Hydration vs Moisture and Why You Need Both for Your Skin
Did you know that skin hydration and moisture aren’t the same thing? Or that you need to consider BOTH to support glowing and healthy skin? If this is news to you, you’re in luck—we’re breaking it all down today!
- What Is Hydration?
- How Does Hydration Affect Our Skin?
- What Causes Dehydration?
- How to Maintain Healthy Hydration
- Hydration Recap
- What Is Moisture?
- How Does Moisture Affect Our Skin?
- What Causes Moisture Loss?
- How to Maintain Healthy Moisture Levels
- What Are Emollients and Occlusives?
- Moisture Recap
- Skin Balancing Routines for Your Skin Type
WHAT IS SKIN HYDRATION?
Skin hydration is all about water, whereas moisture is all about oils. Having hydrated skin comes down to making sure that the water levels within your skin are sufficient so that it can perform all of its necessary functions at a regular frequency. When you are dehydrated, your body will limit non-essential functions in favor of protecting your internal organs…and unfortunately having plump, fresh skin does not make the list!
The good news is that we can replenish dehydrated skin with both internal and topical hydration, and it’s best to do both. AKA, make sure to drink enough water and eat fresh foods for internal hydration, and use skincare products with hydrating ingredients for topical hydration. Hydration mists like the Rose Essential Hydration Mist can attract water from the outside in!
According to the lay press, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated (source). Although this is not supported by medical literature, it is definitely a common issue to be under hydrated. Not sure if it’s you? Check out these signs that your skin may be dry vs dehydrated.
HOW DOES HYDRATION AFFECT OUR SKIN?
We mentioned that the body will de-prioritize some of our skin functions in favor of internal organs, but what does that look like?
Since our skin is 64% water, the effects can be extensive! (source)
Skin hydration is very important not only to give us a plump glow, but also to help provide a healthy atmosphere for our skin’s protective defenses. For example, the microbiome needs hydration to maintain a proper pH for flora to thrive and fight against pathogenic invaders. Without a balanced microbiome, we are vulnerable to infections (including acne).
According to a study on the link between water consumption and skin, “Cutaneous water content is known to play an important role in different skin functions, such as the water “barrier” function or the “envelope” function, and water deficiency is associated with several dermatological dysfunctions.”
Hydration also improves our skin’s appearance in many ways, including reducing visibility of fine lines and wrinkles and helping prevent excess oil that causes congestion. Hydration also helps the flow of lymph, which can de-puff your face.
WHAT CAUSES DEHYDRATION?
Dehydration occurs naturally throughout the day if we are not hydrating frequently, as a result of bodily processes using up our water content. As one study explains, “Dehydration results when water losses from the body exceed water replacement.” This can often occur during scenarios that cause us to need more water than usual, including the following:
- Sweating
- Increased body temperature
- Dry climates
- Sun exposure
- Certain medications
- Alcohol consumption
- Smoking
- Hormonal imbalance
- Menstruation
- Salt and sugar consumption
- Dietary changes
- Stress (especially chronic stress)
- Other health conditions
- And more!
With so many potential causes of increased water loss, it is easy to not realize when you need more water than usual and end up dehydrated.
During illness, high exertion, or injury, we may even experience isotonic water loss: when water and sodium are lost together. According to a study on dehydration, “Causes of isotonic water loss are vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, burns, intrinsic kidney disease, hyperglycemia, and hypoaldosteronism.” In this scenario, make sure to replenish both water and electrolytes!
HOW TO MAINTAIN HEALTHY HYDRATION
If you’ve been following along, you are most likely wondering how to prevent dehydration at this point. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are our top tips to support your hydration:
Internal Hydration:
- Drink 8-12 glasses of water per day
- Eat hydration packed foods
- Limit dehydrating foods and drinks (excess sodium, sugars, alcohol)
- Replenish electrolytes after isotonic water loss such as sweating
- Create a healthy sleep schedule
- Exercise regularly
- Avoid smoking
- Pursue medical care for hormonal imbalance or other conditions
Topical Hydration:
- Use humectants in your daily skincare
- Avoid drying ingredients such as alcohol and strong astringents in your skincare products
- Avoid over-exfoliating with the use of AHA/BHA (such as glycolic acid and salicylic acid), retinoids, and benzoyl peroxide products
WHAT ARE HUMECTANTS?
Humectants are substances with the ability to draw water from the environment into their vicinity. These are what you need for topical hydration. In skincare, they are often used in combination with substances that help retain this water to allow your skin to absorb it.
