Hydrating products are at the core of any good skin-care routine. Given that H2O is the key to healthy skin, you’ve probably heard all about the importance of maintaining stellar hydration levels. If your bathroom cabinet looks anything like mine, it’s probably filled to the brim with products that boost moisture and lock in water. But are they all necessary? Toners, serums, essences and moisturizers can all help increase skin’s hydration when used correctly. Recent skin-care trends have normalized excessive layering and using multiple different products aimed to deliver the same result. While stocking up on an arsenal of hydrating products can feel beneficial, layering the same products with the same intended benefits could be a waste of time and money. It begs the question of overhydration. Water is essential, but too much of a good thing can get ugly. Below, a experts explain the pros and cons of overhydration and how to build a healthy, hydrating skin-care routine.
Featured experts
- Dr. Janet Allenby is a board-certified dermatologist based in Delray Beach, FL
- Nichelle Temple is a New York-based aesthetician
Why is skin hydration important?
You don’t have to be an expert to know that hydration is important for maintaining vitality from the inside out. “In terms of your skin, hydration refers to adding water to the tissue, but a lot of people are misinformed,” says Delray Beach, FL, dermatologist Dr. Janet Allenby. Hydrating and moisturizing are often used in tandem, but they are completely different and offer different benefits for your skin. Products with hydrating ingredients sink deep beneath the skin’s surface to draw in moisture and increase the water levels within the skin. “Oils and thick moisturizing creams are different in that they don’t hydrate the skin. Instead, they create more of a barrier on the surface,” says Dr. Allenby. You need both hydration and moisturization, so finding the right balance is essential for healthy skin.
Can you overhydrate your skin?
Overexposing your skin to anything has its disadvantages. “Just like overexfoliating or using too many actives, piling on moisturizing ingredients can lead to skin troubles,” aesthetician Nichelle Temple. Your skin has a natural protective layer called the stratum corneum, which is responsible for locking in moisture. According to Temple, too many hydrating and moisturizing products can lead to a breakdown of the natural barrier. Both experts note that overuse of certain ingredients can lead to issues such as irritation, breakouts and damage to the skin’s barrier.
Despite this, skin-care trends with an excessive amount of products and steps are thriving. Skin flooding and slugging were two very viral trends that took over social media this past year. While they differ in the types of product used (skin flooding uses hydrating products and slugging focuses on oclusive formulas), they both promote an extreme multi-layer approach to skin-care routines. There’s some validity in the general idea of these trends. In terms of skin flooding, Temple says that it can be beneficial for certain skin types or when you’re in an extremely dry climate. “For some people, what appears to be wrinkles can be addressed by increasing hydration through layers of toners and essences to plump the skin. For others with extremely dehydrated skin, applying multiple hydrating products can help restore the skin, she says.
How to create a healthy hydrating routine
Building an efficacious skin-care routine requires some basic knowledge. “Topical products are broken down into three categories: Oil-based, gel-based (which is often times alcohol-based) and water-based,” says Dr. Allenby. With that in mind, she explains that understanding your skin type will help you assess its needs. “Younger skin usually does better with water-based products, such as serums, lotions and most hyaluronic acid products, because they work to plump the skin and cause fewer breakouts. As you age, however, your skin needs more moisture, making oil-based products and emollients more beneficial,” she says. Forming a healthy hydration routine means finding products that target your skin’s needs at each step—not using seven of the same type of product. “A gentle cleanser and toner, a hydrating product like an essence or hydrating serum to add a layer of moisture to the skin and a moisturizer to help lock in hydration are key for hydrating and supporting the skin’s barrier,” says Temple. If your skin is dehydrated or you want to focus on increasing hydration levels, that’s when she recommends adding products often left out of daily routines, such as toners and essences. ”Toners rebalance the skin’s pH and can gently exfoliate the dead skin cells while essences function almost like a pre-serum, providing an extra boost of moisture,” adds Temple.
Bottom line? Hydrating your skin is essential, but overwhelming it with one type of product may not allow you to reap its benefits and might even result in a weaker skin barrier. As Temple notes, quality over quantity is best when it comes to your skin-care routine.
