What Is Palmitic Acid & Should I Be Using It?
We've all heard of the usual beauty buzzword ingredients, haven't we? Hyaluronic acid, retinol, AHAs etc. But have you heard of palmitic acid? Possibly not.
Palmitic acid is one of the less sexy ingredients, I guess, but it's definitely one worth talking about. It's a naturally occurring fatty acid that plays an important role in skin health. And considering how much I bang on about skin barrier health, I think we need to talk about it.
Palmitic acid is a saturated fatty acid and one of the fatty acids involved in maintaining the lipid environment that's fundamental to a healthy skin barrier. We all know about my little bricks and mortar analogy by now too, right? When it comes to the stratum corneum (the very top layer of our skin), think of it like a brick wall. The bricks are our skin cells and the lipids (healthy fats) are like the mortar holding everything together. When we have a healthy skin barrier, we have a good, strong brick wall.
When our skin barrier isn't functioning as it should, we can experience increased water loss, dryness, irritation, tightness and sensitivity. Basically, our brick wall is weak and is letting things in and out that we'd rather it didn't!
SO WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT PALMITIC ACID?
We need to support our skin barrier with the right ingredients to help it function at its best. Palmitic acid is one of those fatty acids that can help support the lipid environment around our skin cells, keeping the barrier healthy and functioning properly.
And when our barrier is functioning well, our skin is better equipped to retain moisture and protect itself from external irritants.
WHY HAVEN'T I HEARD MUCH ABOUT IT?
Well, it doesn't really have the same marketing appeal as hyaluronic acid, does it? It's there to help maintain and support the skin's barrier, so it can easily be overlooked and taken for granted. But it's actually a really important part of the bigger picture.
I'm also a big fan of well-formulated products rather than focusing on one magic ingredient by itself. As a rule, I wouldn't go out and buy one particular ingredient to 'fix' something because skincare doesn't really work like that.
That's like saying I want to make the fluffiest cake and then going out to buy egg whites and nothing else. Everything needs to be formulated together so the ingredients can work synergistically to get that amazing result.
WHERE CAN I FIND PALMITIC ACID?
This is another reason why I love Calecim Multi-Action Cream so much, as palmitic acid is one of the ingredients in it.
Calecim is known for its skin rejuvenation benefits, particularly when it comes to improving the appearance of firmness and elasticity, but the Multi-Action Cream also contains ingredients that support the skin barrier.
Alongside palmitic acid, it contains a blend of other fatty acids that can help nourish and support the skin, which is particularly useful during these cooler months when our skin can become drier and more prone to irritation.
Listen, I don't think we're all going to be on the hunt for a palmitic acid serum like we are for retinol and hyaluronic acid, but it's a great ingredient that I think deserves a little more attention.
Skin barrier health is becoming so much more talked about now (thank goodness, as I've been talking about it for years!), and I think ingredients like palmitic acid and other fatty acids deserve a bit more of the limelight when it comes to barrier repair.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you've found this useful.
Emmaline
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