Emollients in Skincare: How Emollients Work

An emollient is a moisturizing treatment that helps seal moisture into the skin cells through the use of a water-trapping occlusive agent, like oils or lipids. Common emollient ingredients include mineral oil, ceramides, lanolin, and paraffin. This skincare ingredient is present in many moisturizers, helping to soften the complexion and prevent dryness. Emollients are also popular treatments for psoriasis, contact dermatitis, eczema, and excessively itchy skin.

Many daily skincare creams, sprays, and ointments contain emollients to combat everyday moisture-sapping elements like sun, wind, and cold. Emollients don’t contain irritants and rarely have side effects for most skin types. However, those with oily skin may experience breakouts, clogged pores, or inflamed hair follicles when using them due to the added lipid content. Always consult with your dermatologist before adding a new product to your skincare regime.

Emollients contain lipids made of fatty acids that don’t break down in water, trapping any water-based products that you apply underneath them. Additionally, an emollient fills the cracks in your dry skin, creating a barrier to prevent additional irritants from entering the pores, which can combat elemental damage to the skin and keep it smooth simultaneously.

Unless they include additives like fragrances or preservatives, the different emollients don’t typically have adverse effects. However, extra-thick formulas can clog pores and sweat glands, making them less ideal for oily skin types.

Many everyday skincare products contain emollient ingredients, which help combat the moisture-sapping qualities of the everyday elements. Here are the major types of emollients, all of which represent different concentrations of water and oil.

1. 1. Lotions: Great for smoothing over large areas of your body, lotions incorporate a high-water to low-oil ratio. This easily spreadable, relatively thin product dries quickly and adds moisture to the skin without clogging the pores.
2. 2. Creams: A thicker emollient cream contains a higher oil-to-water ratio than lotion, which is ideal for dry, sensitive skin. Dermatologists often recommend emollient creams to treat various skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
3. 3. Oils: Containing no water at all, some pure oils—like shea butter, coconut oil, or marula oil—are popular skincare regimen additions because they trap other hydrating products on the top layer of the skin. Additionally, they’re easy to spread on larger areas of the body. These emollients may come in the form of body or bath oil, but many companies sell the pure oil for users to rub onto their faces after completing the rest of the skincare regimen.
4. 4. Ointments: Perfect for small, excessively dry, or sensitive areas, ointments contain a high oil-to-water ratio, forming a thick consistency like a salve that seals moisture in. A dermatology healthcare professional may prescribe ointments to heal excessive dryness or trap moisture into healing wounds.

Most moisturizers will contain emollient ingredients, but that doesn’t make these two terms completely synonymous. Here are a few key differences between emollients and moisturizing creams and lotions.

• Ingredients: Moisturizers include additional ingredients on top of oil and water. Common ingredients include glycerin and humectants, which prevent water loss. Emollients are primarily made of water and a type of lipid, like butter, oil, or fatty acids.
• Purpose: Moisturizers add moisture to the skin, while emollients trap moisture in and form an occlusive barrier against irritants, which means that the latter fills cracks and boosts the skin’s moisture barrier, while the former has general moisturizing purposes. Additionally, dermatologists often prescribe targeted emollient creams to treat specific conditions, like eczema, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Conversely, a moisturizer is an all-purpose step in a skincare routine.
• Skin types: There are moisturizers for every skin type, but emollient creams primarily work for dry, cracked skin. Those with oily skin should not use emollient creams, which can increase breakouts in these prone complexions.

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