It can be found in nature - in green tea - but the version used in cosmetics is synthetic. One of the gold standard ingredients for treating problem skin. It's the extract from the silver-white bark of the Birch tree that grows on moors in North and Middle Europe and in North America. Tried this product after getting hooked on their Notox product. Scientia Ceramide Skin Rescue Moisture Barrier Balm. Jojoba is a drought resistant evergreen shrub native to South-western North America. A natural corn sugar derived glycol. Together with ceramides and fatty acids, they play a vital role in having a healthy skin barrier and keeping the skin hydrated. This helpsto prevent discoloration of the formula over time or rancidity of cosmetic oils. BTW, its also a food preservativeand even has an E number, E202. If HA does not tell you anything we have a super detailed, geeky explanation about it here. This order will earn The seed oil, similar to other plant oils, is loaded with things that are good-for-the-skin: it contains skin regenerating vitamin A, antioxidant vitamin E, and vitamin D3 that helps with calcium absorption. It feels wonderfully luxurious to touch and has a lovely light scent which I enjoy. It's also a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer. A super commonly used thickener and emulsion stabilizer. All international orders are handled by FedEx via a fully tracked service. Hyaluronic Acidfor added hydration, with incredible moisture binding abilities and a tiny molecular structure, Hyaluronic Acid can help hold moisture up to 1000 times its own weight when applied to the skin. Not really that good. A mild, natural preservative that usually comes to the formula together with its other mild preservative friends, such as Benzoic Acid and/orDehydroaceticAcid. As you age, and as skin gets damaged through external aggressors, the quality and quantity of your own ceramides reduce. Its approved by Ecocert and also used in the food industry(E415). Well, the answer is probably a no, but they do work to some extent. As a high-linoleic oil, it has a light skin feeling, absorbs easily into the top layer of the skin and gives a velvety skin feel. It works even better when combined with its pal, Ceramide1. It's a great ingredient to neutralize metal (especially iron and copper) ions in a cosmetic product. I have experienced no irritation at all including on an open wound (dont ask Im clumsy!) It's uniquely excellent at helping the skin with its protective barrier and helping it to stay moisturized. Even if you heat it to 370 C (698 F) for 96 hours, it does notbudge. About 25% of the goopy stuff between our skin cells consists of cholesterol. Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Propylene Glycol, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Canola Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Prickly Pear) Seed Oil, Salicylic Acid, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Phospholipids, Xanthan Gum, Betula Alba (Birch) Bark Extract, Citric Acid, Behenic Acid, Ceramide Np, Cholesterol, Ceramide Ns, Ethylhexylglycerin, Ceramide Ap, Ceramide Eop, Ceramide Eos, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Benzyl Alcohol, Potassium Sorbate, Ceteareth-25, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Propanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Gluconate, Sorbic Acid, Phenoxyethanol. A kind of polymer (big molecule from repeated subunits) thathelps to create beautiful gel-like textures. These skin-identical ingredients occur naturally in the skin and make up 50% of your skin barrier. Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Prickly Pear) Seed Oil, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Read all the geeky details about Glycerin here >>, Read all the geeky details about Propylene Glycol here >>, Acne.org has this not fully proven theory, Read all the geeky details about Tocopherol here >>, Read all the geeky details about Salicylic Acid here >>, The BeautyBrains blog made a fantastic article about ceramides, take a look at more promising derivatives here, A natural moisturizer thats also in our skin, A super common, safe, effective and cheap molecule used for more than 50 years, Not only a simple moisturizer but knows much more: keeps the skin lipids between our skin cells in a healthy (liquid crystal) state, protects against irritation, helps to restore barrier, Effective from as low as 3% with even more benefits at higher concentrations up to 20-40% (around 10% is a good usability-effectiveness sweet spot), High-glycerin moisturizers are awesome for treating severely dry skin, It's a helper ingredient