In 2022, the global market for ceramides was $372.9 million.
One industry expert expects that the market to grow 6.1% every year until it hits $531.9 million in 2028.
So, if it seems like ceramides are a popular skincare ingredient, you're right.
And it's popular for good reason.
In scientific studies, ceramides have been documented to work - but not as an ingredient in serums, lotions and creams you put on your skin.
The key to using ceramides effectively to keep your skin moist and youthful is consuming them as a supplement.
Then your body knows what to do with them.
The Key is the Outermost Layer of Skin Cells
Your skin is what separates your body from your external environment - but not all of it.
We don't often think of it this way, but, really, only the very outermost layer of skin cells is what forms the boundary between you and the rest of the world.
That outermost layer of skin cells is called the epidermis or stratum corneum.
It's the stratum corneum trying to protect you from injury from the outside.
Those skin cells actually get there by rising up through your lower layers of skin cells. By the time they reach the top of your skin, they're relatively old, and the protein in them is hard, and that's good. They're comparable to bricks.
Bricks need mortar to hold them together. For your skin, that's globules of fat consisting of cholesterol, free fatty acids and ceramides.
Together, they form your skin's bilayer wall.
Ceramides comprise from 35% to 50% of that mortar.
In youthful, healthy skin, the bricks and mortar together make up a seamless whole that protects you from outer world threats and - also very importantly - holds in your skin's moisture, to keep it hydrated.
Your skin cells need plenty of water to remain youthful, healthy and smooth. Which is why moisturizers are the single most popular form of skin care.
When the stratum corneum is pierced or injured, you have a skin barrier problem. That results in transdermal water loss. That can cause dry, itchy skin and, in the long run, wrinkles.
When You Have a Ceramides Shortage
That happens to all of us over time.
When you're in your 30's, your natural levels of skin ceramides go down by 40% - and doesn't stop declining.
Also, the time it takes your skin cells to renew gets longer. When you're young, those skin cells get to the stratum corneum in 39 days. By the time you're 50 or so, it takes them up to 50% longer.
Other factors lowering your natural ceramide levels are:
* Sun radiation
* Overwashing
* Skin peels and exfoliants
* Acne and rosacea
What are Ceramides
They're actually forms of lipids - fats.
In fact, ceramides are a family of 9 different but closely related fats. Scientists refer to them as "ceramide 1," "ceramide 2" and so on.
Scientists have been studying them because they do play such an important role in skin health.
Ceramides Can be Natural or Synthetic
Years ago, scientists derived all-natural ceramides from animals. In the 1990s, a French company pioneered obtaining them from grains, including wheat, rice, and sweet potatoes.
This company marketed ceramides in Japan, where they're a major hit. Most ceramides supplements and products, such as drinks, contain ceramides from wheat.
However, isolating natural ceramides is relatively expensive, so now many companies use synthetic ceramides - which are cheaper.
How Ceramides Appear on Labels
Look for such names as: ceramide PC-102 (Hydroxypropyl bislauramide MEA), ceramide PC-104, ceramide PC-108, ceramide 1, 2, 3, 111, 6-11, and so on.
Topical or Ingested?
You can now find ceramides in numerous moisturizer products. However, the best results come from transporting ceramides to the outside layer of your skin the old-fashioned way - by consuming them.
Your body supplies them via the bloodstream to the skin cells at the base of your epidermis.
These cells are then forced to the top, forming the outermost layer of your skin, the stratum corneum.
Therefore, it takes days for the ceramides you take as a supplement today to reach the stratum corneum and, therefore, repair the damage to the barrier function.
But that's how the process naturally works.
The 2005 Scientific Trials
For three months, scientists studied women who all had dry skin.
Half were given 200 mg per day of ceramide extract as a supplement. The other half of course received a placebo.
At the end of the three months, the women were evaluated in three ways:
1. By a machine (corneometry measures skin hydration)
2. By a dermatologist
3. By themselves
The women who took the actual ceramides had greatly improved dry skin.
In a similar study, the women took 350 mg of wheat-based ceramides oil. It too lasted three months.
The women were all evaluated by:
* Skin roughness
* Uniformity of complexion
* Facial hydration
* Leg hydration
* Arm hydration
* Itchiness
* Overall skin health
The women who took the actual ceramides demonstrated up to 35% improvement over the control group who took the placebo. The biggest improvement was in the skin of their arms.
Conclusion
Ceramides derived from whole wheat have demonstrated effectiveness when taken as a supplement.
Because you have to wait at least 39 days for skin cells to get to the top of your skin, don't expect any fast, dramatic results.
Once you reinforce your stratum corneum with more ceramides, your skin begins to repair depleted and damaged areas.
Ceramides are universal, so they help everyone no matter what your skin type or color is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvNNOpMKclo&t=27s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qlrb9igOih4&pp=ygUJY2VyYW1pZGVz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jezjw7VtOyI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOHL7Lvy-pI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npcSzOjBVeA
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2013/1/ceramides-nourish-skin-from-within
https://www.happi.com/issues/2016-08-02/view_anti-aging-cosmeceutical_corner/the-science-of-ceramides-improves-aging-skin/
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2020/1/visible-wrinkle-reduction
https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5732514/ceramide-market-global-industry-trends-share