Ceramides and the barrier lipid triad

What the barrier is

The stratum corneum is often described as bricks and mortar: corneocytes are the bricks, and the mortar is a lipid matrix made of approximately equal molar parts ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids. That ratio is the important part. Applying one component alone can in some circumstances disturb the balance rather than restore it, which is why the triad concept exists.

The components in this range

Ceramide NP (formerly ceramide 3) is one of the most-studied ceramide subtypes and appears in Vegalab's Hydrating NanoSerum, delivered in liposomes, and in three Youlief products.

Cholesterol appears in the Youlief Setup Cream and Cica Retinal Ampoule. It is the component most often omitted from ceramide products, so its presence is a positive sign of formulation intent.

Phytosphingosine, in the Youlief WP Sun product, is a sphingoid base — a ceramide precursor — with additional antimicrobial activity.

Hydrogenated phosphatidylcholine and lecithin in the Cica Retinal Ampoule are phospholipids rather than barrier ceramides; they are there as delivery materials.

An honest note on levels

Ceramide NP appears at up to 0.0014%, or 14 ppm, and cholesterol at 9 ppm. Those are low. Ceramides do act at low concentrations, and barrier lipids are not dose-dependent in the way an exfoliant is, so these levels are not meaningless — but they are at the low end, and a product built primarily around barrier repair would generally use more. The presence of the triad is the right idea; the levels are modest.

What does ceramides and the barrier lipid triad not do?

They do not stimulate your own ceramide production — for that, niacinamide has better evidence. They are not anti-aging actives in the collagen sense. And a ceramide product cannot compensate for a barrier being actively stripped by over-cleansing or over-exfoliation.