What is dry skin?
Dry skin (also known as xerosis) is a skin type characterized primarily by a weakened lipid barrier due to poor water and sebum production. Water and sebum are naturally produced by the skin to hydrate, protect, and maintain proper skin pH. Their shortage means the dermis doesn't produce or retain the moisture it needs to stay hydrated, leaving it unprotected against external agents that can damage it.
In addition, dry skin often also suffers from a lack of other moisturizing components—such as triglycerides or squalene, among others—which further intensifies the dryness.
This lack of water, sebum, and other moisturizing components is an intrinsic and permanent phenomenon in this type of skin, and therefore external agents must be used to provide the dermis with what it needs to maintain proper balance and health.
In many cases, dryness also causes increased skin sensitivity (especially eczema), which results in skin that is sensitive or reactive as well as dry.
It's important to distinguish between dry skin—a skin type—and dehydrated skin—a skin condition. The latter is a phenomenon that can affect any skin type (oily, normal-combination, and sensitive) and at any time, as it's not caused by a lack of moisturizing agents but by a temporary lack of water.
Factors that promote water loss and consequently temporary skin dehydration include exposure to extremely cold, hot, or windy environments; continued sun exposure; air conditioning or heating; urban pollution; and habits that include high alcohol, tobacco, salt, and/or sugar consumption, as these factors seriously increase skin dehydration.
Whether your skin is dry or dehydrated, the treatments to care for and protect it should be the same.
Characteristics of dry skin
- Feeling of tightness and discomfort
- Peeling and cracking of the skin occurs regularly (snake skin)
- The skin looks pale and feels rough and thin
- Itching, burning and irritation are easily experienced
- Small, closed pores
- Malabsorption of products and recurrent reactions
- Areas with redness predominate
- Greater prominence of wrinkles or fine lines
Routine to care for dry or dehydrated skin
The 6 steps to follow to get the most out of a skincare routine for dry or dehydrated skin—both day and night—are as follows:
If you have questions about the correct order of application, consult our guide.
Recommended products
Discover all the formulas suitable for dry or dehydrated skin types here.
Dos and Don'ts
✔ Prioritize rich textures, such as balms, oils, or serums that, in addition to treating, promote and seal hydration and retain moisture.
✗ Avoid foaming cleansers as they are more drying. Use oil, balm, or milk-based cleansers.
✔ Wash your face with warm water and avoid very hot water as it weakens the lipid barrier.
✔ Add products with a high hyaluronic acid content that help retain hydration in the different layers of the skin.
✔ Exfoliate your skin with products that aren't too harsh, astringent, or that can weaken the skin barrier. Instead, use enzymatic peels that exfoliate the skin but also soften it. BHA acids are also a good option as they exfoliate the skin while having an anti-inflammatory effect.
✗ Avoid exposure to environments that can further dehydrate the skin, such as air conditioning, heating, high levels of pollution, the sun, or very cold and windy environments.
✗ Avoid alcohol, tobacco, and excess salt or sugar in your diet, as these are the factors that most promote skin dehydration.
✗ Avoid formulas with high alcohol content, perfumes, soap, poor quality essential oils or aggressive chemical ingredients (e.g. denat alcohol, zinc or aluminum among others)