And some background info on ceramides in skincare!
Who will win the battle of the ceramide creams? Cerave Moisturizing Cream, Stratia Liquid Gold, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin, Holika Holika Good Cera, or Mamonde Ceramide Intense Cream? (Okay, Stratia Liquid Gold isn’t really a cream, it’s more of an emulsion or a heavy serum, but it’s moisturizing and close enough that I wanted to include it in this comparison.)
First of all, let’s talk a little bit about ceramides. What are they? Why should you want them on your skin? And why am I weirdly obsessed with them? These are all excellent questions.
The Research
According to a 2003 study:
Ceramides are the major lipid constituent of lamellar sheets present in the intercellular spaces of the stratum corneum. These lamellar sheets are thought to provide the barrier property of the epidermis. It is generally accepted that the intercellular lipid domain is composed of approximately equimolar concentrations of free fatty acids, cholesterol, and ceramides. Ceramides are a structurally heterogeneous and complex group of sphingolipids containing derivatives of sphingosine bases in amide linkage with a variety of fatty acids. Differences in chain length, type and extent of hydroxylation, saturation etc. are responsible for the heterogeneity of the epidermal sphingolipids. It is well known that ceramides play an essential role in structuring and maintaining the water permeability barrier function of the skin. In conjunction with the other stratum corneum lipids, they form ordered structures. An essential factor is the physical state of the lipid chains in the nonpolar regions of the bilayers. The stratum corneum intercellular lipid lamellae, the aliphatic chains in the ceramides and the fatty acids are mostly straight long-chain saturated compounds with a high melting point and a small polar head group. This means that at physiological temperatures, the lipid chains are mostly in a solid crystalline or gel state, which exhibits low lateral diffusional properties and is less permeable than the state of liquid crystalline membranes, which are present at higher temperatures. The link between skin disorders and changes in barrier lipid composition, especially in ceramides, is difficult to prove because of the many variables involved. However, most skin disorders that have a diminished barrier function present a decrease in total ceramide content with some differences in the ceramide pattern. Formulations containing lipids identical to those in skin and, in particular, some ceramide supplementation could improve disturbed skin conditions. Incomplete lipid mixtures yield abnormal lamellar body contents, and disorder intercellular lamellae, whereas complete lipid mixtures result in normal lamellar bodies and intercellular bilayers. The utilization of physiological lipids according to these parameters have potential as new forms of topical therapy for dermatoses. An alternative strategy to improving barrier function by topical application of the various mature lipid species is to enhance the natural lipid-synthetic capability of the epidermis through the topical delivery of lipid precursors.
Ewww! I hope you didn’t read that whole thing, because it is seriously boring. But if you did read it all (and understand it), good for you! You get a gold star.
Otherwise, this is basically what you need to know from this (FYI I am not a scientist or an expert of any kind, just a skincare nerd, so please take everything I say with a healthy dose of skepticism): Your skin barrier is made up of cholesterol, free fatty acids, and ceramides. In particular, ceramides seem to play an important role in the health and function of your skin barrier. If your skin barrier is damaged, there are probably less ceramides present in your skin. Okay cool. So now here is the interesting part: “Formulations containing lipids identical to those in skin [cholesterol, free fatty, acids, and ceramides] and, in particular, some ceramide supplementation could improve disturbed skin conditions.” Products that contain cholesterol, free fatty acids, and especially ceramides can help improve skin health.
I also really like the way CeraVe describes ceramides on their website, it’s nice and simple and I generally trust them as a source of information.
Ceramides are lipids that help form the skin’s barrier and help skin retain moisture. Ceramides also help the skin protect against environmental aggressors like irritants, and pollution. Without the proper ratio of ceramides, the skin’s barrier can become compromised, leading to dryness, itching and irritation.
Although ceramides are produced naturally by the skin, they maybe be depleted by exposure to hot water, soaps, certain chemicals and other environmental factors. Replenishing the skin with skincare that is formulated with ceramides helps restore the skin’s barrier, which may then increase the skin’s moisture levels.
Yet, CeraVe didn’t mention anything about cholesterol or free fatty acids though…Interesting.