that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products, It's also a solvent, humectant and to some extent a penetration enhancer, It has a bad reputation among natural cosmetics advocates but cosmetic scientists and toxicology experts do not agree (read more in the geeky details section), Primary fat-soluble antioxidant in our skin, Significant photoprotection against UVB rays, Vit C + Vit E work in synergy and provide great photoprotection, Easy to formulate, stable and relatively inexpensive, It's one of the gold standard ingredients for treating problem skin, It can exfoliate skin both on the surface and in the pores, It's more effective for treating blackheads than acne, For acne combine it with antibacterial agents like benzoyl peroxide or azelaic acid. Ok, so now we know what ceramides are, let's see what they do in our skin: research shows clearly that they play a super important role in keeping the skin barrier healthy and the skin hydrated. A fatty (the good, non-drying kind of)alcohol that makes your skin feel smooth and nice (emollient), helps to thicken up products and also helps water and oil to blend (emulsifier). Its safe and gentle, but even more importantly, its not a feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben. To do that it has to break down to its active form, sorbic acid. Acne.org has this not fully proven theory that thanks to this, jojoba might be able to "trick" the skin into thinking it has already produced enough sebum, so it might have "skin balancing" properties for oily skin. If you see potassium sorbate you should see some other preservative next to it too. Third, jojoba oil moisturizes the skin through a unique dual action:on the one hand, it mixes with sebum and forms a thin, non-greasy, semi-occlusive layer; on the other hand, it absorbs into the skin through pores and hair follicles thendiffuses into the intercellular spaces of the outer layer of the skin to make it soft and supple. Like crazy stable. Please remember that results will vary from person to person. Quell irritation and strengthen your skin barrier with the Ceramide Skin Rescue Moisture Barrier Balm: a cooling cocktail of ceramides, hyaluronic acid and skin-loving natural extracts. You must go and read our geeky detailsabout it.). Overall, Ascorbyl Palmitate is our least favorite vitamin C derivative. Ceramides make up 50% of the goopy stuff that's between our skin cells and play a super important role in having a healthy skin barrier and keeping the skin hydrated. Like this, the products can stay more stable over time. It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative. 0 Leslie Bauman notes in Cosmetic Dermatology that one application of sunflower oil significantly speeds up the recovery of the skin barrier within an hour and sustains the results 5 hours after using it. ), In stock Desert Milk Complex Including Jojoba, Watermelon, Aloe, Baobab and Kahlahari Melon to smooth, plump and improve skin elasticity a magic complex it leaves a veil of hydration on the skin which can last up to 72 hours. Scientia recently launched their new Ceramide Skin Rescue Moisture Barrier Balm which sounds the perfect skin remedy for these colder months, if your skin needs some TLC keep reading! The emollient plant oil coming from the seeds of the cactus commonly called Prickly Pear orNopal Fig. Its a real oldie: expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years. It's one of the most commonly used thickeners and emulsion stabilizers. Mother Nature brings Jojoba, Watermelon, Aloe, Baobab and Kalahari Melon to help plump and smooth, improving elasticity whilst rebuilding the skins protective layer. AD PR Samples and Affiliate Links included. Great natural moisturizer and skin-identical ingredient that plays an important role in skin hydration and general skin health. The famous aloe vera. Pretty much the current IT-preservative. It's believed that ceramide 1 plays a "binding role" in the lipid layers of the extracellular matrix. A type of lipid that's the major component of all cell membranes. Our complex of 5 barrier boosting Ceramides help protect and regenerate the skins natural barrier, made up of varying chain lengths, together they fill the gaps of a damaged skin barrier, replacing those that have declined in the cell surface of the skin. Its often used together with ethylhexylglycerin as it nicely improves the preservative activity of phenoxyethanol. It has a water-lovinghead with two water-hatingtails and this structure gives the molecule emulsifying properties. If the product is too runny, a little xanthan gum will make it more gel-like. An AHA that comes from citrus fruits. Shipping takes on average 3-7 days worldwide and tracking details can be accessed via your despatch email, or the Shop App.Please note, on arrival to your chosen country, your order may be subject to customs and taxes charges external to our control. (We also checkedProspector for sodium hyaluronate versions actually used in cosmetic products and found that the most common molecular weight was 1.5-1.8 million Da that absolutely counts as high molecular weight). Ceramides (5 types) . 