What Are Ceramides? Every Question Answered + Best Products

Some skin care products are the cherry on top—meaning they might not be essential to maintaining healthy skin, but they can certainly make your routine a little bit better should you want to invest—like toners or face masks, for example.

Other products, however, are essential. Moisturizer ranks high on the list. No matter how dry or oily your skin is, you need to keep it hydrated. But before committing to a product, you may want to understand what's in the formula first.

"Ceramides on a basic level are intercellular lipids housed in the uppermost layer of skin cells and are crucial for skin barrier function," clean cosmetic chemist Krupa Koestline tells mbg. She describes ceramides as the "glue" that holds together the skin barrier.

Without ceramides, your skin barrier will become compromised. "Skin with inadequate skin barrier functions like eczema and atopic dermatitis have low levels of ceramides in the skin," Koestline says.

"When applied topically, ceramides mimic the skin's own moisturizing system," she continues. This is why ceramides are often referred to as "skin-identical," ingredients.

"Think of ceramides like grout that sits between your skin cell tiles," board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., tells mbg. "They help fill in cracks between cells in the outer skin layer," he continues.

There are a few different forms of ceramides found in topical formulas—including synthetic and naturally derived ceramides (the latter often referred to as phytoceramides). 

"Plant oils like jojoba oil, safflower oil, and grapeseed oil are rich in natural ceramides," Koestline says. Phytoceramides often come from oat and wheat as well. "Meanwhile, lab-derived synthetic ceramides are also available and are totally safe to use," she continues.

Like many ingredients, ceramides can be called different names on ingredient lists. "Ceramides are listed either as a number or a letter on an ingredients list," Zeichner says. Plus, they all have slightly different functions.

For example, according to Koestline, Ceramide III and IV "Act as building blocks of the lipid barrier," she says. In a slightly different way, Ceramide I holds together the lipid bilayer, Koestline notes.

So keep an eye out for the word ceramide, followed by a number or a letter. Ceramide AP, Koestline says, is a substructure of ceramides, as are Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NG, and Ceramide NS—so add those to the list of possible names.

People often ask whether ceramides or hyaluronic acid are better for hydrating the skin. While this is a totally valid question given that both ingredients are occasionally hyped up as the end-all-be-all remedy for dry skin, it's less about using one over the other and more about using both.

See hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means it pulls water into the skin. For example, if you applied an HA serum to damp skin, the hyaluronic acid will help your skin absorb the water present and water in your following serums and moisturizers.

This is why hyaluronic acid helps the skin look juicy and plump. But ceramides, as you now know, have quite a different job. They work as emollients, which means they help fill the cracks in the skin and encourage a smooth surface that holds on to moisture for longer.

Ceramides are incredibly unproblematic in skin care formulas, meaning they play nicely with a plethora of other ingredients. Plus, they're generally well tolerated (and beneficial) for almost everyone. This means you can pair a ceramide cream over a number of other actives.

As mentioned earlier, certain skin conditions like eczema—and even acne, Zeichner notes—can be associated with deficiencies in ceramides. With a lack of ceramides comes dry skin and a compromised skin barrier.

"So using ceramide-containing skin care products is useful as part of a therapeutic approach to these skin conditions," Zeichner says. There are plenty of ceramide creams out there, some formulated with heavy occlusives for eczema and ultra-dry skin, while others are acne-safe—a few top picks below.

Like anything that is produced within the body (take collagen, for example), you'll want to work from the inside, too. This means consuming ceramides and applying them via skin care.

Keep an eye out for skin-identical ceramides that will directly contribute to the ceramide levels in your skin, whether it be from topical products or supplements and food.

To support your natural levels of ceramide production, be sure to commit to a healthy skin care routine, eat a balanced diet packed with skin-loving foods (a few A+ additions here), and protect your skin barrier with moisturizer, SPF, and try your best to avoid over-exfoliation, retinoid reactions, and sunburns.

As mentioned above, ceramides can come from plant sources as well—known as phytoceramides. While they're extracted for topical use, you can ingest them straight from the plant as well.

Ceramide creams are, quite simply, creams that contain ceramides. While many face moisturizers, in general, use ceramides as a key ingredient, not all of them are formally called "ceramide creams." You may also see barrier creams with high amounts of ceramides in them.