These are our favorite humectant ingredients:
- Honey (both humectant and occlusive)
- Glycerin
- Hyaluronic acid
- Aloe vera
- Cupuaçu butter
- Hydrosols
- Niacinamide
Hibiscus Exfoliating Mud with honey
Rose Essential Hydration Mist with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and niacinamide
Vitamin C Regenerative Balm with cupuaçu butter
HYDRATION RECAP
Phew, that was a lot of information, right? If you skimmed through, here’s all you really need to know:
- Hydration is about the water levels in your skin. Since your skin is 64% water, it can struggle to perform important functions without it.
- Dehydration happens when your rate of water loss exceeds the rate of replenishment.
- Your rate of water loss can increase based on external factors like diet, weather, health conditions, and exertion.
- Hydrated skin is more plump, less congested, and more able to protect us from acne-causing bacteria.
- Hydrated skin looks like a reduction of the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, enhanced skin elasticity, balanced oil production, improved skin barrier function.
- Hydrated skin is less likely to be prone to irritation and appearance of redness.
- Hydrate your skin internally through water intake and diet, and externally by adding humectants to your skincare.
Alright, now we’re on to moisture!
WHAT IS SKIN MOISTURE?
As we said before, whereas hydration is about water, moisture is about oils.
The skin barrier is rich in lipids (oils) which have a key role in our skin health and are naturally produced. The rate of oil production depends on your skin type (more on this soon).
Now, a lot of us tend to think that oils on our skin are BAD—they cause acne, right? Well, not exactly. While excess oil production is not our friend, healthy balanced oil production is necessary for maintaining our hydration, as well as upholding the skin barrier (which actually protects us from acne-causing bacteria). Without these oils, our skin will become dehydrated as well as being vulnerable to attack.
Thankfully, the benefits of a good skin moisturizer are extensive. A study on moisturizers found that they can bring some serious improvements:
Moisturizers improve skin barrier repair, maintain skin’s integrity and appearance … by directly providing water to the skin from their water phase and increasing occlusion to reduce trans-epidermal water loss … Furthermore, moisturizer application smooths skin surface by filling spaces between partially desquamated skin flakes and restores the ability of the intercellular lipid bilayers to absorb, retain and redistribute water.
Wow! But how do you know when you need a skin moisturizer? Spoiler, having an oily skin type does not make you exempt. Let’s look at signs of moisture loss…
HOW DOES MOISTURE AFFECT OUR SKIN?
Even if we are hydrated, without moisture, we will be at risk for quickly losing this hydration through Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). TEWL is when the lower layers of the skin (dermis) lose water to the environment via the upper layers of the skin (epidermis). So for every risk associated with dehydration, lack of moisture can lead to the same things if our skin gives up the moisture we provided to our surroundings!
Furthermore, some of the protective microbes in our skin barrier’s microbiome feed off of these natural lipids, so we can starve them away by not protecting a healthy layer of moisture on the skin’s surface. We need these microbes to protect our skin from infections, including acne.
A lack of moisture can also signal the body to produce sebum which may not always be welcome. Sudden moisture loss can prompt your body to replace lipids quickly, but it may overcompensate, leading to clogged pores and sometimes acne. (This unfortunate feedback loop is why you still need to learn about balancing your moisture even if you have oily skin!)
WHAT CAUSES MOISTURE LOSS?
Like dehydration, moisture loss may be caused by many factors, and some of it is due to natural processes such as aging. However, with the right information, we can prevent contributing to moisture loss and help re-balance our skin when it is lacking.
- Over-stripping the oil on the skin with harsh habits
- Loss of moisture in the air
- Certain medication changes
- Hormonal imbalance
- Aging
- Nutrient deficiencies such as low omega-3’s
- Diet high in processed foods
- Other health conditions
- And more!
With moisture loss causing dehydration along with problems of its own, it’s important to remember this part of skin care!
HOW TO MAINTAIN HEALTHY MOISTURE LEVELS
Healthy moisture levels often come down to topical adjustments, compared to the many internal factors of dehydration. And the good news is that some of the solution is just about letting your skin do its thing! Here are our top tips to support your skin’s moisture:
Internal:
- Keep a nutritionally balanced diet
- Consume healthy fats, especially omega-3’s
- Create a healthy sleep schedule
- Avoid smoking
- Pursue medical care for hormonal imbalance or other conditions
Topical:
- Use emollients and occlusives in your daily skincare
- Choose moisturizers that fit your skin type to avoid congestion
- Increase use of moisturizers in dry environments
- Avoid using harsh products that strip your skin’s natural oils
- Avoid over-exfoliating that strips your outer layers of skin
WHAT ARE EMOLLIENTS AND OCCLUSIVES?
