When buying skincare, the first thing you need to pay attention to is the ingredients listed on the packaging. You must be familiar with the words moisturize and hydrate on skin care product packaging. Moisturizing and hydrating benefit from moisturizing the skin, but there are also differences between the two.
What's the difference, then? Read the article below to the end so that you know the difference between moisturizing and hydrating so that there are no more mistakes when choosing skincare.
Learn what Moisturizing is in Skincare
The skin has a natural barrier that can trap moisture, but dry skin doesn't have enough protection, so it needs external moisturizing help. The moisturizing properties stated in skin care products are intended for people with dry skin. Moisturizing products help retain moisture while preventing natural moisture loss in the skin.
Moisturizing products generally contain occlusive and emollient ingredients such as petroleum jelly, dimethicone, lanolin, and mineral oil. Some of these ingredients can improve the function of the skin's barrier layer and retain moisture.
Learn what Hydrating is in Skincare
The hydrating properties in skin care products help hydrate the skin. Dehydrated skin is a condition where the water content in the skin is insufficient so that the skin texture changes, characterized by reddish rashes, inflammation, and itching.
Hydrating products usually contain humectants, which can help absorb water into the skin and increase its water level. Some of the ingredients in humectants include glycerin, alpha hydroxy acids (AHA), urea, hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA, and aloe vera.
By increasing the skin's water content, hydration can also help absorb other nutrients from the skin care products used.
Which is better, moisturizing or hydrating?
There is no definitive answer to the question of which is better, moisturizing or hydrating because it all depends on the condition and type of each skin.
For dry skin, using a cream or jelly-based moisturizer is more suitable for those of you. This product protects and retains moisture, preventing dry skin from peeling off.
Meanwhile, for those experiencing symptoms of dehydrated skin, you can use hydrating skincare products to add water to the skin. You can use a serum or hydration toner that contains hyaluronic acid. These products can retain moisture and meet the water needs of the skin so that the skin looks more supple.
For those of you who have oily skin, that doesn't mean you don't need a moisturizer, ladies. Even though oily skin looks wet at first glance, this skin type also needs a moisturizer as it can become dehydrated. The protective function of oily skin types is often disturbed, making it difficult for the skin to retain moisture. Oily skin types that are dehydrated can produce excess oil; for that, you can use water-based and non-comedogenic moisturizing skin care.