What's Better? Ceramides or Hyaluronic Acid?

I’ve watched a lot of TV through Covid, to the point that I felt I came close to having seen everything on Netflix when I switched to regular TV. During commercial breaks I was amazed by how many skincare ads there were, the majority of them pushing hyaluronic acid (HA) and all of its amazing benefits. From serums to sheet masks, many skincare companies praise the amazing results of their products because of that one ingredient, but many overlook an equally, if not more important, category of ingredients called ceramides. Both of these ingredients are absolutely essential for healthy skin. It’s skincare’s equivalent of “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” HA plumps up the skin but ceramides hold it in. You can’t have one without the other in order to have healthy skin.

 First and foremost ceramides and hyaluronic acid do not do the same thing though both are considered moisturizing agents and naturally exist in the skin. HA is a clear gel-like humectant that attracts water to help retain moisture, plumps, and lubricates.The eyes, joints, and skin have the highest concentration of HA in the body. Ceramides are occlusive lipids meant to replenish the fat content in the skin’s natural barrier and seal in moisture. This fatty mix lives in the uppermost layers of the skin and is crucial for good function. On the skin’s surface, ceramides slow the evaporation of water from the skin to prevent dry skin and keep the top layers of skin intacted to keep out external aggressors. Ceramides actually make up 50% of the skin’s natural barrier system.

 The job of the outermost layers of skin is to keep the good stuff in, like water, and the bad stuff out like infectious agents. Cells are set up like a brick and mortar wall in order to do this. The cells are the bricks and the ceramides and fatty acids are the mortar. When the mortar is intact, no cracks exist in the defense system so no pathogens can enter to upset the delicate balance of the skin. Contact dermatitis, psoriasis, and eczema are all examples of skin disorders that can happen when the protective barrier is disrupted.

 Hyaluronic acid is found much deeper in the skin in a place called the extracellular matrix. The hydration of the skin depends on the HA-bound water in those lower layers. As we age, research has shown a large decrease of hyaluronic acid in the upper layers of skin that contributes to dry, dehydrated skin accentuating fine lines and wrinkles. We can’t do much about our natural intrinsic aging process but we can help minimize extrinsic aging by using sunscreen and products with glycosaminoglycans. More data needs to be gathered about the process of HA degradation and how it affects other components of the skin.

 Both of these ingredients are important for healthy skin. It’s not about only picking products that have one or the other but finding a balance of both. Personally, I think ceramides hold a little more weight because if you don’t have a healthy barrier function no matter the amount of hyaluronic acid you smear on, it will evaporate, not giving you the full benefit of the active ingredient. We have a few moisturizers at the office that have ceramides, EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex, Revision Nectifirm, Revision Bodifirm, B2B Restore Therapy and B2B Pro-Niacinamide HA moisturizer that also has HA. Our B2B Quench HA serum is a great addition to put on first after clean skin and then apply a moisturizer on top of.

 Whether you’re on  Team HA or Team Ceramide, remember that you need both in your at-home skincare routine to sufficiently maintain moisture in the skin. If you have questions about products you currently use, please reach out to one of our aestheticians.

RESOURCES

BMC Complementary Medicines and Therapies, January 2020, ePublication

Dermatologic Therapy, October 2019, ePublication

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International Journal of Cosmetic Science, June 2017, pages 284-291

Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, March 2017, pages 243-247

Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, December 2016, pages 549-558

Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, March 2016, pages 135-147

Journal of Investigative Dermatology, June 2015, pages 1501-1509

Skin Research and Technology, November 2014, pages 409-415

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, October 2014, pages 2473-2483

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, July 2014, pages 177-184

The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, March 2014, pages 18-26

Kasemsarn P, Bosco J, Nixon RL. The Role of the Skin Barrier in Occupational Skin Diseases. Curr Probl Dermatol. 2016;49:135-43. doi: 10.1159/000441589. Epub 2016 Feb 4. PMID: 26844905.

Papakonstantinou, Eleni et al. “Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging.” Dermato-endocrinology vol. 4,3 (2012): 253-8. doi:10.4161/derm.21923