5000, ( Now the question is only this: If we put ceramides all over our face do theywork as well as ceramides already naturally in our skin? Can be derived from coconut or palm kernel oil. 28.00 available from Scientia and Cult Beauty*, Find out more about Scientia and see my review of the Peachy Clean Milky Oil Cleanser here. Desert Milk Complex-Jojoba, Watermelon, Aloe, Baobab and Kalahari Melon help plump and smooth, improving elasticity whilst rebuilding the skins protective layer. It firmly has its place at my bedside, if your skin is in need of some TLC and you are looking to strengthen your skin barrier and improve hydration the Ceramide Rescue Moisture Barrier Balm is definitely one to try! Our partners and us collect data and use cookies, email pixels and similar tools to enhance your experience, analyse traffic and for ad personalisation and measurement. A real oldie but a goodie. It's quite a multi-tasker: can be used to improve skin moisturization, as a solvent, to boost preservative efficacyor to influence the sensory properties of the end formula. A typeof ceramidethat can be found naturally in the upper layer of the skin. Jojoba oil - a wax ester (chemically not a real oil), that's very similar to human sebum. And it's natural, both Ecocert and Cosmos approved. If you are into vitamin C, you cantake a look at more promising derivatives here. Status Points, Item limited to a max quantity of  Other than having a good safety profile and being quite gentle to the skin it has some other advantages too. Sorry, there seems to have been an error. Citric acid comes from citrus fruits and is an AHA. Please try again. It was only an in-vitro study meaning that it was done on cellcultures and not on real people, but still, this also does not support the use of AP too much. It's because there are lots of different ceramides, a 2014article writes that currently 12 base classes of ceramides are known with over 340 specific species. - (Btw, if you do not know whatthe big deal with vitamin C is then you are missing out. No matter the origin, in small amounts (up to 1%) its a nice, gentle preservative. It's a great ingredient to neutralize metal (especially iron and copper) ions in a cosmetic product. Well, to understand what a wax ester is, you first have to know that oils are chemically triglycerides:one glycerin + three fatty acids attached to it. There is also research showing that birch bark extract can improve the skin barrier, increase skin hydration and reduce trans-epidermal water loss. Sign up to our newsletters and receive the latest exclusive discount and deals, 5 Editors Share Their Summer Beauty Essentials, Clean Make Up? Only while stocks last. It's the salt form of famous humectant and natural moisturizing factor, hyaluronic acid. It's similar to the more often used sodium hydroxideand pretty much the same of what we wrote there applies here too. If you have spottedethylhexylglycerinon the ingredient list, most probably you will see there also the current IT-preservative,phenoxyethanol. The neutralized form of gluconic acid. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed. Third, another study that wanted to examine the antioxidant properties of AP was surprised to find that even though AP does have nice antioxidant properties;following UVB radiation (the same one that comesfrom the sun) it also promotes lipid peroxidation and cytotoxicity. It can boost the effectiveness of phenoxyethanol (and other preservatives) and as an added bonus it feels nice on the skin too. I call this my Winter Skin Remedy! A typeof ceramidethat can be found naturally in the upper layer of the skin. A so-calledfatty (the good, non-drying kind of)alcohol that does all kinds of things in a skincare product: it makes your skin feel smooth and nice (emollient), helps to thicken up products and also helps water and oil to blend (emulsifier). But before we go into the details, let's just quickly define what the heck ceramides are: Sunflower does not need a big intro as you probably use it in the kitchen as cooking oil, or you munch on the seeds as a healthy snack or you adore its big, beautifulyellow flower during the summer - or you do all of these and probably even more. Most