Why a strong skin barrier is important

Prerequisite for healthy skin

The skin barrier plays a crucial role in the health of our skin. It is essential for long-term smooth, youthful skin. An intact skin barrier is also responsible for protecting the skin from damaging environmental influences such as bacteria or other harmful microorganisms. If your skin barrier is weakened or damaged by improper care, your skin will age prematurely and a variety of skin problems will occur.

What is the skin barrier?

The skin barrier, also called the stratum corneum, is the outermost part of our skin (epidermis) where new skin cells are formed. This thin but powerful protective shield protects our skin from external aggressors such as harmful germs, dirt particles, and excessive UV radiation. During their development, the skin cells migrate from the lower basal layer (stratum basale) up into the horny layer (stratum corneum), where they lose their nucleus and form the skin barrier as "dead cells." The horny cells (corneocytes) are surrounded by the skin's own fats (lipids). The lipids consist of ceramides, phosphatidylcholine, squalene, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. According to the "brick and mortar" analogy, the skin barrier is comparable to a brick wall (the horny cells) held together with mortar (the skin's own lipids).

What are the functions of the skin barrier?

Protection from external influences

The skin barrier reduces the skin's sensitivity. It prevents microorganisms such as unwanted bacteria, viruses, or fungi from penetrating the skin from the outside as damaging stressors and disrupting the healthy skin flora, the microbiome.

A strong barrier layer also protects the skin from environmental influences such as cold, wind, dry heating air, UV radiation, dirt and dust particles, which can cause redness, itching, impurities, or inflammatory skin disorders.

Improved moisture retention

A damaged or weakened skin barrier accelerates the evaporation of moisture through the skin. The result is premature sagging and wrinkling of the skin. The skin barrier reduces water loss through the skin (TEWL = transepidermal water loss). It is essential for the skin's ability to bind and store moisture. An intact and strong skin barrier slows down the aging process of skin cells (slow aging). This keeps the skin supple and elastic.

Maintenance of the acid mantle

The acid mantle, as part of the skin barrier, has the task of ensuring a slightly acidic environment on the skin surface to ward off harmful microbes and ensure healthy skin functions. The pH value of our skin is ideally - depending on the body region - between approx. 4.7 and 5.5. This slightly acidic environment ensures a desired colonization of the skin surface with "good" bacteria, viruses, and fungi. As a healthy skin flora, they form the microbiome - a blanket that lies over our skin, protects it from the penetration of unwanted microbes, and supports the growth of healthy skin bacteria.

Defense against allergens and irritants

An intact skin barrier is able to ward off potentially harmful allergens and irritating irritants. In contrast, a damaged skin barrier is more permeable and susceptible to inflammation, itching, and allergies.

Improved wound healing and skin regeneration

A strong skin barrier is essential for the good healing of wounds, pimples, pustules, and papules in acne or rosacea to prevent later scarring.

How do you recognize a damaged skin barrier?

• Dry, rough, and flaky skin: The skin may appear dry, rough, and flaky due to moisture loss, accompanied by a feeling of tightness.
• Redness, inflammation, and itching: If the skin barrier is damaged, increased sensitivity, redness, irritation, or even a burning sensation when applying skincare products often occurs.
• Skin impurities: If the barrier layer is disturbed, harmful microorganisms and dirt particles can penetrate the skin. This leads to skin impurities and pimples.
• Hypersensitivity: The skin can react hypersensitively to products that previously caused no problems.

What are common causes of a disturbed skin barrier?

• Aggressive skincare products:
  Products with alcohol, synthetic fragrances, skin-irritating synthetic preservatives, or other irritating additives disturb the skin's balance.
• Skin creams and serums with emulsifiers:
  Creams with emulsifiers not only combine water and fats in a cream, but they also combine with the skin's own lipids and ceramides of the horny layer. These are then washed out the next time they come into contact with water.
• Excessive facial cleansing:
  The microbiome of our skin surface is an ecosystem inhabited by a variety of skin-friendly bacteria. This healthy skin flora of the microbiome helps maintain the skin's slightly acidic pH value of 4.7 to 5.5. Therefore, very skin-friendly ingredients in your facial cleanser are important. You should also not cleanse your face more than twice a day. If you have dry skin, be sure to use a surfactant-free facial cleanser. The use of aggressive cleansing products with sulfate-containing surfactants or even with emulsifiers dissolves the skin's own lipids of the barrier layer and attacks the natural protective layer of the skin.
• Over-exfoliated skin:
  Mechanical peels damage the skin barrier if they contain abrasive exfoliating particles. Chemical peels can also attack the skin barrier if the peeling acids are too highly dosed or the peels are used too frequently.

