You might have heard that ceramides are essential to a healthy, strong skin barrier. But when you start skimming ingredient lists, you’ll soon encounter an alphabet soup of ingredients with similar-looking names like ceramide NP, ceramide AP, cramide EOP, etc. It can be pretty confusing! So in this blog, the chemists dive into what these letters all mean and if there’s a best one that you have to have in your skincare.
Listen to the Ceramides Chat on the Chemist Confessions Podcast
What are Ceramides
Ceramides are a type of waxy, fatty molecules naturally found in your stratum corneum (the outermost layer of your skin). It’s a crucial part of your lipid matrix, the protective structure aimed at helping you keep moisture in and external stressors (pathogens, irritants, pollutants, etc.) out. In fact, ceramides make up around 50% of your skin’s lipid matrix. Along with cholesterol and fatty acids, they work together to keep your skin hydrated and resilient.
Comparing Ceramide Types: NP vs. AP vs. EOP
Chemically speaking, “ceramide” doesn’t refer to just a singular molecule, but a whole family of compounds defined by a sphingosine and a fatty acid bonded together by an amide bond. Unlike ingredients such as “retinol” or “ascorbic acid”, which describe just one specific molecule, ceramide comes in many different forms. All told, there are roughly a dozen different ceramides found naturally in your skin. This is why when you scan the ingredient list of your favorite barrier cream, you might come across a whole slew of ceramide alphabet soup… but what does it all mean?
Source: Cha, H. J., He, C., Zhao, H., Dong, Y., An, I. S., & An, S. (2016). Intercellular and intracellular functions of ceramides and their metabolites in skin. International journal of molecular medicine, 38(1), 16-22.
The letters you see on the ingredient list actually refer to the structure of the ceramide. Specifically, the first letter refers to the “type” of fatty acid the ceramide comes with. This is also a good general way to classify what role they serve in your skin lipid matrix.
N type ceramides
N stands for non-hydroxy fatty acid. This is the most abundant type found in skin and most often associated with general skin hydration.
A type ceramides
A stands for alphy hydroxy. A types are believed to contribute to skin lipid matrix stabilization through extra hydrogen bonding thanks to the hydroxy group. It’s also associated with maintaining your skin’s acid mantle.
E type ceramides
E stands for esterified omega hydroxy. E types only account for ~10% of the ceramides in your skin, but this doesn't mean they’re less important. These are bigger than N and A type ceramides, and often credited with playing the role of “anchor”.
Chemists’ Insight: The Issue with Ceramide Formulas
Before you run to the store looking for all 3 types, it’s important to note that what these do naturally do in your skin barrier doesn’t necessarily translate to skincare benefits. As chemists, we can tell you that ceramides are NOT the easiest to work with in formulation. They are hearty, fatty, waxy substances that can be a nuisance to incorporate - and incorporate well - into formulas. Moreover, just because your skin naturally has something isn’t an automatic guarantee that topical application will bring additional benefits. For a more concrete understanding of what ceramides do in your skincare, we still have to look at actual clinical data. This will help us set the expectation straight and provide some clues on what to look for in skincare.
Which Ceramide is the Best Ceramide for Skincare
There is quite a bit of clinical data showing that ceramides are helpful ingredients for a wide range of compromised skin barrier woes, from dryness to eczema. But given how many ceramides there are to choose from, it can be really confusing.
Single Ceramide
Right off the bat, if there is just one ceramide you want to add to your skincare routine, it should most likely be ceramide NP. Naturally, it is the most abundant ceramide in your skin. Topically, it’s one of the most well-studied ceramides. It’s been tested in various studies to help compromised skin improve TEWL (transepidermal water loss). In one study, 0.5% of topical ceramide NP was able to help distressed skin (following tape stripping) recover quickly compared to the placebo cream. Moreover, using the same cream for two weeks, the skin became measurably more resilient to the same tape stripping test.
Ceramide Delivery System
Another aspect to consider is the formula delivery system. Ceramides, by definition, are hearty, waxy molecules - great for skin barriers, not fun for formulators. They can be very difficult to incorporate well into products, especially the chunkier E type ceramides. Luckily, there are certain ceramide blends that pre-pack ceramides in blends to help everything work together in skincare.
The most famous ceramides pre-blend is Evonik’s SK-Influx, which delivers ceramides NP, AP, EOP along with cholesterol and fatty acids for a well-rounded skin barrier care. It’s a well-tested delivery system that’s shown to improve skin hydration in mature skin at 3% (which is the blend & concentration our Mr. Reliable Moisturizer uses). In a lesser-known but interesting study, SK-Influx was tested at 1% on butt skin. Compared to a placebo cream with no actives, the cream with SK-Influx and vitamin E was able to show better resilience against UVA damage.
Ready to Shop? See Our Ceramide Barrier Cream Guide
Ultimately, both of these options are good, reliable options to help with skin barrier support. Sign up here for our free barrier cream guide for a breakdown of ceramide facial moisturizers on the market.
Key Takeaways
The search for the "best" ceramide often leads to a simple, yet important conclusion: it's rarely a single molecule, but rather a strategic blend that mimics the skin's natural composition. For those seeking general hydration and barrier maintenance, ceramide NP is a good place to start. As the most abundant and well-studied ceramide found in your skin, Ceramide NP has proven reliable in improving Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL) and boosting resilience.
Ultimately, ceramides are just one piece of the skin barrier care equation. Another reliable strategy is to target products that use a full-spectrum lipid blend of multiple ceramide types with cholesterol and fatty acids. Ultimately, because ceramides are challenging to formulate with, the ceramide delivery system (like pre-blended systems such as SK-Influx) can be a reliable strategy too.
References
Bouwstra, J. A., & Ponec, M. (2006). The skin barrier in healthy and diseased state. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Biomembranes, 1758(12), 2080-2095.
Coderch, L., López, O., de la Maza, A., & Parra, J. L. (2003). Ceramides and skin function. American journal of clinical dermatology, 4(2), 107-129.
Cha, H. J., He, C., Zhao, H., Dong, Y., An, I. S., & An, S. (2016). Intercellular and intracellular functions of ceramides and their metabolites in skin. International journal of molecular medicine, 38(1), 16-22.
Kahraman, E., Kaykın, M., Şahin Bektay, H., & Güngör, S. (2019). Recent advances on topical application of ceramides to restore barrier function of skin. Cosmetics, 6(3), 52.
Mao-Qiang, M., Feingold, K. R., Thornfeldt, C. R., & Elias, P. M. (1996). Optimization of physiological lipid mixtures for barrier repair. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 106(5), 1096-1101.
Carneiro, R., Salgado, A., Raposo, S., Marto, J., Simões, S., Urbano, M., & Ribeiro, H. M. (2011). Topical emulsions containing ceramides: Effects on the skin barrier function and anti‐inflammatory properties. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology, 113(8), 961-966.
Lim, S. H., Kim, E. J., Lee, C. H., Park, G. H., Yoo, K. M., Nam, S. J., ... & Choi, E. H. (2022). A lipid mixture enriched by ceramide NP with fatty acids of diverse chain lengths contributes to restore the skin barrier function impaired by topical corticosteroid. Skin pharmacology and physiology, 35(2), 112-123.Grether-Beck, S., Mühlberg, K., Brenden, H., & Krutmann, J. (2008). Topische applikation von vitaminen, phytosterolen und ceramiden. Der Hautarzt, 59(7), 557-562.
