The skincare industry has managed to start getting people on the moisturizer bandwagon, even the stubborn people with oily skin who blanched at the idea of somehow adding moisture to their skin (yes hello, talking about me). But now, another nebulous and frankly nearly identical sounding word has cropped up: hydrating. They seem to mean the same thing, and often moisturizers are described as hydrating. But there is a difference in hydrating vs moisturizing in skincare.
And it’s actually kind of a big difference.
Moisturizing
Let’s start with the one term we probably hear the most often. Moisturizers are generally explained as a necessary step in skincare, and in a way that’s totally right! Moisturizing is one step that everyone can benefit from, regardless of skin type or condition. Like I mentioned in my skincare tips for acne prone skin, moisturizing can help the healing process and promote general skin health.
But what does it mean, man? Simply: moisturizing your skin prevents moisture loss, sealing your skin in a protective, nourishing layer. It isn’t pore clogging so much as it keeps the good stuff from… escaping by maintaining the lipid barrier, a protective aspect of your skin.
Moisturizers seal the lipid barrier via a combination of emollients and occlusives. Emollients smooth and strengthen the skin, and are generally found as ceramides, the lipid compound found in the skin! Occlusives form barriers, and block moisture and nutrient loss. Usually these are oils, the best of which are usually argan, rosehip, marula, and jojoba. However, this is not a severely comedogenic process. As long as you use an oil suitable for your skin, shouldn’t cause breakouts. In fact, it should help heal them.
Generally, in your skincare routine, this is your last step. If you decide to also use a hydration product, you will still apply the moisturizer last. Due to the fact that this step establishes barriers, this tends to not penetrate deeply in the skin and will not fully address any issues of dehydration.
Every skin type will benefit from using a moisturizer, Feel free to experiment with different kinds based on your needs.
Hydrating
Now we can get to the zesty stuff, hydration. Hydration increases the water content of your skin, which is necessary for healthy function of every system in the body. Water is the most common reaction medium, including everything from cellular regeneration to the unholy process by which acne develops. Through proper hydration, the skin is more readily able to absorb moisture and nutrients.
Hydrating products attract water molecules through the use of humectants, which increases water content directly, or other ingredients that increase water uptake. Humectants commonly found in skincare are honey, glycerin. and hyaluronic acid- generally considered the gold standard in hydration. Other ingredients that may be used are panthenol, amino acids, and some vitamins- especially vitamin E. Hydrated skin will appear smooth and bright, with less cellular buildup.
Dry and dehydrated skin especially require hydration. Dry skin can appear flaky, irritated, and even feel itchy, while dehydrated skin could look like that, or it could even appear oily! Dehydrated skin can overcompensate for lack of hydration by overproducing oil. Maintaining skin hydration could lead to less oily skin. Your skin “learns” that it’s actually receiving moisture and should just chill the hell out for a few seconds. I’ve actually experienced that myself.
There are a number of different ways to hydrate your skin, while moisturizing is fairly straight forward. Many moisturizers are clearly labeled, but hydrating products are more diverse. Sheet masks, serums, toners, moisturizers (overlap isn’t always a bad thing), and facial sprays are all popular mediums for hydrating products.
For your hydrators, you want to apply them before moisturizers so that they won’t have to try and penetrate a protective layer. Depending on what formula you want to use, there are a lot of options. You could apply it early in the process to help your skin take up nutrients and treatments from other products you use more effectively.
One way I like to hydrate early in my routine is to use a sheet mask after cleansing or my toner, allow it to absorb for a few minutes, and then continue with other treatments and end with my moisturizer.
Is there anything in skincare that you have questions about? What are your favorite hydrators/moisturizers?