Talk a Different Talk

We have to talk about the terminology of the skin, not the terminology to sell a skin care product

Jul 17

We need to change the terminology.
The industry calls the epidermal barrier the skin barrier because of the marketing pull that creams and products now have on consumers. Barrier creams are among the most popular products on the market today, and every brand is creating one.
As a corneotherapist, calling the epidermal barrier of the skin “the skin barrier” is a bit like a cardiologist calling the heart - a pump.
It undermines the intellectual understanding of how the skin creates this phenomenal protection as an Epidermal barrier.
The industry thinks skin is for perfection- marketing words used to describe how our skin should look: radiant, luminous, dewy, glassy, translucent, fresh, juicy, bouncy, plumped

They have lost sight of the fact that it is actually for protection. If you protect it, you get perfection

Aiming for perfection, given the skin care available today, the sad news is you will most likely get irritation, damage, and upset.
The English dictionary defines barrier as something that blocks, limits, separates or protects by forming a boundary between one thing and another. It may be physical, functional or protective in purpose.
The term "skin barrier" does not give the skin the respect it deserves. We have to stop using marketing language and use the language of the skin.
This is why corneotherapists need to change the terminology: the correct term is the epidermal barrier.

The definition of the epidermal barrier refers to the outer protective function of the epidermis, created primarily within the stratum corneum by corneocytes, intercellular lipids, natural moisturising factors (NMF), and an acid- and microbiome-supportive surface. Its role is to regulate transepidermal water loss and help protect the body from external irritants, allergens, microorganisms and environmental stressors.

It is an intelligent, communicative and selectively permeable epidermal barrier that manages both the inside and the outside to protect us. It regulates water from within, helping protect against irritants, allergens, microorganisms, and environmental challenges.

The entire journey of the keratinocyte cell is directed towards creating the epidermal barrier.

I do not feel we are in awe of the skin enough. Products today do not respect it, appreciate it or honour it.

As the years have gone by, we have come to understand how to look after our gut and what our bodies need to function. We do not yet appreciate what the skin needs to function.
The skincare industry's best-selling cream is Skin Barrier cream, which helps counteract the overuse of AHAs, peels, and exfoliants. So let's apply a semi-occlusive barrier cream to help with dryness or reactive skin.
It is a bit like putting a tarpaulin over your house's roof and thinking it will mend the damage. You are covering the damage, not repairing it.
This is happening while the consumer may still be using an AHA toner, receiving a peel once a week, and thinking that using ascorbic acid and retinol daily is a good thing.
The products and practices that caused the damage may never have been removed.
Until we, as corneotherapists, gradually change this terminology and call it what it deserves—an epidermal barrier—and support, protect and treat it with the respect it deserves, we will not change how people understand the skin.

We need to apply the ingredients that the skin understands and needs

Talk a Different Talk

To work with the organ Mother Nature created.