What Are Occlusives in Skincare?
Occlusives are like the bouncers of the skincare world, standing guard on your skin to keep that precious moisture from slipping away. There are three main categories of moisturizing ingredients:
- Humectants: which attract moisture to the skin.
- Emollients: soften the skin and helps to keep it hydrated.
- Occlusives: creates a protective barrier on the skin to keep moisture and prevent dehydration caused by external factors. While they don’t add moisture to the skin, they are effective in maintaining hydration levels. They serve as a shield, blocking irritants, allergens, and other harmful particles from entering your skin.
Placing occlusive ingredients on damp skin enhances their effectiveness, but their benefits are only temporary as Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) returns to normal levels once the ingredients are removed.
When selecting moisturizing skin care products, it is important to balance occlusive ingredients with lighter, more absorbent ingredients such as humectants to avoid a heavy and greasy feel on the skin.
For optimal hydration and protection, it is important to apply occlusives to your skin to create a barrier that locks in moisture and prevents irritants from entering. Consistent use of products containing occlusives is necessary for maintaining long-lasting benefits.
Potential benefits of occlusives
You can easily find budget-friendly occlusive products from well-known brands such as Vaseline and Aquaphor at most drugstores, making them accessible for everyone to try. However, if you’re interested in learning about occlusives, here are some reasons why they might be worth a try.
Occlusives may help with dry skin
When you have dry or dehydrated skin, using occlusives can help hydrate and improve its condition. Research shows that they are able to repair the skin’s natural barrier by replenishing essential fatty acids known as skin lipids. Vaseline is considered a highly effective occlusive for treating dry skin.
Occlusives can prevent water loss
Occlusive products prevent the loss of moisture from your skin by forming a protective oily layer that seals in the water. This physical barrier helps the outermost layer of the skin, known as the stratum corneum, to regenerate by drawing moisture from the deeper layers of the skin.
Occlusives may help with dermatitis
Dermatitis often presents with inflamed and irritated skin. Using occlusives can provide relief for dry, itchy skin, while also creating a protective layer to prevent contact with irritating substances or potential allergens.
How Do Occlusive Ingredients Work?
Occlusives help keep skin hydrated by reducing transepidermal water loss (TEWL) through the skin barrier. As mentioned before, too much moisture leaving the skin and entering the air can cause dryness, flakiness, and itchiness.
Occlusives function by creating a protective shield on your skin that blocks out air, providing two main advantages:
1. maintaining hydration levels in your skin by preventing water loss
2. prevent irritants, allergens, and other harmful particles from penetrating into your skin
Different occlusive agents have varying levels of effectiveness depending on:
- The size of the molecule
- The moisturizer contains certain types of fatty acids.
Larger molecules are often seen as stronger occlusives because they can stay on the skin’s surface longer than smaller molecules. However, products with these bulky occlusive molecules may not be preferred because of their thick consistency, which may not be suitable for applying to the skin. Occlusives are frequently combined with other components in order to improve their texture and make them easier to apply.
