Ceramides. Along with Y2K navy-blue Gap T-shirts and press-on nails, they’re all the rage on TikTok. You know that they’re great for wrinkles and hydration and have something to do with helping to keep skin looking healthy. So what exactly are ceramides? If you’d like to learn more, you’ve come to the right place.
What Are Ceramides, and What Can They Do for Skin?
Ceramides are fatty-acid molecules naturally found within our skin. They help maintain the integrity of the skin’s moisture barrier by holding in hydration. An important part of your skin’s moisture barrier, the extracellular matrix, keeps irritants out but also helps keep water from evaporating from the skin, for that plump and moisturized look. If you were to mix up some matrix in your blender, you’d need proteins like collagen and elastin, enzymes, and of course ceramides. As we age, however, the percentage of ceramides within the extracellular matrix decreases, so adding them back in topically (think moisturizers and serums) is essential to maintaining hydrated, firm, and healthy-looking skin.
What Are the Best Ceramides?
There are many different types of ceramides with slight molecular differences, but they basically all do the same thing for your skin. We use ceramides from oat kernel extract, a complex that moisturizes, renews and supports the skin’s own moisture barrier. Fun fact: Our ceramides are actually identical to those naturally found in skin.
Our Favorite Ceramide-Packed Skincare and Body Care
Anti-Aging Sea Serum
This one-bottle wonder uses five powerhouse ingredients, including ceramides, vitamin C, niacinamide, seaweed and natural peptides to brighten, firm, smooth, moisturize and target all signs of aging. It glides on beautifully, sinks in instantly and layers under everything else like a dream. But don’t just take our word for it: In a third-party study, after two weeks of use, 94% of participants agreed skin looked hydrated, smoother, and softer.* And after four weeks, 91% agreed that skin looked more youthful and even, while 88% said the look of lines and wrinkles had improved and skin looked firmer.*
*Based on a four-week third-party consumer-perception study conducted on 32 women ages 37-65.
Undaria Algae™ Body Butter
Our buttery-rich, luxurious and clinically proven body butter replenishes the skin’s moisture barrier and hydrates for 72 hours. It turns dry, crepey skin to soft, smooth and supple and contains high-performance ingredients normally reserved for your skincare, like ceramides, seaweed, firming DPHP (dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline) and whipped shea butter. Over time, the benefits of using our beloved body butter start to accumulate, so it’s an indulgent habit that really makes a difference. In a third-party study, 91% agreed skin looked firmer and less crepey, while 100% agreed skin felt silky, smooth and relieved of dryness.*
*Based on a four-week third-party consumer-perception and clinical study of 32 women ages 37-65.
