Ceramides are lipids, the fatty molecules that sit between the cells of your skin's outermost layer and help keep it soft, comfortable and able to hold on to moisture. In skincare they are added to cleansers, serums and creams to help support the skin barrier. They suit almost every skin, and they are most welcome where skin feels dry, tight or easily unsettled. Use them daily, and pair them with hyaluronic acid for hydration that stays.
What Are Ceramides?
Picture the surface of your skin as a wall. The flattened cells are the bricks, and the mortar between them is a blend of lipids: ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids. Ceramides make up a large part of that mortar. Together, these lipids help keep water in and help keep the surface smooth and supple. This is what cosmetic science means by the skin barrier.
When that barrier is working well, you rarely notice it. When skin is short of lipids, through cold weather, heated rooms, harsh cleansing or simply its own nature, it tends to feel tight, look dull and react more readily. Ceramides in a formula help top up the mortar from the outside, which is why they are so often found in products for dry and sensitive-feeling skin. They work quietly and gradually; think of them as daily care rather than a quick fix.
How to Find Ceramides on an Ingredient List
Ceramides are listed by their INCI names, the standard names used on cosmetic packs across Europe. The ones you will meet most often are Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP and Ceramide EOP; Ceramide NS and Ceramide AS appear too. The letters describe small differences in structure, and many formulas combine several. Older packs may use a numbered name instead: Ceramide 3 is the former name for Ceramide NP, and some lists show both, as Diet Esthetic's does.
Two companions often sit nearby. Phytosphingosine is a building block of ceramides, and cholesterol is one of the other barrier lipids, so a list with ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids is mirroring the skin's own blend. Do not be put off if ceramides appear low on a list. They are effective in small amounts, and a short distance from the end is normal.
Ceramide Cleansers
Cleansing is where many routines lose moisture, so a cleanser with ceramides is a sensible first step if your skin feels tight after washing. Cerave Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser carries Ceramide NP, AP and EOP with squalane and cholesterol, is fragrance-free, and is made for normal to very dry skin. Klairs Rich Moist Foaming Cleanser gives a gentle, amino-acid-based lather with sodium hyaluronate, Ceramide NP and olive oil, made to cleanse without a tight after-feel. Rilastil Aqua Cleansing Gel pairs high- and low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid with ceramides and omega-6 lipids. Benton Honest Cleansing Foam has a cream-to-foam texture, with centella asiatica, camellia seed and olive oils, and Ceramide NP in its list. Massage any of them onto damp skin and rinse with lukewarm water.
- Hydrating Foaming Oil Cleanser
- Rich Moist Foaming Cleanser
- Aqua Cleansing Gel
- Honest Cleansing Foam Facial Cleanser
Ceramide Serums
A serum puts ceramides in a light, layerable step that sits under your moisturiser. Fascy Lab 95% Ceramide Pure Ceramide Hydrating Ampoule is a lightweight gel built around Ceramide NP, with glycerin, sodium hyaluronate and centella asiatica extract; press a few drops over the face and neck. Alma Secret Cellular Recovery Face Serum combines ceramides with a collagen complex, Q10, hyaluronic acid, tremella and ectoin, with a delicate floral scent. USU Cosmetics Antiaging Hydra-P Face Serum sets Ceramide NP alongside sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, squalane and shea butter in a lightweight texture.
- Lab 95% Ceramide Pure Ceramide Hydrating Ampoule
- Cellular Recovery Face Serum
- Antiaging Hydra-P Face Serum
Ceramide Creams and Moisturisers
A moisturiser is the most natural home for ceramides, because it can hold them alongside the oils and butters that keep moisture in. Cerave PM Facial Moisturising Lotion brings together Ceramide NP, AP and EOP with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid in a light, fragrance-free lotion for normal to dry skin, made as the last step of the evening. Diet Esthetic Ceramida Ceramide Face Moisturiser pairs Ceramide NP with shea butter, jojoba oil, niacinamide, sodium hyaluronate and panthenol, for skin that feels dry or stressed. Chanel N°1 de Crème Riche Revitalisante au Camélia Rouge is a rich, velvety cream with camellia flower water and seed oil, sodium hyaluronate and Ceramide NP, presented as suitable for all skin types, including sensitive. Barr Centella Calming Barrier Cream is led by centella asiatica leaf water, with madecassoside, panthenol, squalane, jojoba oil and Ceramide NP, and is made for both face and body.
- PM Facial Moisturising Lotion
- Ceramida Ceramide Face Moisturiser
- N°1 de Crème Riche Revitalisante au Camélia Rouge Face Moisturizer
- Centella Calming Barrier Cream
Ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid
These two do different jobs, which is why they work so well together. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant: it draws water to the surface of the skin. Ceramides help the barrier hold on to it. One adds the water; the other helps keep it where it is. We explain hyaluronic acid in full in Hyaluronic Acid: What It Does for Skin and How to Use It.
You can layer a hyaluronic serum under a ceramide cream, or choose a formula that carries both. laCabine Pure Hyaluronic 5 Types Of Hyaluronic Acid + Ceramides Face Serum combines five forms of hyaluronic acid with Ceramide NP in a light ampoule. Clarins Hydra-Essentiel [HA2 + Ceramides] Restoring Cream-Mask pairs two forms of hyaluronic acid with Ceramide NP and kalanchoe extract, for moments when skin feels thirsty. Rilastil Aqua Intense 72H Gel-Cream Intensive Moisturiser layers hyaluronic acid in more than one weight with Ceramide NP, AP and EOP and cholesterol in a fresh gel-cream. Sesderma Hidraderm Hyal Liposomal Serum brings sodium hyaluronate and three ceramides together in a light liposomal texture.
- Pure Hyaluronic 5 Types Of Hyaluronic Acid + Ceramides Face Serum
- Hydra-Essentiel [HA2 + Ceramides] Restoring Cream-Mask Face Mask
- Aqua Intense 72H Gel-Cream Intensive Moisturiser
- Hidraderm Hyal Liposomal Serum Face Serum
Hidraderm Hyal also contains retinol and retinal, so use it as you would any retinoid: introduce it slowly, wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen every morning, and ask your pharmacist or doctor before using it if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Our guide Retinol: How to Start, How Often, and What to Pair It With sets out the rest.
Who Are Ceramides For?
Very nearly everyone, and dry and sensitive-feeling skin most of all. Ceramides are gentle, and they sit comfortably alongside most other ingredients, including niacinamide, vitamin C and exfoliating acids. They are especially useful in winter, after time in the sun or wind, and in any routine that already includes a retinoid or an acid, where skin can feel drier for a while.
- Skin that feels tight after cleansing: start with a ceramide cleanser.
- Dry or rough-feeling skin: a ceramide cream, morning and evening.
- Skin that wants hydration without weight: a ceramide serum under a light moisturiser.
- Dull, thirsty-looking skin: ceramides with hyaluronic acid.
As with any new product, try it on a small area first if your skin reacts easily. If your skin is broken, sore or persistently red, ask your pharmacist or doctor before adding anything new.
In Short
If you add one product, make it a ceramide moisturiser, smoothed over slightly damp skin each evening after cleansing. Give it a few weeks, and notice how comfortable your skin feels the next morning.
