These 10 Beauty Products Embrace A New Era of Skin Hydration
Over the past couple years, advances in skincare formulations have changed the game. Five experts share the details behind the science.
Winter may be the worst season for the skin. Central heating, dry air stripping moisture, plus harsh winds leave skin dry, vulnerable to irritants, and worn down year after year. If you’re prone to eczema or rosacea, flare-ups are to be expected. You’re at your most sensitive with your skin barrier at its weakest.
The prevailing wisdom on how to treat the effects of the cold has been relatively consistent—and basic—for decades. Use a cream, not a lotion. Don’t overexfoliate. Prioritize sun protection. Moisturize first thing after bathing and washing your face. Pay attention to inflammation and use a gentle cleanser. Rinse and repeat.
Over the past couple years however, advances in biotechnology and in-clinic science have changed the game—rewriting the dry-skin script, or at least suggesting a more nuanced and targeted approach. Enter a new era of treatment.
“Dryness is inevitable as the seasons change and demands a shift in the way we look after our skin, from light serums and sun protection to thick, nourishing creams to hang on to moisture,” says Dr. Jonathan Kentley, consultant dermatologist at Montrose London, a Belgravia clinic known for its cutting-edge approach and incredibly discreet services in skin and beauty. “Central heating and icy winds strip water from the epidermis, so your skin goals should be to restore moisture while reinforcing the skin barrier so it can actually hold onto it,” he continues. “Fortunately, skincare science has evolved from ‘put on some cream and hope for the best’ to precision moisture engineering.”
These breakthroughs include the development of nano-liposomes, niosomes, and encapsulated hydrating actives, which allow ingredients to reach deeper into the epidermis with lower irritation. Equally exciting are advances in microneedling and peptide technology, and “new cosmetic polymers [that] can hold multiple times their weight in water and release it slowly over time, like an IV drip for the skin,” says Dr. Kentley.
Renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr. Yannis Alexandrides of 111 Harley Street says it’s all about innovations in precision delivery methods. “In recent years, the most significant advancements have improved penetration, stability, and efficacy of active ingredients,” says the specialist. “The focus is no longer just on what ingredients we use, but how efficiently we can deliver them into the skin.”
Keren Bartov, the celebrity facialist known for giving glowing, red carpet-ready skin to Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Demi Moore, emphasizes care for the skin barrier as the key for cold months. “Dry skin is almost always a sign of a weakened skin barrier,” the aesthetician explains. She says she’s excited about the development of intelligent delivery systems (these improve absorption without irritation), new-generation peptides that support tissue regeneration, modern fatty acids and ceramides, plus technologies like Micro Wave—tech she integrates into her own multilayered treatments.
For the first time, ingredients like camellia oil and phycocyanin, which soothes and supports collagen, can be encapsulated and delivered with nanocarriers. Previously, these ingredients were too large to effectively make their way deeper into the skin. Miguel Pombo, the founder of innovative Azores Islands–based skincare line Ignae, explains that these technologies are rare today but soon to become standard. “The reason we don't see many more products using nanosomes or nanocarriers is because they are difficult to manufacture in large quantities due to stability and quality control,” he says, mentioning that his brand’s latest experiments with exosomes (perhaps the most buzzy nanocarrier of the moment) are made more stable with microalgae. “I believe that in the near future, most beauty brands will be using nanocarriers, as customers can really feel the difference, but also because of the advancements in synthetic biology, allowing for these promising ingredients to be manufactured in large scale.”
Even with all these advancements, methods for hydrating, moisturizing, and nurturing your skin barrier are about to become even more effective and sophisticated. “Biotechnology pushed hydration into a new era,” says McKenzie Bolt Rose, the head of education at pioneering biotech brand Biossance. “You get ingredients engineered for precision instead of guesswork.”