Emollients and occlusives help protect the outer layer of your skin barrier. Everyone can benefit from these ingredients—it just depends on what your skin needs are! (Read below for skin type specific routines.)
Emollients are hydrocarbons found in oils (such as fatty acids) which improve skin barrier function, membrane fluidity, and cell signaling. Their benefits result in overall improvement of skin texture and appearance.
These are our favorite emollient ingredients:
- Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil
- Prickly Pear Oil
- Pomegranate Oil
- Rosehip Oil
- Chia Seed Oil
- Evening Primrose Oil
Vitamin C Regenerative Balm with prickly pear seed oil, pomegranate oil, and evening primrose oil
Sea Berry Facial Oil with sea buckthorn berry oil, pomegranate oil, and prickly pear seed oil
Rose Nourishing Facial Oil with rosehip oil, chia seed oil, pomegranate oil, evening primrose oil
Occlusives are oils and waxes which form an inactive layer on the skin surface to physically block water evaporation from the skin (Transepidermal Water Loss). Their benefits prevent dehydration with an effective moisture layer, as well as helping protect the skin from pathogens by fortifying the skin barrier.
These are our favorite occlusive ingredients:
- Honey (both humectant and occlusive)
- Cupuaçu Butter (both humectant and occlusive)
- Shea Butter
- Beeswax
- Kokum Butter
- Coconut Oil
Vitamin C Regenerative Balm with beeswax, cupuaçu butter, and shea butter
Rose Body Butter with kokum butter, coconut oil, shea butter, and cupuaçu butter
Hibiscus Exfoliating Mud with honey
MOISTURE RECAP
Too long; didn’t read? Here’s the takeaways:
- Moisture is about the lipid layer of your skin. Without supporting this layer, all of your hard-earned hydration can quickly evaporate away.
- Moisturizers can bridge a damaged skin barrier (like flaky skin) to allow it to continue necessary processes.
- In general, threats to our skin moisture levels are more external compared to the combination of internal and external causes of dehydration; it is most important to not strip away our skin’s lipid layer.
- Moisturized skin has a healthy skin barrier that can hold in water while blocking out pathogens, and it appears softer and smoother.
- Moisturize your skin internally with a nutritionally balanced diet and topically by using emollients and occlusives in your skincare routine.
SKIN BALANCING ROUTINES FOR YOUR SKIN TYPE
No matter what skin type you have, there is one rule to keep in mind:
Layer hydrating ingredients (humectants) before moisturizing ingredients (emollients and occlusives) to hydrate, then seal in moisture.
If you have dry skin, you will need to add a lot of moisture, whereas if you have oily skin, you will want to add a lighter oil that plays nicely with your natural lipids. Here are our hydration + moisture recommendations for each skin type!
DRY SKIN
Hydrate (AM+PM) with Humectants from the Rose Essential Hydration Mist or the Neroli Clarifying Complexion Mist
Moisturize (AM) with Emollients from the Rose Nourishing Facial Oil
Moisturize (PM) with Occlusives from the Vitamin C Regenerative Balm
OR
Hydrate (AM+PM) with Humectants from the Rose Essential Hydration Mist or the Neroli Clarifying Complexion Mist
Moisturize (AM+PM) with Occlusives from the Vitamin C Regenerative Balm
Rose Essential Hydration Mist with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and niacinamide
Neroli Clarifying Complexion Mist with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and niacinamide
Rose Nourishing Facial Oil with rosehip oil, chia seed oil, pomegranate oil, evening primrose oil
Vitamin C Regenerative Balm with beeswax, cupuaçu butter, and shea butter
COMBINATION SKIN
Hydrate (AM+PM) with Humectants from the Rose Essential Hydration Mist
Moisturize (AM) with Emollients from the Sea Berry Balancing Facial Oil
Moisturize (PM) with Occlusives from the Vitamin C Regenerative Balm
Rose Essential Hydration Mist with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and niacinamide
Neroli Clarifying Complexion Mist with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and niacinamide
Sea Berry Facial Oil with sea buckthorn berry oil, pomegranate oil, and prickly pear seed oil
Vitamin C Regenerative Balm with beeswax, cupuaçu butter, and shea butter
OILY SKIN
Hydrate (AM+PM) with Humectants from the Neroli Clarifying Mist
Moisturize (AM+PM) with Emollients from the Herbal Clarifying Facial Oil
Neroli Clarifying Mist with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, and niacinamide
Herbal Clarifying Facial Oil with pomegranate oil, and evening primrose oil