How can you regenerate a damaged skin barrier?

You can rebuild a damaged skin barrier with targeted measures. There are important steps that will help you:

Gentle facial cleansing

A gentle cleanser should be free of sulfate-containing surfactants, alcohol, synthetic preservatives, and fragrances. The surfactant-free myrto Cleansing Creams or the Deep Cleansing Oil are recommended.

Emulsifier-free moisturizing care

Especially for sensitive skin, moisturizing care with an emulsifier-free face cream and emulsifier-free face serums is recommended. These formulations with a skin-identical DMS structure minimize the risk of redness, irritation, and allergic reactions. They prevent the skin from drying out or producing excessive sebum. DMS creams and serums bring the skin back into its natural balance and ensure well-hydrated, smooth, and clear skin.

Avoidance of potentially skin-irritating additives

To avoid unnecessarily stressing your skin barrier, you should avoid skin-irritating additives. These include aggressive washing substances such as sulfates - for example, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALS) or Sodium Coco Sulfate (SCS) - especially if they have been used as main surfactants. But alcohol, synthetic fragrances, parabens, phthalates, formaldehydes, mineral oils, and paraffins also stress the skin barrier. These petroleum derivatives are often used as moisturizers. However, they seal the skin and disturb the natural skin metabolism by clogging the pores and preventing skin respiration. This can lead to acne and irritation.

Barrier-strengthening active ingredients

There are some important active ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier. These include skin-like phospholipids as precursors of ceramides, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidants such as vitamins C, E, B3, or ectoin, especially the natural active ingredient beta-glucan. Beta-glucan has the ability to rebuild the skin barrier. It is an essential component in all myrto facial creams and facial serums. Beta-glucan offers comprehensive protection for the skin barrier by hydrating, soothing, repairing, and protecting the skin from external environmental damage. Beta-glucan is ideal for sensitive, dry, or damaged skin and improves its resilience.

10 tips for a strong skin barrier

With these simple habits, you can protect your skin barrier long-term and support its natural regeneration:

• Cleanse your skin as gently as possible. Use mild cleansing products that remove dirt and excess sebum without attacking the skin's own lipids.
• Avoid skin-irritating ingredients. Wherever possible, avoid aggressive surfactants, alcohol, synthetic fragrances, and other unnecessary irritating additives.
• Focus on soothing and barrier-strengthening active ingredients. Ingredients such as beta-glucan, ectoin, niacinamide, or skin-like phospholipids help your skin maintain its natural protective function.
• Introduce new active ingredients slowly. Start with low concentrations and give your skin time to get used to them.
• Always test only one new product at a time. This way, you can more easily recognize whether your skin tolerates a product well or reacts sensitively to it.
• Don't constantly change your skincare. If your skin gets along well with a skincare routine, you should give it enough time before trying new products.
• Avoid mechanical peels and cleansing brushes if possible. They can unnecessarily stress the horny layer and weaken the skin barrier.
• Observe your skin carefully. Persistent redness, burning, or feelings of tightness are warning signs and should not be considered a normal reaction to skincare.
• Don't be convinced by every new trend. Proven, scientifically well-researched active ingredients are often more effective than constantly new "miracle products."
• Don't try every product sample. Too many different products one after another can unnecessarily stress your skin and disturb its natural balance.

Less is more

Every skin reacts differently to active ingredients and skincare products. While some skin tolerates higher concentrations of active ingredients without problems, others react sensitively even to small amounts. Regardless of skin type, however: Too frequent cleansing, excessive peeling, or the simultaneous use of many highly concentrated active ingredients can weaken even a robust skin barrier in the long term.

Therefore, one of the most important principles of healthy skincare is: Less is more. A clear, well-coordinated skincare routine with a few high-quality products usually supports the natural protective function of your skin better than constantly changing or overloaded skincare concepts.