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Intercellular substances (which I often refer to as ingredients
that mimic skin structure) should be the backbone of every
moisturizer. In fact, moisturizers are not about giving
skin moisture or keeping water in skin. All current research
is about moisturizers keeping the outer layer of skin
resilient and healthy, and that has little to do with
water content. But it does have everything to do with
giving skin the substances that keep skin cells intact
so they can defend themselves against the environment,
feel soft and supple, and maintain a reliable protective
balance. Ingredients such as ceramides, cholesterol, fatty
acids (linoleic acid, triglycerides, glycerin, phospholipids,
lecithin), and glycosaminoglycans (hyaluronic acid, sodium
PCA) are essential for helping skin to function normally,
as it once did before sun damage and age got the better
of us. (Sources: Clinical and Geriatric Medicine, February
2002, pages 103-120; Progress in Lipid Research, January
2003, pages 1-36; Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology
& Venereology, November 2002, pages 587-594; Contact
Dermatitis, June 2002, pages 331-338; Journal of Investigative
Dermatology, May 1996, pages 1096-1101; British Journal
of Dermatology, November 1995, pages 679-685; Skin Pharmacology
and Physiology, September-October 2004, pages 207-213;
Free Radical Research, April 2002, pages 471–477; and
Journal of Lipid Research, May 2002, pages 794–804.)
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