Ceramides: The Key to Restoring A Healthy Skin Barrier
2/19/2025
My skin has always been very sensitive and acne-prone and living in the Canadian extreme climates makes it even worse. It feels like anything and everything could have triggered my acne including accidentally touching my face or a teeny tiny bit of sweat or dirt. Additionally, as I approached my late 20s, my combo skin slowly became drier. These combinations make my skin become harder to please and easier to be sensitized by skincare products.
I used to bombard my skin with powerful acne-fighting ingredients such as BHA, benzoyl peroxide, adapalene, and azaleic acid (at the same time😱) hoping that my acne could be cured quickly. However, as you would expect when combining powerful actives without precautions, my already broken skin barrier was completely destroyed leading to my skin become worse and more sensitive with dry, red and irritated patches. My pimples became extremely inflamed and painful. At that point, I decided to hit pause on everything, drop all actives, and press reset on my skincare routine. And that's how I discovered the power of ceramides.
What are Ceramides?
In short, ceramides are essentially fats or lipids that are present in our skin cells and make up about 50% of lipids in the epidermis - the outer layer of the skin. Together with cholesterol and fatty acids, they play a crucial role in maintaining the health of our skin barrier, preventing moisture loss and fighting against environmental stressors like pollution and oxidative stress.
Ceramides can be derived from 2 sources: natural and synthetic
Natural ceramides are usually extracted from plant oils, animal fats, or even yeast.
Synthetic aka. man-made ceramides are formulated in labs to mimic our natural ceramides. This type of ceramide is used more often in skincare products due to its stability and low cost.
Ceramides and My Skin Conditions
Even though ceramides can help with the aging process which I'm also experiencing mildly in my early 30s, that's not the main reason why I choose to incorporate ceramides into my skincare regimen. First and foremost, using ceramide products can support my skin barrier, keeping it hydrated and resilient to minimize irritations and sensitivity. This alone can enhance the overall appearance of my skin, promoting a healthier, youthful look. Well-hydrated skin barrier has a better chance of preventing moisture loss and free radical damage to the skin, reduce irritation and hyperpigmentation. I can't say enough good things about it.
This is also an ingredient that is easy to incorporate into your skincare routine, play well with other ingredients and less likely to cause further irritations. I would highly recommend you to try it out. Let's go through some of my top ceramide product picks below 😄
Ceramide Product Recommendations
I have hand-picked for you 4 products that include an essence, a serum, a moisturizer and a sheet mask that can be incorporated anywhere in your skincare routine depending on your preference. Let's dive in 😆
Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence a.k.a Makgeolil
This Haruharu essence is a bi-phased thick milky essence that instantly smooths and softens your skin upon contact. It spreads super well and absorbs almost instantly leaving behind a dewy glow and hydrated skin. The thing that surprises me the most is that it can instantly soften my skin as soon as it makes contact with my skin. This essence is definitely one of a very few products that give me an instant skin gratification like this.
Pros:
This essence contains ceramide, cholesterol, and fatty acid at a golden ratio of 3:1:1 that are important ingredients making up our natural healthy skin barrier. The Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence contains 5 kinds of ceramides (Ceramide NP, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AS, Ceramide AP and Ceramide EOP), 2 kinds of cholesterol (Phytosterols, Cholesterol) and 5 kinds of fatty acid (Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Arachidic Acid, Myristic Acid, Oleic Acid) that are extremely beneficial for our skin.
It also contains Oryza Sativa (Rice) Lees Extract and multiple fermented ingredients for hydrating, soothing the skin and improving skin tone and elasticity.
Panthenol is also included in this essence. It's derived from Vitamin B5 and great at providing moisture to the skin.
Non-sticky and dewy finish.
Well hydrated and supple skin.
Affordable product.
Cons:
Due to the opaqued bottle, it's easy to forget to shake it up to mix the bi-phased products together.
There is a tiny amount of fragrance in the product which is quite hard to detect by smell and it's at the end of the ingredient list so the company says that it's still safe for sensitive skin to use. And I also have no problem with this at all.
VT PDRN Essence
The VT PDRN Essence is very well-known for its PDRN ingredient and has taken Korea as well as the global market by storm last year. However, not many people has talked about or realized that this essence is also jammed pack with ceramides that support overall skin health and elasticity. Even though it's called an essence, the milky texture is closer to a lightweight gel moisturizer. When I experience a recent break-out (yes, I still do have breakouts here and there but not as severe as before), it helps heal my skin so well, minimize any scars I might have (which I do experience post-acne hyperpigmentation most of the time due to inflamed pimples) and keep it well-hydrated in the cold winter months of Vancouver weather.
