But let's first take a few steps back and take a closer look at the active ingredient:
- The basics: What are Ceramides?
- Ceramides & neurodermatitis
- The Actives in our Ceramides serum
- The Ceramides serum in your skincare routine
1. the basics: What are Ceramides?
The most important (and perhaps most surprising) thing first: Ceramides are not only the main active ingredient in our serum, but also a natural component of your skin. They belong to the lipids, i.e. fats, and are formed in the outermost layer of the skin. They help to retain moisture in the skin, strengthen the skin barrier and thus promote the overall functioning of the skin.
In short: Ceramides support the building blocks that form the basic structure of your skin - much like the filler in the brickwork of a house wall. You can imagine what happens if a few building blocks are missing: the entire wall becomes unstable. Ceramides are therefore an essential part of our skin structure.
What functions does Ceramides have?
Ceramides & the moisture balance of the skin
Well-moisturized skin is the key to good skin health. Ceramides form a protective barrier that prevents transepidermal water loss. This is the name given to the process of "evaporation" of water due to a damaged skin structure or hydrolipid film, the skin barrier. Factors that can attack this protective layer and thus cause moisture loss are, for example, drying alcohols or aggressive surfactants in cosmetic products, damage caused by UV radiation, but also extreme weather conditions.
Ceramides & the skin's protective barrier
The protective layer that prevents our skin from losing moisture also has other important tasks. It not only keeps moisture in, but also bacteria, viruses, pollutants and germs out. Ceramides therefore plays a key role in protecting us from harmful external influences and does some of the work for our immune system.
Ceramides & cell renewal
In addition, Ceramides also play a role in regulating cell renewal in the skin. They influence the skin's natural desquamation process and promote an intact skin structure.
What happens if the skin does not contain enough Ceramides ?
We realize: Ceramides are quite important, not only for our skin, but for our entire body. There are a few indicators that can show that the ceramide content of your skin is decreasing:
- Increased dryness
- Scaling
- Itching and even inflammation of the skin
- Moisture loss
- can promote skin ageing and wrinkling over a long period of time
If you notice these signs, a moisturizer combination, for example in the form of hyaluronic acid and ceramides, is recommended. This counteracts moisture loss and helps your skin to rebuild its barrier so that it can retain water better again.
2. Ceramides & neurodermatitis
In the case of chronic disorders of the skin's protective barrier, such as neurodermatitis, Ceramides can also help to restore the skin's balance. In atopic dermatitis, the barrier is weakened, which leads to increased moisture loss and greater susceptibility to irritants. This means that the amount of ceramides in the skin is often reduced. Ceramide skincare can therefore help to alleviate dryness, itching and flaking.
Of course, Ceramides is not a miracle cure and you should always consult your dermatologist before using a new product for your skincare routine. If you use our Ceramides serum , please let us know how you get on and send us your feedback to [email protected]. We welcome all feedback and of course before and after photos!
3. Actives in our Ceramides serum
When developing our Ceramides serum, we not only opted for 5 of the most important types of ceramide, but also for the membrane lipids and precursors of ceramides: Phospholipids and Sphingolipids. These two types of lipids are the main building blocks of the cell membrane and support the body's own production of ceramides. To provide your skin with additional moisture, we have added 2% sodium PCA as a supplementary ingredient.
Here is a detailed overview of the main components and their effects for you:
Ceramides
- The body's own lipids
- central component of the skin barrier: up to 60% of the lipids in the skin barrier are Ceramides
- retain moisture in the skin / Protect against transepidermal water loss
- strengthen the skin barrier and soothe irritated skin areas
Phospholipids & sphingolipids
Membrane lipids:
- consisting of a hydrophilic and a lipophilic side → wrap themselves protectively around the cells
- central component of the cell membrane
- Treat also barrier-strengthening
Ceramide precursors:
- serve the skin as starting materials for the formation of ceramides
2% Sodium PCA
- Sodium PCA (sodium PCA) is the salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid
- PCA = component of the skin's own moisturizing agents (NMF = Natural Moisturizing Factors)
- intensively binds moisture in the uppermost layer of the skin
4. the Ceramides serum in your skincare routine
You've already read a lot about the effects and ingredients of the Ceramides serum. There's just one question left: Tone: How does serum fit into your routine?
Sidenote: If you are now asking yourself "What is this layering?" - don't worry, I'll give you a short intro to the topic and if you like, have a look at this post in which I explain the principle, implementation and benefits of layering.
At JUNGLÜCK , we have opted for a 5-step layering principle. However, there are also longer or shorter routines with more or fewer steps. Some Korean skincare routines even consist of 20 steps!
For us and our product concept, 5 is the golden number. And that means in concrete terms:
- Cleanse
- Tone
- Treat
- Moisturize
- Protect
Of course, there are also great additions such as our ampoules or face masks, which don't find a place in your routine every day, but are nevertheless an important part of your skincare routine.
How can you use Ceramides serum ?
You use the Ceramides serum in step 3 "Treat". This can be done both AM and PM, depending on as needed also at both times of day. First cleanse your face and clarify it with, for example, the soothing and moisturizing Calendula toner. Give your skin some time and then apply 2-3 drops of the Ceramides serum to your face. If you want to use another serum , follow the rule of thumb: from thin to thick. Meaning: The Ceramides serum is more viscous as it is based on lipids, i.e. fat. Water-based products should therefore be applied beforehand so that they can be properly absorbed and do not "roll off".
You can then continue as usual with your cream or facial oil. Of course, don't forget your sun cream to finish off the day.