often it's used to create liposomes and to coat and stabilizesome other ingredient. ALOE BARBADENSIS (ALOE VERA) LEAF JUICE, GLYCERIN, AQUA (WATER), PROPYLENE GLYCOL, AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER, CANOLA OIL, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, Free UK Standard delivery on orders over 50*, International (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain). We wrote way more about ceramides at ceramide 1, so click here to know more. Thanks to this last thing, it allows a lower percentage of traditional preservative or it might even be able to completelyreplace them. It's also used in oral care products where itreduces the bitterness of other ingredients. Along with ceramides 4 and 7, they also play a vital role in epidermal integrity and serve as the main storage areas for linoleic acid (a fatty acid that's alsovery important for barrier repair). (source: manufacturer info). On balance, the point is this: in contrast to real plant oils, wax esters were designed by Mother Nature to stay on the surface and forma protective, moisturizing barrier and jojoba oil being a wax ester is uniquely excellent at doing that. It is usually used as a helper ingredient to adjust the pH of the formula. Btw, it's also used as a food preservative. Ceramide Skin Rescue Moisture Barrier Balm. Mother Nature created triglycerides to be easily hydrolyzed (bebroken down to a glycerin + 3 fatty acid molecules) and oxidized (the fatty acid is broken down into small parts) - this happens basically when we eat fats or oils and our body generates energy from it. Its mainly a solvent for ingredients that do not like to dissolve in oils but rather in water. The Inside Scoop on the Hottest TikTok Trend, Everything you Need to Know About Cult Conscious, 4 Tips for Repairing Your Moisture Barrier, How To Determine Your Skin Tone And Undertone, Holiday Essentials You Need In Your Suitcase, The Ultimate Pre-Wedding Skincare Routine According To The Experts, Top 10 SPF: Our Edit of the Best Daily Facial Sunscreens, Scientia RESET EDIT - 30ml Dusk Elixir Active Oil Blend, Get 15% OFF your first haul when you spend 30 with code FIRST15. HA is famous for its crazy water holding capacity as it can bind up to 1000 times its own weight in water. They are good friends becauseethylhexylglycerincan boost the effectiveness of phenoxyethanol (and other preservatives) and as an added bonus it feels nice on the skin too. Our skin goes through a LOT. Used alone, it can make the formula sticky and it is a good team player so it is usually combined with other thickeners and so-calledrheology modifiers (helper ingredients that adjust the flow and thus the feel of the formula). The extract from the silver-white bark of the Birch tree that has antioxidant, anti-irritant and astringent magic properties. An oil soluble vitamin C derivative that has mixed data about its effectiveness. It is a native to Mexico cactus withlarge, sweet fruits that are used to create jam and jellies. It can be naturally found in fruits and teas but can also be made synthetically. SimplySarahJayneLoves|Theme By Blog Pixie. It's one of the important lipids that can be found naturally in the outer layer of the skin. A 100% plant derived, natural (Ecocert approved) multi-functional ingredient that has emollient and moisturizing properties, can work as a co-emulsifier (meaning that next to other emulsifiers it can help water and oil to mix) and even more importantly has a strong antimicrobial activity. At first glance, it seems like your average emollient plant oil: it looks like an oil and it's nourishing and moisturizing to the skin but if we dig a bit deeper, it turns out that jojoba oil is really special and unique: technically - or rather chemically - it's not an oil but awax ester (and calling it an oil is kind of sloppy). A natural multi-functional ingredient that has emollient and moisturizing properties, can work as a co-emulsifier and has a strong antimicrobial activity. I personally love Scientia packaging and the clean white tube is aesthetically pleasing, I always love seeing the captions on the rear of the packaging they fit perfectly. The fatty acids attached to the glycerin vary and thus we have many kinds of oils, but they are alltriglycerides. For comfortable, dewy skin thats drenched in moisture, healthy, restored and glowing. Discover the proof points for this product below. This soothing complex can leave a silky veil of hydration on the skin for up to 72 hours. A nourishing and moisturizing plant oil coming from the big, iconic Baobab tree. For more information see our cookie policy. So far we were writing about ceramides in