What's the Deal With Lipids In Skincare?

Alright, folks – be honest – why do you exercise and spend hours meal prepping a healthy spread every Sunday? Your answer is probably something along the lines of: It keeps me in good shape or my body feels at its most powerful when I take care of it. Similar to how eating right and exercising regularly helps you maintain the strength of your body, utilizing lipids in skincare can reinforce and toughen your skin (AKA your largest organ!).

To keep you from starving your skin any longer, we’ve compiled a guide to lipids in skincare. Here’s a look:

WTF Is a Lipid and Why Are Lipids In Skincare?

You’ve probably heard of things like cholesterol and fatty acids in your diet, but did you know these compounds – called lipids – are already in your skin? They play a role in your skin’s natural repair process and are responsible for how your skin looks and acts by maintaining the strength of your skin barrier.

"The skin barrier is the outer layer of your skin that protects against dehydration and environmental irritants, and seals in hydration," board-certified dermatologist Sherry Ingraham says. "The barrier is made up of the skin's natural oils and the binds that they form between your skin cells. ”

Basically, your skin cells are surrounded by a double wall of fat that houses the cell, which is known as the lipid matrix; it’s here that lipids like cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides live (in a 1:2:1 ratio). Here are some of the most important lipids for your skin (and why lipids in skincare are so beneficial!):

• Cholesterol can help accelerate the recovery of your skin barrier and promote elasticity. While we commonly measure cholesterol in the blood, it’s found in almost every one of your cells. Only around 20% of cholesterol comes from food; your body makes the rest!
• Fatty acids maintain your skin’s lipid balance while nourishing, repairing, and reducing UV-induced damage. They also play a part in cell signaling and in mediating your skin’s natural inflammation response.
• Ceramides are chains of fats or oils that capture and bind water. They are closely related to skin hydration and can help to solve conditions such as eczema, dermatitis, and psoriasis.

A Quick Rundown of the Skin Barrier and Lipid Depletion

As we mentioned above, your skin barrier kicks bad stuff to the curb, while letting good stuff take up residence on/in your skin. If your skin barrier is compromised, it’s vulnerable to “attack,” leading to dry, flakey, sensitive, irritated, tingly, burning, and/or itchy skin.

Lipids are vital to the general function of your skin barrier, but as you age, your lipid production decreases (which is why lipids in skincare are so great!). Other factors that can “attack” your skin’s lipid barrier include diet, alcohol consumption, stress, cigarette smoking, pollution, and more.

To summarize: The levels of your skin are like brick walls. Lipids are similar to mortar as they support the skin’s structure. If they deplete, the visible layer of your skin loses fullness, which can lead to things like a dull, aged appearance. This is the primary reason many brands utilize lipids in skincare. 

Pictured: A Unique Way to Look at Skin Cells and Lipids | Source: Bloom

Three Ways to Repair and Protect Your Lipid Barrier

Pictured (Top): Lipids in Skincare Tip | Source: Delta-5 

Pictured (Bottom): The Lipid Barrier | Source: Superbakrill

Your Lifestyle and Diet Matter

Don’t overestimate the effects that too much alcohol, a lack of sleep, and a poor diet can have on your skin’s lipid barrier and its ability to repair itself. While lipids in skincare can go a long way, it’s also important to support your skin’s lipid barrier from the inside out.

To do this, try to keep hydrated, get tons of vitamin C, let the day’s workout sweat do its beneficial thing, and follow a skin-friendly diet. You can also look into supplementing your diet with Fish Oil or Evening Primrose to help support your lipid barrier (talk to your doc first!).

Pictured: Healthy Foods For Healthy Skin | Source: Freepik

Learn How to Read and Understand Skincare Labels

By recognizing ingredients like lipids in skincare, you can make better choices about products that may negatively impact your skin (like some alcohols and sulfates). A few skin-strengthening ingredients to keep an eye out for are:

• Ceramides
• Essential Fatty Acids (derived from plant oils)
• Cholesterol
• Glycerine
• Hyaluronic Acid
• Niacinamide
• Squalane

Here are some more tips that’ll have you reading labels like a pro in no time:

Pictured: How to Read Product Labels | Source: NBC News

Be Aware of Environmental Conditions and Use Lipids In Skincare

With the spring and summer months coming up, a lot of us are gearing up for days spent in the sun enjoying the outdoors. While you can rarely overindulge in nature, being exposed to the sun and wind for long periods can damage your skin’s lipid barrier, causing dry, weak skin.

This may also lead to sun damage that can bring about dehydrated, rough patches. But, while it may not be possible to avoid extreme weather all of the time, you can protect your skin barrier with lipids in skincare.

Your skin recognizes lipids in skincare due to your body’s natural production of them, so they easily get incorporated into your skin’s biochemistry. This biochemistry is responsible for the production of collagen, new skin cells, and more moisture factors.

The MOX Invigorating Peppermint Cleanser and Multi Nutrient Serum Takes Using Lipids in Skincare to the Next Level

Cleansing is one of the harshest things people do to their skin because dirt and natural skin oils are in the same place. So to get rid of dirt, you have to get rid of natural skin oils. By using lipids in skincare, the MOX Invigorating Peppermint Cleanser and Multi Nutrient Serum are able to maintain the skin’s natural oils while also cleansing and replenishing the skin.

With the MOX Invigorating Peppermint Cleanser, you get a cleanser that’s almost like a moisturizing lotion due to it being so lipid-rich (it has a unique consistency and works as an incredible shaving cream!). Plus, with the addition of peppermint, the cleanser can wake your skin up in the morning by providing it with a boost of ready-to-go energy.

The MOX Multi Nutrient Serum is jam-packed with 20 to 40 times more nutrients than a traditional serum with the driving force being squalane: One of the primary lipids in skincare that's produced naturally by your body. It also contains the five essential skincare vitamins A, E, C, D, and K. Due to this, the serum is known to leave strong, vibrant skin in its wake

Strengthen and replenish your skin by utilizing lipids in skincare with the MOX Invigorating Peppermint Cleanser and Multi Nutrient Serum – now being sold together as the Daily Face Care Kit. It’ll leave you with strong, impenetrable skin 100% guaranteed.