Emollients, Occlusives, & Humectants
- taralee
- Feb 23, 2022
- 2 min read
Today we are going to be talking about Emollients, Occlusives, & Humectants. These three things are very similar, but also very different. What makes these three similar is that they help moisturize the skin. When the top layer of your skin doesn't contain enough water, it dries out. This can cause redness, rough patches, flaking of skin, and even wrinkles. So it is really important to moisturize, and emollients, occlusives and humectants can all help reverse these effects or prevent them, but they all do this in a different way. So lets discuss what makes the three different from one another.
Occlusives
Occlusives create a thin coating on skin or hair (depending on where it's used on the body). This film is flexible but can be slightly greasy. Which is why occlusives are typically only used in small amounts in formulations. The film that is created over the skin slows down water loss because when water tries to leave the skin it hits this barrier and accumulates in the outer layers of the skin. Occlusives improve the way skin looks, feels, and can even reduce itching & redness. The downfall of occlusives is that they can sometimes clog pores, so they may not be best for oily acne prone skin. On the other hand though, they aren't easily washed away, they are water resistant, so they will stay on the skin much longer than emollients and humectants.
Examples of Occlusives - Petrolatum, Mineral Oil, & Dimethicone.
Emollients
Emollients are similar to occlusives except for the fact that they tend to have a lower molecular weight & they don't form a film over the skin to block water. Emollients help soften dry rough flakey skin making it look and feel better. Emollients soften & condition skin with out actually adding moisture to it. It does this by filling in the gaps between skin cells to improve dry patches & helps make skin more flexible. Emollients also impact the way a formulation feels; how it's rubbed into the skin, the ease in which it spreads onto the skin, & time it takes to absorb into the skin.
Examples of Emollients - Most Natural Oils, Shea Butter, & Stearic Acid.
Humectants
Humectants attract & hold water like a sponge. Humectants draw water molecules from the environment towards the epidermis to help rehydrate the skin. Some humectants can feel sticky & are easily washed away which can limit their uses. Humectants are especially great for leave on products like lotion and leave on hair conditioners. I personally still love to use some humectants like glycerin and hydrolyzed proteins on wash off products, as long as they aren't too expensive. I won't use more expensive humectants like hyaluronic acid and lactic acid on rinse off products though. I feel they are just being waisted and you will benefit from them more from leave on products, but it's entirely up to you what you choose to do.
Examples of Humectants - Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Proteins, & Lactic Acid.
Watch my video over Emollients, Occlusives, & Humectants HERE
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