9 Skin Barrier Creams I Won't Be Without This Winter - Stylist Magazine

Outside of the Christmas parties and New Year's Eve revelry, winter can be a bit of a slog. Even now, when the very beginnings of spring buds are sprouting up from the ground, there's still blustery winds, sideways rain and cold chills that all give our skin a bit of a battering. Throw in central heating, more time spent indoors and frequent temperature changes and you're facing stressed, dry, damaged skin. Not the one. 

Skin barrier creams, so named for their ability to help repair the integrity and healthy functioning of the skin barrier, are designed to minimise the amount of water lost from the skin (technically known as transepidermal water loss), as well as improve how able your skin is able to keep out environmental aggressors. A true "barrier", these creams tend to be thicker, enriched with ceramides, lipids, and fatty acids to permeate and protect the skin. You can use them as a daily moisturiser or as a before-bed treatment, just make sure to stay consistent – cumulative skin barrier gains are what we're after this cold season.