plural. Pure Vitamin E. Great antioxidant that gives significant photoprotection against UVB rays. (Many plant oils tend to go off pretty quickly). The neutralized form of gluconic acid. This does not mean thatascorbyl palmitate cannot penetrate the skin (because it can, it's oil soluble and the skin likes to absorb oil soluble things) but this means that it's questionable ifascorbyl palmitate can be converted into pure Vit C in the skin. By continuing to browse this site, you agree to the use of cookies to identify your session. points. Once inside the skin, it hydrates, but not from the outside - putting pure water on the skin (hello long baths!) A type of lipid that's the major (about 75%) component of all cell membranes. And ceramides are about 50% of those lipids (the other important ones are cholesterol with 25% and fatty acids with 15%). Our complex of 5 barrier boosting Ceramides mimic the skins natural building blocks, helping it to stay firm, hydrated and supple, restoring your moisture barrier to its former glory. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A complex of five ceramides work to help protect and restore your skins natural barrier, while hyaluronic acid, fatty acids and lipids mimic your skins natural building blocks to lock in and retain moisture. TARGETS: Damaged moisture barrier & stressed out skin. It is a native to Mexico cactus withlarge, sweet fruits that are used to create jam and jellies. Good old water, aka H2O. An infusion of jojoba, watermelon, aloe, baobab and Kalahari melon extracts then helps to plump and smooth, revealing more supple, dewy and glowing skin. It's a very alkaline stuff that helps to set the pH of the cosmetic formula to be just right. Propanediol is a natural alternative for the often usedand often bad-mouthed propylene glycol. With a twist cap lid for easy dispensing a gentle squeeze of the tube is all you will need as a little does go a long way! The goopy stuff between our skin cells is called extracellular matrix that consists mainly of lipids. It can be used in many types of formulations as it has great thermal stability (can be heated up to 85C) and works on a wide range of pH levels (ph 3-10). It's also atexturizer and thickener for oil-in-water emulsions. What research does confirm about Aloe is that its a great moisturizer and has several anti-inflammatory (among others contains salicylates, polysaccharides, magnesium lactate and C-glucosyl chromone) as well as some antibacterial components. Need to restore depleted, stressed-out skin? A mild, natural preservative that usually comes to the formula together with its other mild preservative friends, such as Benzoic Acid and/orDehydroaceticAcid. It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative. Probably thats why citric acid is usually not used as an exfoliant but more as a helper ingredient in small amounts to adjust the pH of a formulation. So being a wax ester results in a couple of unique properties: First, jojoba oil is extremely stable. The most common skincare ingredient of all. It contains the essential fatty acid, linoleic acid and has a unique structure. As for skincare, it works as an emollient and skin-identical ingredient. Drench skin in a cooling veil of hydration that instantly soothes irritation Replenishing, restorative and all about strengthening the moisture barrier, help comfort and rebuild stressed-out skin with this protective ceramide-rich skin rescue balm. its comfortable and gentle and absolutely suitable for all skin types. A kind of polymer (big molecule from repeated subunits) thathelps to create beautiful gel-like textures. Please try again later! It also helps wound healing and skin regeneration in general. We have written way more about ceramides at ceramide 1, so click here to know more. A not so strong preservative that doesnt really work against bacteria, but more against mold and yeast. You know I love multiuse products and the Ceramide Rescue Moisture Barrier Balm ticks that box, use in place of your moisturiser, an intense mask treatment or an overnight mask obviously I have tried all three! Let me know in the comments! ALOE BARBADENSIS (ALOE VERA) LEAF JUICE, GLYCERIN, AQUA (WATER), PROPYLENE GLYCOL, AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER, CANOLA OIL, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, SODIUM HYALURONATE, TOCOPHEROL, OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA (PRICKLY PEAR) SEED OIL, SALICYLIC ACID, ADANSONIA DIGITATA (BAOBAB) SEED OIL, CITRULLUS LANATUS (WATERMELON) SEED OIL, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL, PHOSPHOLIPIDS, XANTHAN GUM, BETULA ALBA (BIRCH) BARK EXTRACT, CITRIC