Let’s take a look at Stratia’s website now, specifically the page for Liquid Gold, a product that has been pretty hyped up for its ceramide content as well as its inclusion of cholesterol and free fatty acids. The following excerpt is from Stratia’s website:
Your skin’s moisture barrier (the stratum corneum, or outermost layer of the epidermis) has a bricks-and-mortar structure. The bricks are flat, dead skin cells called corneocytes, and the mortar is a fatty mixture made up of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. This mixture keeps your skin healthy, clear, and resilient. If it’s compromised, it can lead to skin that’s simultaneously dry and oily, extremely sensitive, or acne-prone.
Liquid Gold is formulated with ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids to mimic and strengthen your natural moisture barrier. By healing dehydration and replenishing that fatty mixture in your stratum corneum, you can address the above symptoms and discover healthy, bouncy, resilient skin.
Now this is sounding pretty good! We’ve got all three components of the skin barrier: ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids. What could possibly be missing?
Well, it turns out that besides just needing all three components to be present, research also shows that cholestrol, ceramides, and free fatty acids have an optimal molar ratio which ranges from 1:1:1 to 3:1:1 AND these components should be at an optimal concentration of 1-1.6%. In particular, this study seems to support these numbers. Stratia used to make claims about using the optimal ratio (3:1:1) of these components, but that all changed due to…
The Scandal
If you follow skincare trends, you may have heard about a bit of an expose on ceramides in the skincare industry. It turns out that many popular brands are not using anywhere close to the optimal ratio and/or concentration of the skin barrier components. In particular, this reddit post elicited a huge response and a good amount of outrage from the community. It was also brought to light that many companies use a blend called SK-INFLUX which includes a mix of ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids which are not in the optimal molar ratio! Furthermore, this blend is usually not used at an optimal concentration in formulations. AKA, products that use SK-INFLUX aren’t really using ceramides effectively, at least according to the research.
During this expose, I learned that Stratia and Cerave are included in the brands that use SK-INFLUX and do not use the optimal ratio or concentration. This was rather disappointing to me, because I owned both of these products. Yet, I continued to use these products and will be reviewing them for you all. And as it is pointed out in the informative reddit post, this whole ceramide scandal doesn’t mean that these are necessarily bad products! Products that don’t contain the optimal ratio and concentrations of ceramides could still be effective for other reasons besides their ceramide content. Although several brands lost some respect for representing their products dishonestly.
Yet, during this dark time for SK-INFLUX users, light was also shed on brands and products that don’t use this blend. I noticed that there are a number of Asian brands that don’t use SK-INFLUX, although it is still unclear is they use the optimal ratio and concentration of cholesterol, ceramides, and free fatty acids. But they make no claims to do so, therefore at least I can respect their honesty (or lack of dishonesty lol). Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin, Holika Holika Good Cera, and the Mamonde Ceramide Intense Cream–the other products that I will be reviewing–do not use SK-INFLUX, as far as I know.
The Reviews
Okay, that was a lot of background information for these products. But if you read it all, I hope you can have an idea of where I’m coming from when I review these products.
Despite this whole ceramide scandal, I’ve still found that I’ve really enjoyed many products that contain ceramides, whether or not they use the proper ratio and concentration. I have found them to be very moisturizing and they have helped me to maintain healthy skin while using Tretinoin and other active ingredients that can potentially be damaging. Still, I can’t be sure if if any of these products are helping me due to the ceramide content or (maybe more likely) for other reasons.
