Upgrade to First Class: Is Your Moisturizer Doing Enough?

From an AMVER POV skin moisture goes beyond slathering creams full of glycerin and ceramides all over.  Glass skin is not the solution either. Most people believe hyaluronic acid is great because...it's everywhere.  What should you really look for in a moisturizer?  What moisturizing ingredients right now are the most effective?  Here I give you a breakdown on moisturizing ingredients that really matter.   

Hyaluronic acid is a hygroscopic molecule that binds water 20-30x its weight.  This forms a non-occlusive elastic film sitting on top of the outer epidermal layers keeping it saturated. Translation: it acts like a sponge trapping moisture on skin which slows down TEWL. It visually smooths out fine lines and uneven skin texture.  Sounds great right?  What about people who avoid hyaluronic acid because it causes their skin to become extremely dry?  That sponge layer sitting on top of the skin is strong and it pulls water into it.  If there isn't enough ambient humidity in the air (arid climates or indoor A/C) that sponge will pull moisture out of deeper layers of the dermis.  Ouch.  Glycerin works the same way.  It can actually accelerate TEWL and leave skin more dehydrated.  Dehydrated skin makes fine lines and wrinkles look deeper.  It looks dull.  It feels dry and tight.  Mass-market formulas try to counteract this problem with more oils or adding ceramides = a quick fix goop with a temporary boost.

NMF The Deep Layer: Healthy skin doesn't use just one molecule to stay hydrated. Our native Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) relies on a varied cocktail of amino acids, salts and organic osmolytes to maintain flexibility.  Mirroring this biologic variety generates superior clinical skin barrier repair.  Let's go deep.  Deep dermis at the cellular level where surface lotions, goops and humectants can't go.  Dominant free amino acids that make up NMF include: L-Serine, Glycine, L-Alanine.  AMVER formulas provide robust volumes of these amino acids from pisum sativum (pea) and soy plants.  

Osmolytes regulate fluid balance.  A sophisticated moisturizing formula must account for the flow of hydration within skin. Some osmolytes pack water as a matrix around cells and improve water carried into cells. Other osmolytes directly carry water into cells. Wow.  This flow can counteract the pull of water deep within the dermis to the upper layers where it evaporates (TEWL). It also acts as a buffer that airborne pollutants, allergens and irritants cannot easily pierce through.  This helps prevent inflammatory signaling cascades from skin cells.  These ingredients are very helpful for calming redness and stabilizing hyper-reactive skin types. Osmolytes in AMVER skincare include sodium PCA, trehalose, ectoin, and betaine.

Intermediate Epidermis: molecular-weight matters.  These actives bypass the barrier and reach into the stratum spinosum. Medium and low-weight hyaluronic acids and B vitamins seep into this layer.  AMVER ferments yielding low molecular-weight astragalosides, ginsenosides, madecassoside asiaticoside, ultra low-weight beta-glucans / polysaccharides also flow into this epidermal level. Some flavonoids and lipid-loving antioxidants reach this depth. Actives at this level can influence cell differentiation, protein synthesis, and lipid processing.  AMVER also selectively incorporates ingredients that improve biouptake of trickier molecules like EGCG or trans-resveratrol to go beyond the barrier and hit where actives have impact.

Internal skin sealing ingredients are lipid (oil) based. A standard analogy: skin cells are bricks, the lipid bylayer is the cement mortar that fills space between cells. Synthetic ceramides (ceramide NP, AP, EOP), cholesterol (animal based) or plant phytosterols (vegan) and free fatty acids are the trinity of ingredients that provide the dense, hydrophobic "mortar." Plant sterols are the vegan equivalent of cholesterol and they are naturally soothing and anti-inflammatory (to different degrees). Phytosphingosine combines with free fatty acids (in oils or native) for the body to build new novel ceramides. Free fatty acids come from plant oils. Together these block water escaping from skin into the air. It prevents bacteria, chemicals, dirt etc from entering the body.        

Surface aesthetic. Most ingredients sit on the skin surface.  Large hygroscopic molecules from #tremella fuciformis (snow mushroom) hold 400-500x its own weight in water. This is why snow mushroom is a powerhouse in K Beauty.  It's also why AMVER utilizes it in both large native molecular form and ferments: low weight molecular forms that easily penetrate skin. #Beta-glucans from shiitake (and oats) are water-binding molecules. Topical #collagen: same, hygroscopic amino acids that sit on surface.  Most humectant and hygroscopic ingredients sit on the skin surface because the molecules are too big to pass.  To prevent actually drying skin out they need to be balanced at lower concentrations and combined with ingredients that seal the moisture in. What ingredients seal in? Big hygroscopic molecules, big long chain peptides, oils seep into the lipid layer that acts like cement for skin cells, oh and collagen (not hydrolyzed) sits   Don't get us wrong! The top position counts.  It really plumps out fine lines and helps optically reduce wrinkle depth.  It promotes dewy soft skin.

Stratified Hydration brings moisture into each dermal layer. It rebuilds skin's internal moisture engine, revealing plump bouncy skin.  Ah the look of youth. For people ages 35-40+ stratified moisturization is crucial to reduce the look of aging.  Does it matter if it's a cream, featherweight lotion or balm? A sophisticated moisturizer should have a stratified hydration strategy that feels amazing. A cream has a higher portion of oils than a lotion, usually 35% or higher.  An ultralight moisturizer has less than 18% oil content. AMVER Shroom Tea Eye Serum is a type of ultralight moisturizer with stratified hydration. A balm has an oil base (some include water-based ingredients).

Scoop: You may notice that AMVER skincare line doesn't have a classic moisturizer. AMVER is currently dveloping an ultralight fluid for face/neck. Obviously it will have many of the goods discussed in this post. Since it's in development phase... don't expect it soon.