What's a skin barrier?

Your skin barrier is your microbiome. It’s the outermost layer of your skin, made up of skin cells, lipids, oils, and fatty acids. Think of your skin barrier as the protector of your skin. It keeps out the environmental aggressors called free radicals, which are pollutants that cause visible damage to skin. When your barrier is healthy, it’s better at preventing these pollutants from penetrating your skin. Not only does a healthy, strong skin barrier keep these external threats out, it also keeps moisture in. And by preventing moisture loss, we can expect happier, healthier, hydrated skin. And for us, that’s the aim.

What Causes a Compromised Skin Barrier?

Typically, you’ll notice your barrier is compromised when you’ve been overdoing the skincare. We’ve been all been guilty. It can be caused by:

Over-exfoliating
Overusing active ingredients
Overdoing the chemical peels
Heaters and air conditioning
Sun exposure
Medications
Allergies

By interrupting your skin’s natural barrier, you’re breaking down its defence against environmental aggressors. To diagnose a compromised skin barrier, look for:

Dry, rough skin
Sensitivity
Redness
Increased oiliness & acne
Irritation

How to Keep Your Skin Barrier Healthy and Balanced

Rather than disrupt the skin barrier, Strange Luxury opts to support and strengthen it with a routine that prioritises nourishment over fragrances or harsh ingredients.

When we cater to sensitive skin, we cater to all skin. Because maintaining balance for your skin barrier is key.

Acne-prone? Your skin is likely overproducing oil. But with a barrier in balance, there’s no need for it to overcompensate.

Redness? Look for ingredients like panthenol and purslane to calm and soothe.

Mature skin? Loves hydration. A sensitive approach is all about preventing moisture loss.

Rough texture? Your skin will appreciate a simple, steady routine.

What to Expect: A Healthy Skin Barrier

By taking a less is more approach to skin, prioritising the health of the skin barrier, and catering to sensitive skin, you can expect:

Fewer breakouts
Even skin tone
Extra dewiness
Minimised appearance of fine lines
Increased efficacy of skincare products
A confidently cute complexion

We believe that gentle actives will always yield better results than too many actives.

Introduce new products slowly.

Don’t be too aggressive with exfoliation.

Don’t use too many actives at once.

Take extra care after facial treatments.

Always, always, use SPF.

And opt for fragrance-free, nourishing formulas.

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