The 5 Best Skincare Ingredients For Hydrated Winter Skin
Icy temperatures outside coupled with dry air inside is the perfect recipe for stressed winter skin. Redness, dry patches, and feelings of tightness are skin conditions that are seemingly synonymous with the season, but they don't have to be.
To replenish the skin's lipids and pamper it with plenty of moisture, try adding these five ingredients to your daily skincare routine.
Squalane
Mainly derived from olive oil, squalane provides the skin with a protective layer without leaving a greasy feeling. The hydrating ingredient strengthens the skin's natural lipidic layer and improves its ability to absorb other ingredients, resulting in skin that is intensively moisturized, sans dry patches. The active ingredient is suitable for all skin types.
Panthenol
Panthenol is a proven skincare ingredient. The provitamin, which converts to vitamin B5 in the skin, counteracts inflammation, soothes itchiness and irritation, and preserves the skin's moisture through its water-binding properties. The active ingredient also supports the production of new cells and strengthens the natural skin barrier. It is very well tolerated and therefore ideal even for sensitive skin.
Urea
Urea is considered one of the oldest and best-known active ingredients for the treatment of dry skin. It quickly penetrates the skin's top layer and protects it from moisture loss by regulating the skin's water content. In addition, the ingredient has a keratolytic effect, supporting cell turnover and leaving the skin looking supple.
Hyaluronic acid
It is impossible to make a guide on skincare without including hyaluronic acid. HA is considered the moisturizer par excellence, and naturally occurs in our body as a polysaccharide made of sugar molecules. It stores up to a thousand times its weight in water, regenerating the skin and ensuring a youthful, radiant appearance. Rich skincare products with a combination of short-chain and long-chain hyaluronic acid are the ideal choice; while the short-chain molecules penetrate deep into the skin, cushioning it from within and softening fine lines, the larger molecules provide intensive moisturization of the epidermis.
Ectoin
The ingredient ectoin is known as a "stress protection molecule" — perfect for winter-battered skin. The substance was first discovered in microorganisms, which use it to protect their cells and thus resist even extreme environmental conditions. The ingredient works similarly on the skin: it binds water molecules to form a stable water layer which protects against external influences like a shield. Applied over a longer period of time, the skin is lastingly provided with moisture.
