Adult bodies comprise anywhere between 55-60 per cent water. This can differ depending on your gender, but the equation between water and skin is more or less consistent. The skin is our largest organ—it stores water and prevents water loss. Celebrities with great skin always talk about drinking endless litres of water. And there is truth to it contributing to skin health. Your entire body benefits from proper hydration and, as an extension, so does your skin. Healthy hydration habits translate to great skin—that’s skincare at its simplest.
But, did you know there are well-proven theories and methods about how you can benefit from smart, topical water application on the skin, aka skin hydration? If not, let us introduce you to hydrating skin products known as humectants. And even if you think you know all about them, chances are you’re getting a few details wrong. Dermatologist Dr Ruby Tandon helps demystify these seemingly simple game changers for us.
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What are humectants?
“Humectants for skin are substances that attract water from the air or from deeper in the skin,” said Dr Tandon. Humectant uses include restoring moisture in both the skin and hair. They draw water from the air or from within the product itself like a sponge and bind it to your skin’s top layer. They’re present in most serums, lotions and, moisturisers, and even in SPF. You might already be familiar with them—a typical humectant moisturiser will list hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, glycerin, honey, ceramides, fatty acids, collagen or lecithin as some of its ingredients.
“Humectants can be beneficial for any skin type since all require some degree of hydration,” elaborates Dr Tandon. And why are they so crucial for skincare? The math on how much water your skin needs to stay healthy is simple. Well-hydrated skin won’t be dry, will have fewer wrinkles, and depending on the type of humectant you use, it can help exfoliate and remove dead skin as well.
Is it really that simple?
Yes, and no. Humectants do have the power to hold between 100-1000 times their weight in water—imagine that glow! However, the catch here is based on how hydrating skin products are used. “The way you use humectants is important,” says Dr Tandon. She cautions that if you use them incorrectly, they might even make your skin drier.
Dr Tandon reveals, "Humectants can be dry skin’s bestie or worst enemy. The problems start when there is little humidity in the air, and the humectant is applied several times daily. It will begin to steal hydration from deeper skin layers, which in turn can dry out the skin.” Therefore, using a humectant can be incredibly counterproductive if you live in an area with a drier climate or less humidity in the air.
For moisturising benefits, apply a humectant for skin directly to damp skin—either after cleansing or after spritzing with a face mist—so that it has moisture to pull from.
Skin hydration with humectants
“There isn’t any one single best face moisturiser for your skin,” adds Dr Tandon, while talking about the best skin hydration products. She reveals our health depends on changing seasons, current skin conditions, as well as skin type. Depending on all these factors, you may need to include one, two or three types of moisturisers. Her recommendation? Identify your favourite humectant and follow it up with an emollient and occlusive.
Emollients are moisturising ingredients that soften the skin, help keep it supple, and decrease inflammation, making it feel more comfortable or less itchy. Emollients include butters, oils, esters, lipids, and fatty acids, which are also known to help rebuild skin barrier function and prevent dryness.
Occlusives are moisturising ingredients that create a physical barrier on the skin to prevent trans-epidermal water loss and lock in hydration. While selecting an occlusive, ingredients to look out for include petroleum jelly, silicone, dimethicone, allantoin, jojoba oil and evening primrose oil.
Remember, a good humectant draws in moisture, the occlusive locks it in, and the emollient keeps the skin soft, smooth and silky.
A friendly reminder
Humectants are particularly effective for those with oily or acne-prone skin since they don’t leave any additional layer on the skin, avoiding the risk of clogging pores. Hyaluronic acid, Hyaluronic acid, a moisture magnet that hydrates the skin inside out, is the star humectant. But, it must be applied on damp skin for it to work. If applied on dry skin, it will have the opposite effect. Trying to attract water from any source, it will tap into the reserves you have in the deeper layers of your skin, which may already be low to begin with. So bring on the humectants but not without an external source of moisture for them to do their thing with.
