Five years ago, the skin barrier had barely entered the conversation.
Following the over-use of exfoliating acids – cases of which peaked during the pandemic – the concept of protecting and repairing the skin barrier started to gain traction on TikTok in 2021.
Since then, brands have ushered in a vast assortment of skin barrier-boosting innovations that have changed consumers’ skin care practices, as well as the wider industry landscape.
Byoma’s launch in 2022, as the first brand to make barrier care the primary focus, helped to move it into the mainstream.
Brands across the skin care industry now create dedicated barrier care ranges: Simple continues to add to its Active Skin Barrier Care line and Grown Alchemist has dedicated an entire category to improving and maintaining skin barrier health, with products that offer clinically proven benefits.
Its Skin Renewal Serum with glycerin, hyaluronic acid and peptides, has been shown to strengthen the skin barrier by up to 27% in 12 hours.
The movement has also propelled other skin barrier actives such as ectoin, ceramides, niacinamide and probiotics to the ranks of the hottest ingredients in skin care.
Grown Alchemist’s Senior Product Manager Liberty Angris says that there is now not only a greater awareness of the importance of protecting the skin barrier and its long term benefits, such as healthier, more resilient skin, but the barrier care trend has also recruited more young consumers into skin care. “Unlike traditional anti-ageing products, barrier care solutions appeal to a broader age group, particularly younger generations who, influenced by social media trends, have often compromised their skin by using harsh products designed for more mature skin.”
On TikTok, #skinbarrierrepair now has over 400 million views, while in terms of searches, interest in ‘skin barrier repair’ continues to grow, up 35% for the year to January 2025, at a volume of 79,000 searches per month, according to Glimpse.