ACID, BEHENIC ACID, CERAMIDE NP, CHOLESTEROL, CERAMIDE NS, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, CERAMIDE AP, CERAMIDE EOP, CERAMIDE EOS, CAPROOYL PHYTOSPHINGOSINE, CAPROOYL SPHINGOSINE, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, BENZYL ALCOHOL, POTASSIUM SORBATE, CETEARETH-25, GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE, GLYCERYL UNDECYLENATE, PROPANEDIOL, CETYL ALCOHOL, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM GLUCONATE, SORBIC ACID, PHENOXYETHANOL, 2-3 working days (Tracked & signed for)3.75, 2-3 working days (Tracked & Signed for)Free, Usually delivered within 1 working day (Tracked & signed for)5.50, International Delivery when you spend under 60 - 3-7 working days (Tracked & signed for)20.00International Delivery when you spend 60.00 - 74.99 - 3-7 working days (Tracked & signed for)10.00International Delivery when you spendover 75- 3-7 working days (Tracked & signed for)FREE, International Delivery - 3-7 working days20.00. is drying. Enhanced by Sphingolipids, these ceramide precursors help to strengthen the skin barrier, creating signalling pathways to encourage the upper layers of the skin to synthetises their own ceramides. The TL; DR version of HA is that it's a huge polymer (big molecule from repeated subunits) found in the skin that acts as a sponge helping the skin to hold onto water, being plump and elastic. We are highly skeptical what effect a tiny amount of AP has in a formula. Sphingolipids-part of the make up of ceramides, they act as precursors, helping to strengthen the skin barrier, creating signalling pathways to encourage the upper layers of the skin to synthetises more of their own ceramides. If these magic three letters dont tell you anything, click here and read our detailed description on glycolic acid, the most famous AHA. The typical use level of Xantha Gum is below 1%, it is usually in the 0.1-0.5% range. It gives products a good skin feel and does not make the formula tacky or sticky. No need to rinse. Usually the main solvent in cosmetic products. A great moisturizer and anti-inflammatory ingredient that also helps wound healing and skin regeneration. Designed to drench skin in a cooling veil of soothing hydration, the comforting balm is powered by a medley of nourishing, barrier-boosting ingredients. So, AP is one of the attempts by the cosmetics industry to solve the stability issues with vitamin C while preserving its benefits, but it seems to fall short on several things. Its safe and gentle, and can be used up to 1% worldwide. Ceramides make upabout 50% of the goopy stuff that's between our skin cells and play a super important role in having a healthy skin barrier and keeping the skin hydrated. Usually dispatched within 24 hours. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 25-30% of human sebum is also wax esters to give uspeople environmental protection. We don't have description for this ingredient yet. Total Price: It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative. Works in synergy with Vitamin C. The emollient plant oil coming from the seeds of the cactus commonly called Prickly Pear orNopal Fig. Your email address will not be published. It also protects the surface of the skin and enhances the damaged or irritated skin barrier. So citric acid is an exfoliant, that can - just like other AHAs - gently lift off the dead skin cells of your skin and make it more smooth and fresh. It can exfoliate skin both on the surface and in the pores and it's a potent anti-inflammatory agent. It's one of the important lipids that can be found naturally in the outer layer of the skin. :) You are almost done: please check your mailbox to confirm your email! If you wanna become a real HA-and-the-skin expert you can read way more about the topic at hyaluronic acid(including penetration-questions, differences between high and low molecular weight versions and a bunch of references to scientific literature). So what the heck is a wax ester and why is that important anyway? Thanks for sharing your thoughts! This means that the oil is rare and expensive asa ton of fruit (and it is literally a ton) is needed to yield 1 liter of it. Hyaluronic Acid, fatty acids and lipids work in partnership with ceramides, mimicking the skins natural building blocks, helping to restore and rebuild the skins natural barrier function, whilst locking in and retaining moisture. The BeautyBrains blog made a fantastic article about ceramides and they have listed a couple of examples about studies showing that ceramides - especially when used in certain ratios with cholesterol and fatty acids - do hydrate the skin and can help to repair the skin barrier.