide-based cream (study 2). The cram was applied to their lower legs for ten days with a 5-day regression period (no moisturizer applied).
The researchers conducted skin hydration by corneometry after bilateral application once daily for each leg in both groups.
The researchers found an increase in corneometer units vs baseline for the ceramide plus NMF-enriched cream and NMF-enriched lotion to be greater than the increase versus baseline for the ceramide-based cream at days 10 and 15. An overall statistical significance favored the ceramide plus natural moisturizing factor-enriched formulations at day 10.
Reference:
doi:10.36849/JDD.8172