The skin barrier has become a social media buzzword, but the science behind it is old news to the people who actually formulate skincare for a living. The Irish Times recently put seven questions on the subject to Dr. Joanne Reilly — who holds a PhD in natural sciences from Trinity College Dublin and has spent years formulating Kinvara's plant-based products from her home on Ireland's west coast. Her answers here are lightly edited for length, not substance.
Seven questions on the skin barrier
What is the skin barrier?
"The skin barrier is not a new thing, despite it trending on social media these days. It can't be a new thing, because it's literally part of us and has been around for as long as we have. Sometimes we can overlook the basics when it comes to skincare, which is why I very much approve of the renewed focus on it. Remember too that your skin is your body's largest organ, so your skin barrier deserves minding as part of your overall health.
Your skin barrier basically acts as your skin's own protective layer — the very outermost part that holds moisture in and keeps the outside world out. Think of it as a little brick wall, where the skin cells are the bricks and your natural oils are the mortar holding them together. When that wall is intact, skin feels calm and comfortable and simply looks well. It's doing its job so quietly that you don't even notice it."
What's its connection to the gut, and to inflammation generally?
"Your skin can often reflect what's going on with the rest of the body, and there's growing interest now in the link between gut health and skin health, with inflammation as the common thread running between them. When the body is under strain — stress, poor sleep, an unsettled gut — the skin barrier is very often the first place it shows."
How can we recognise a damaged skin barrier? How does it show up?
"A comfortable skin barrier is quiet; an unhappy one is hard to ignore. You'll feel tightness or dryness, or perhaps irritation when you put on products that never used to bother you. Skin can look red, flaky or dull, and it becomes reactive — suddenly sensitive to things that were never a problem before."
Are we all going too hard on our skin?
"100%, I think a lot of people are. People are being sold the idea that skincare should be a multi-step production line of strong actives and squeaky-clean scrubs, and skin was never built for that. Chopping and changing products, overcleansing, and using products incorrectly can really affect your skin barrier negatively. I believe you need to work with your skin, not against it — keeping that approach top of mind when choosing and using products helps ensure you're actually supporting your skin, not undermining it."
What are the first steps to repair?
"Do less, not more. Stop stripping the skin of its own bespoke sebum, and look at using a gentle, effective oil-based cleanser that lifts away make-up and cleanses the day away without taking your natural oils with it. Give the strong actives a rest, feed the skin with products rich in nourishing plant oils, avoid extremes of temperature if you can, and be patient. Your skin needs time to adapt and repair."
What are the ongoing steps to maintain it?
"Consistency and simplicity — that's the whole secret. A small core of good products, used well day in and day out, will always do more than a shelf full of things you use once. Keep feeding the barrier with nourishing oils, protect it, and resist the urge to overcomplicate everything each time a new trend comes along. Skin likes routine far more than it likes novelty."
Is it just skincare, or is there anything else we can do?
"It's never just skincare. Your skin reflects how you live — your sleep, your stress, what you eat and drink, how much time you spend outdoors. Living here on the west coast of Ireland, I'm reminded every day that we're part of nature, not separate from it, and skin does its best when you are well. So look after yourself, and your skin will follow."
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