Dermatologists weigh in on Moisture Sandwiching

If you’re not sure what moisture clamping is or the best way to do it, look no further. Derms considers.”Moisturizing sandwich refers to a technique of layering products that hydrate the skin to optimally retain moisture,” says board-certified dermatologist. Marisa Garshick, MD. “This method specifically refers to applying ingredients to damp skin to help absorb moisture and then sealing it all in with a thicker moisturizing product, such as a cream or ointment. In this way, good especially placing the products from the thinnest to the thinnest.” At its thickest, use lighter products first to ensure proper absorption and then heavier creams. There is an added benefit of applying product to damp skin as it can help enhance absorption. penetrates and also has a hygroscopic effect, especially when the product being applied is a humectant, such as hyaluronic acid or glycerin, which is known to have a hygroscopic effect.”
Interesting, I started doing this before hearing about TikTok trending using Evian Mineral Spray ($23) because I find it really helps my dry and damaged skin. As soon as I learned about the TikTok trend and got a little insight into it, I knew I was doing it right.
However, there is another thing to consider if you have a damaged skin barrier and want to try a moisturizing method. According to board-certified dermatologists, Lauren PenziMD, optimal water content for the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the skin) is between 10% and 30%. Meaning, don’t go overboard and hydrate your skin with water before applying the hyaluronic acid serum. If you exceed that 30% mark, you may be hurting your skin instead of helping it. Carl Thornfeldt, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder Epionce Skin Cream say to make sure you know this.
“Giving your skin the right amount of moisture is not as simple as how TikTok makes it,” he says. “If the skin barrier is healthy and intact, it will retain moisture better. However, if the skin barrier is not healthy, adding more moisture will not help in the long term. A protective barrier will not help. Healthy skin barrier is about 30% water.If you start going beyond that 30% mark with too much water, the skin barrier really starts to break down.Getting healthy skin is not a must. the highest amount of moisture, but rather to make the skin barrier healthy so that it can hold the necessary amount of water, the moisture it needs to stay healthy.”
Of course, Thornfeldt isn’t saying you shouldn’t moisturize your skin. But he says you should focus on incorporating barrier-strengthening ingredients alongside water-absorbing ingredients like hyaluronic acid. OLDeramides are really helpful for this because they help replenish the essential lipids in the skin barrier.