Ever Wondered Why Your Skin Feels Dry Even After Moisturizing? Here’s All You Need to Know
Humid climates like our own can raise concerns that international skin care
products can’t fix, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution.
How many times has this happened to you? You finish up your usual routine using the products you believe work best for your skin, but somehow it always feels tight, dry, or even rough in texture. Turns out, you may have fallen into a skin care paradox without even realizing it.
You see, keeping your skin hydrated in climates like ours comes with its own set of caveats that international brands may not cater to, leading some to overdo their use of such products and agitate their skin barrier. Board-certified dermatologist Bea Chan-Benavidez, MD, DPDS, of The Skin B Clinic, brings more context to the situation: “The intense heat, humidity, and pollution severely dehydrate our skin. To compensate, the skin overproduces oil, which traps many Filipinos in a cycle of overcleansing, harsh scrubbing, and overusing strong actives.”
So instead of relieving your skin of that shiny, sticky feel, you’re actually chipping away at your skin’s essential lipids, and worse, disrupting the natural balances beneath the skin. To that, Dr. Chan shares a few of her skin care tips that not only focus on keeping your skin moisturized throughout the day, but also restore your skin’s inner radiance.
What defines a healthy skin barrier?
When talking about maintaining a healthy skin barrier, many brands often market skin hydration and protection as two independent concerns. Dr. Chan, however, believes that they’re two sides of the same coin. “You literally can’t achieve one without the other. When healthy, your skin barrier is designed to lock moisture in while blocking out harmful stressors like UV rays, pollution, and microbes.”
Courtesy of Pond’s
What kind of moisturizers should I look for instead?
For the average user, the feel of a product is often a subconscious criterion. When it comes to moisturizers, many would often associate their efficacy with thick or greasy textures. Dr. Chan says, “When it’s hot and humid, our skin produces more oil than usual, and layering it with thicker, heavier moisturizers can create an occlusive layer which traps in sweat, oil, and dirt underneath, which then leads to clogged pores and more breakouts.”
Gel-based moisturizers are growing in popularity among those regularly exposed to humid environments, as they prioritize formulations with higher water content to feel more lightweight and easier for the skin to absorb. “In reality, it is about all the ingredients incorporated into the formula, which can either make or break a moisturizer,” the dermatologist adds.
Courtesy of Pond’s
What ingredients should I look for now?
While social media can steer you toward products that you think you need, the ones that both actively hydrate the skin barrier and bring out its inner radiance commonly include ceramides, hyaluron, amino acids, niacinamide, and vitamin E-resorcinol.
According to Dr. Chan, ceramides are made up of essential lipids that act as a glue to patch up cracks in the skin barrier, keeping it resilient and healthy from external stressors. Hyaluron and amino acids, however, work in tandem. The humectant draws up to a 1000-times its weight in water, which, when combined with the latter, can reinforce the skin’s natural moisturizing factor while keeping the skin hydrated. Finally, niacinamide and vitamin E-Resorcinol can also work in combination to control oil production and calm inflammation, all while providing an antioxidant shield to protect the skin barrier from outside elements.
Navigating the store shelves for these ingredients, however, might result in purchasing more than you’d want for your routine. But just last year, Pond’s launched its own solution to the humid weather with two gel-based moisturizers designed to make skin hydration feel effortless. Featuring its Hydra Miracle and Bright Miracle Ultra Light Gel Moisturizers, the two combine the mentioned ingredients across their respective formulas for a lightweight yet equally hydrating feel on the skin.
Courtesy of Pond’s
Both formulations make use of tiny water and nutrient-based nets that melt with the skin’s natural body heat. The bonds that hold these nets together are meant to provide the skin with a quick-absorbing rush of water and other key actives like Pond’s Cera-Hymino, and Niasorcinol blends to create a non-greasy afterfeel for a comfortable finish, especially for humid climates.
“For me, having radiant skin means your skin is healthy, hydrated, and protected – and you can only achieve that when your skin [barrier] has been perfectly balanced,” Dr. Chan expresses. Understanding how your skin reacts to each product is only half the battle, as it is equally important to act on those changes before further damaging the skin barrier. “On top of that, many still choose to skip daily essentials like sunscreens and moisturizers. And that is exactly why a barrier-supportive moisturizer is truly essential these days.”
When it comes to finding the right moisturizer for climates like our own, prioritizing how each ingredient is used within its formulation should be at the top of your list. With Pond’s Hydra Miracle and Bright Miracle Ultra Light Gel Moisturizers, however, the two arrive as an effortless addition to your everyday routine, giving the skin its needed hydration and radiance throughout the day.
Disclaimer: This article is in collaboration with The Skin B Clinic, and not in sole collaboration with Dr. Bea Chan herself.
The Pond’s Hydra Miracle and Bright Miracle Ultra Light Gel Moisturizers are available in your nearest cosmetics stores. Follow Pond’s Philippines on Facebook and Instagram to learn more.