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream – (RP) The price is probably what I love most about good old CeraVe. It is very affordable, especially because it comes in a huge tub that lasts forever. I will probably keep purchasing this just due to the price, which makes it a wonderful body cream because I can really slather it on. In terms of a facial cream, I don’t really enjoy this that much — I find it can be a little difficult to spread and I really like my face creams to go on smoothly and easily. It also dries somewhat matte, which isn’t really what I’m going for and I would prefer something a little more dewy and moisturizing for my dry skin. But this makes it wonderful for the body, because it’s not too greasy, which is something that I really dislike about some body lotions. Rating: 3.5/5 for face, 4.5/5 for body
Stratia Liquid Gold – (WRP) The bright yellow color of this instantly drew me to this product–it’s just so cool! However, it does leave my very pale skin with a slight yellow tint for a while after I apply it. This will go away though, and I usually would apply this at night so I didn’t care anyway. Now, for an emulsion/serum, this stuff is super moisturizing, though it’s not quite moisturizing enough for me to use without a cream or an oil on top. When I first started using Tretinoin, I found this product to be really helpful; it soothed and moisturized my dry, irritated skin. However, since I ran out of this product, I haven’t really felt a need for it. My skin seems to be doing fine now without it. So maybe it worked and helped repair my skin? I’m not sure, but perhaps I will repurchase this if my skin barrier is damaged again. Rating: 4/5
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin – (WRP) This is the cream that I am currently using at night and occasionally during the day. And…I don’t think my skin has ever been this moisturized in winter, even though I’m using a number of harsh ingredients right now. This stuff is seriously thick and rich, like peanut butter but it spreads more easily. It has a bit of a scent that I don’t love, but I also don’t really mind it, and it doesn’t irritate me at all. It also comes in a squeeze-tube which I love–it’s so much easier and more hygienic than a tub! Not to mention, this cream locks in moisture like nobody’s business and I wake up with soft, moisturized skin each morning. I imagine that this would be too heavy for oily skin types, but I highly recommend trying this out if you have try skin and/or a damaged moisture barrier. It can be a little bit pricey, but if you buy it on YesStyle or elsewhere online (pretty much anywhere besides Sephora), the price isn’t so bad, usually around $30, which seems to be worth it for me. Rating: 4.5/5
Holika Holika Good Cera – (WRP) This product is a well-known dupe for the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin. I used this product first, before trying the Dr. Jart+ and I really enjoyed it at the time. It is quite thick and very moisturizing, just not quite as much as the Dr. Jart. The price is also a bit more affordable; I can usually find it online for about $20. This cream has a citrus-y scent that was just alright in my opinion, but again my skin isn’t that sensitive to fragrance. I used this at a time when my moisture barrier was damaged, and I did feel that this cream helped me with that. It left me with soft moisturized skin. It’s just not quite as good as the Dr. Jart+ but it is a really good budget option. I would certainly be willing to repurchase this and I would love to do a side-by-side comparison to the Dr. Jart+ 4/5
Mamonde Ceramide Intense Cream – (WRP) I used this during the spring back when my skin was more combination than dry. It really is a lovely floral cream, with a nice gentle scent and a really comforting texture. Even though this is the Intense version, I did not find it to be that heavy. It is at least one degree lighter than the Holika Holika, and at least two degrees lighter than the Dr. Jart. Although there is still a Light version of this cream which is probably what I would recommend for anyone who is more oily. I used this product in winter/spring before Tretinoin, so my skin was a little more oily at the time and this was the perfect amount of moisture. Now, I think that this might be really wonderful in spring/fall. Or it could also be a lovely winter moisturizer for someone with combination/normal skin. I also think that this product is priced very reasonably, and it can usually be found for $20-$25. Rating: 4.5/5
Final Thoughts
So who wins the battle of the ceramide products? Well, for winter-time, for me, it has to be the Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream. This is an amazing nighttime moisturizer for dry skin in cold weather. In warmer weather or even in winter during the daytime, I would definitely prefer to use the Mamonde Ceramide Intense Cream because it is very moisturizing but still not too heavy. Yet, if I couldn’t use the Mamonde or the Dr. Jart+ creams, I would still be very happy with CeraVe and Holika Holika. And if I still felt that I needed an extra ceramide/moisturizing punch, I would also be willing to repurchase Stratia Liquid Gold. I think these are all good products.
Therefore, despite the whole ceramide scandal, I still really enjoy using products that contain ceramides. I find them to be extra moisturizing, nourishing, and wonderful for dry skin. Although I am far more skeptical about the claims behind a lot of these products, I have been getting good results. My moisture barrier seems to be doing pretty well despite using Tretinoin almost every day in addition to other active ingredients. I can’t say for certain why this is, but I’m happy about it and happy with how these products have been working! So my final advice is this: Stay skeptical, stay informed, and stay moisturized!
While writing this article, I collaborated with the lovely Anastasia from Create Confidence. She has reviewed a lot of products on her blog that I have never tried before! And while I have dry skin, she has combination skin, so definitely check out her site to get a perspective from a different skin type on products such as the Cerave Moisturizing Cream.
