The Importance of Water

Water is a life-giving force. We all know we should be drinking a decent amount of water to help our bodies stay hydrated and functioning properly. What we may not realize, is that water is the ultimate hydrator for our skin, too!

Let's look at the importance of water in our skin care and the difference between oil based products and products that use water to help their moisturizing properties while also hydrating the skin.

First, some definitions.

There are two basic types of skin care products.

Anhydrous products do not contain water. They are usually made with oils and vegetable butters with no water content in the formula, nor are they made to blend with water.

Emulsified products contain both oils and water, along with an ingredient (the emulsifier) that combines the oil with the water to make a homogeneous substance. These can be like traditional liquid lotions and creams, or a solid formulation made to combine with water to create a lotion or cream on your skin.

What's the difference between moisturizing and hydrating?

To be considered moisturizing, a product must create a barrier on the skin which prevents trans epidermal water loss. TEWL happens when water from inside the body evaporates outside the body. This happens more quickly in dryer environments and in skin that has degraded due to aging or damage. The barrier created by an occlusive product traps water in the skin to retain moisture.

Hydrating products bring and attract moisture into the skin topically and can provide that occlusive barrier as well. For a product to be hydrating, it must have the capability to replenish water into the skin layers.

Why water is so important

Emulsified products, products that contain both rich oils and butters alongside water, provide the best of both worlds. They are moisturizing AND hydrating. Our skin is actually really good and prevents things from entering our bodies. Oil and butter molecules are really large, which is why they sit on the top layers of skin providing that occlusive layer. When these rich ingredients are emulsified with water, the molecule size is decreased and the hydration can reach further into our skin layers where active ingredients can actually benefit the feel and appearance of our skin.

Many solid products available on the market today are anhydrous formulas. They are entirely made up of oils and butters. While these provide a fantastic occlusive layer on the skin to prevent your skin from losing hydration from inside the body, they do not provide hydration. Using a body oil or solid lotion made up of entirely oils and butters will not remedy dry skin because the barrier sits on top, and doesn't replenish any water into the deeper skin layers.

Our solid products are actually emulsified products. They contain water soluble ingredients and emulsifiers that are made to blend with water to replenish your skin with water and trap it in. They do not melt on contact with the skin and instead, require water activation to create a lotion or cream that then absorbs all the way into the skin rather than sitting on top as a barrier.

The emollients we use in our solid formulations will also form that occlusive layer trapping in moisture, but only after it has been replenished by the water soluble humectants.

You can see this solid magic at work in our Moonstone Magic Solid Face Moisturizer and our Obsidian Warrior Solid Face Serum. These are solid products activated by water to create a cream on your skin.

Moonstone Magic Solid Moisturizer is best for dry or maturing skin. It is a rich cream with mango butter and baobab oil for ultimate nourishment and revitalization.

Obsidian Warrior Solid Face Serumis great for oily skin. It has a high linoleic blend of oils to balance out the typical over-production of oleic acids that cause excess oil to form. It is lightweight.

We also make a real solid lotion bar available from time to time in our Limited Edition Boutique. These are water activated to create a rich lotion on your skin that soaks up quickly, replenishing the inner layers of your skin while sealing all that hydration in with a velvety occlusive barrier on top. You can stay stocked with these amazing solid lotions also by becoming a Create Magic Monthly subscriber; they make an appearance once every 3-4 months since they have become a necessity.

As of right now, we still have a few of these Solid Lotion Barsleft from our February Box.

I hope you learned something new about the importance of water! Drink it up and make sure it's an important part of your skin care routine.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment or send me an email at: angela@silverstoneapothecary.com

Take care,

Angela Mayorga

Alchemist and Owner