Pros:
This essence contains a proprietary ingredient called Phyto PDRN® Panax which is a plant-based PDRN extracted from wild ginseng that is said to delivered the nutrients of wild ginseng for a healthy and firming skin. Since it is a vegan PDRN, it is a vegan friendly option for those that want this instead of PDRN from salmon DNA.
It also contains 5 types of ceramides: Ceramide NP, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AS, Ceramide EOP, and Ceramide AP that support the moisture barrier of the skin; Panthenol to boost hydration and protect the skin barrier; Squalane to provide moisture to the skin; and Allantoin to lock in hydration.
Also non-sticky and dewy finish
Can be used as a moisturizer for those with combo to oil skin type. With a dry skin type like mine and living in a dry environment, I still have to use a heavy moisturizer on top to lock in those hydration, but the glow from this essence still comes through for me even after putting on another layer.
Free of artificial fragrances. Though you might be able to smell a little bit of that ginseng/herbal scent due to the ingredients used.
It is supposed to be low-irritating product even for sensitive skin and I can attest to this.
Cons:
It can be on a pricier side depending on where and when you get it, but compared to Sephora, it is still quite reasonable.
The packaging makes it a little slippery to use when your hand is covered with other skincare products (yes, I'm guilty of this since I usually go through several other skincare steps with toners and other serums to get to this)
Vanicream Moisturizing Cream for Sensitive Skin
I know, I know. This is a very basic and boring cream. But please hear me out 😉 I have started using this cream when my skin was in a complete panic mode about a year ago. Any creams I put on give me irritations or full on breakouts so I couldn't use anything else other than the Aveeno Calm and Restore Oat Gel Facial Moisturizer that I usually used in the summer. But that wasn't enough for my skin in colder months so I had to look for alternatives. Then I remembered that I bought the Vanicream a while back after seeing some dermatologists recommend it on YouTube but didn't have a chance to use it yet. I was still afraid that it could cause me further irritations but to my surprise, it has not only moisturized my skin so well but also calm it down a lot. I still keep using it until now with it being my daytime moisturizer in the winter and my night-time moisturizer in the summer. It still works wonder for my skin despite having a very basic ingredient list.
Pros:
The Vanicream Moisturizing Cream is a very affordable drugstore product that you can get from basically anywhere
It helps restore and maintain moisture level on your skin; and soothes red, irritated and itchy skin
It's non-greasy, non-sticky and spreads nicely
It's non-pore clogging and fragrance free.
It also contains 5 types of ceramides: Ceramide AP, Ceramide AS, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NG, and Ceramide NP; beta-glucan for soothing irritated skin and hydration; Dimethicone for locking in hydration; Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Panthenol and Allantoin to provide and lock in hydration for the skin; and Zinc Oxide to treat and prevent skin irritation.
Basic ingredient list that anyone can use.
Cons:
The cream doesn't leave behind a dewy glow (if you are into that glow like I do, you won't see much of it once you put the cream on)
It can feel heavy for those with combo and oily skin types.
It's a basic and boring cream (To me this is a pro and a con at the same time. I know I'm conflicting myself but sometimes we'd like to feel a joy in using our skincare products and this product doesn't give me that. It is just very functional that works when my skin is not in its tip top condition)
Dear, Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Tencel Sheet Mask
I only bought this sheet mask to try it out to see what all the hype is about. And in the first use, I understand why it is so popular. The Rich Moist Soothing Tencel mask is not trending now since it has come out for a number of years now but the quality is still there. After using the sheet mask for 15-20 mins, my skin feels so supple, soft and very well-hydrated. My skin usually doesn't like sheet masks and would show some minor irritations like small bumps after usage but this is one of the exceptions.
Pros:
This sheet mask is made with 5 types of ceramides: Ceramide NP, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AP, Ceramide AS, Ceramide EOP to support the skin barrier; and also contains moisturizing nutrients such as Aloe Vera, Panthenol and Hyaluronic Acid to provide hydration and soothing effects.
The sheet mask is made with a dual-layered with 100% cotton and tencel to minimize skin irritation.
Simple ingredient list that minimizes the chance of irritation for sensitive skin.
Quick fix for tired and dehydrated skin
Cons:
The sheet mask material is not as soft as other materials like cotton or hydro gel
It is quite hard to pull the sheet mask apart after taking it out of the package to put it on my face. I struggle quite abit to figure out and untangle the pieces
It doesn't fit quite well to my smaller face.
This is my round up of ceramide products that I adore and have seen great results with. I can't say enough good things about them. I hope this detailed guide can help you choose your perfect product and further along your skincare journey.
