Dealing with a damaged skin barrier isn’t fun. No matter which signs you’re seeing—redness, breakouts, dehydration, or irritation—we know that none of them are enjoyable. But don’t worry; there’s a fix. Step one? Stop what you’re doing immediately and try this easy skin barrier repair routine with expert tips from our team. Put the harsh exfoliants down, pick up your notebook, and let’s get started.
What is the skin barrier?
Your skin barrier is what shields the largest organ of your body, your skin. It’s the uppermost protective layer of skin cells, lipids, and proteins that keeps essential moisture in, while blocking irritants and environmental aggressors. Dermatologists often describe the skin barrier as a brick wall made of multiple building blocks. When it’s healthy, this “wall” fully fulfills its function, helping your skin stay moisturized, healthy, and plump. But when it’s compromised or weakened, you’ll immediately notice the signs.
How do I know if my skin barrier is damaged?
Your skin barrier can be compromised when exposed to harsh conditions, whether that’s from a new skincare product, your environment, or even lifestyle factors like lack of sleep and stress. Common causes include extreme temperatures, pollutants, too much sun exposure, too little sleep, stress, irritating skincare ingredients, and over-exfoliating. Your barrier function might also weaken if you have chronic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Whatever the cause, once your barrier is damaged, you’ll be significantly more prone to inflammation and irritation. Your skin might feel more sensitive and dehydrated (even if you don’t typically have dry or sensitive skin), get red easily, flake, itch, or keep breaking out. If you notice a sudden shift to stressed skin, chances are it has something to do with your barrier. That said, if these conditions seem out of control or if you have an underlying skin condition, we also recommend speaking to your dermatologist or primary care physician to make sure you’re treating your complexion the right way.
How to Build a Skin Barrier Repair Routine
Now that you’ve identified potential barrier damage, you need to make sure your skincare routine stays barrier-friendly until it’s back to normal. The most important thing to remember is that less is more. Now is not the time for strong active ingredients; scale back your steps and keep it simple. Below, our team’s go-to products that work with—not against—your natural barrier function.
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1. Cleanser
Cleansing is key to ridding your face of buildup and irritants, but you want to make sure you’re not stripping essential moisture. While your barrier is recovering, stay away from cleansing wipes that require harsh scrubbing, and both chemical and physical exfoliants. Instead, opt for a pH-friendly formula like our Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel. This soothing gel is fragrance-free and packed with moisturizing black rice extracts and natural coconut surfactants to minimize irritation.
“I have dry, sensitive skin and many gel cleansers are too harsh,” says our team member Claire, who swears by this daily cleanser. “This is the first one I’ve tried that leaves my skin feeling clean while also keeping my barrier healthy.” If you wear makeup, double-cleanse with an oil cleanser before you use this to make sure you fully remove your foundation. We suggest our Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil. It’s made with lightweight black rice bran oil, doesn’t sting your eyes or irritate skin, and won’t clog your pores either. Claire says this duo is her go-to combination, and our team member Anna says it’s the secret to making her face feel “clean but not dehydrated” whenever she needs extra barrier support.
2. Essence
This is the most important step in your barrier support routine. Whether you have a compromised barrier or just want the most effective, lightweight hydration possible, you need to try our Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. You may know probiotics as gut-friendly bacteria, but they can also play a crucial role in supporting your skin. We packed this milky essence with probiotics like Galactomyces ferment filtrate and bifida. Together, they moisturize, soothe, improve skin elasticity, and gently improve skin texture with consistent use.
Fun fact: the golden ratio for a healthy skin barrier is 3:1:1. That means 3 parts ceramides, 1 part cholesterol, and 1 part fatty acids. The added nutrients in this essence were formulated to follow this ratio exactly, so you can replenish lost nutrients and improve moisture balance. And to make extra sure it worked, we put it to the test and found a 33.695% improvement in moisturizing and 21.001% skin barrier improvement after two weeks of use in clinical trials.*
Even though this essence packs a ton of hydration, it won’t feel heavy or greasy on your face. “I love this essence because it’s light and fast-absorbing but highly hydrating,” says our team member Tamara. “Since I only use a few products in my barrier routine, I choose ones that are highly effective. I’ve been using this essence for a few months now and I can clearly see an improvement in my skin texture and health.”
*In a clinical trial of 20 subjects after 2 weeks of use.
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3. Moisturizer
You’ve drenched your skin in essential moisture, but you also need to make sure it doesn’t evaporate and escape. That’s why the final step of this routine is locking it all in with a moisturizer. (During the day, we recommend adding sunscreen on top, too.)
Our Black Rice 5 Ceramide Barrier Moisturizing Cream is the perfect partner for our Probiotics Barrier Essence. This nourishing cream is clinically proven to improve skin moisture by 37.129%.** And it’s clinically proven to improve the skin barrier by 23.597%.**
To make it, our team selected some of the most powerful barrier boosters like fermented black rice and ceramide capsules structured similarly to your skin, ensuring effective absorption. These smart capsules look like tiny dots in the formula and melt into your skin as you apply for an immediate softening effect. Our team member Eunjeong loves this “effective, fuss-free formula” and says it’s “especially great for compromised, sensitive skin types” like hers. “I use this after the barrier essence and together, they help repair and strengthen my skin,” she says.
**In a clinical trial of 20 subjects after 2 weeks of use.
Even if you don’t have a damaged skin barrier, these gentle products are ideal for anyone that needs skin-friendly hydration in their routine. And if you are dealing with barrier damage, we officially found your new must-haves.
Meet the Author
Haruharu Wonder contributor Sarah Y. Wu has a decade of experience in the industry as a beauty editor, copy director, and brand consultant. Her bylines have appeared in outlets including Teen Vogue, Forbes, Allure, Marie Claire, Glamour, NYLON, Bustle, The Zoe Report, Vogue, WWD, and Byrdie. She’s also the copywriter and copy director for some of your favorite skincare, fragrance, and makeup brands. While she’s tried thousands of products over the course of her career, she’ll always save a spot in her beauty routine for Haruharu Wonder’s Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream and Centella Sunflower Makeup-Melting Cleansing Balm. Connect with her on Instagram @say.wu.
This Is the Only Skin Barrier Repair Routine You Need
Dealing with a damaged skin barrier isn’t fun. No matter which signs you’re seeing—redness, breakouts, dehydration, or irritation—we know that none of them are enjoyable. But don’t worry; there’s a fix. Step one? Stop what you’re doing immediately and try this easy skin barrier repair routine with expert tips from our team. Put the harsh exfoliants down, pick up your notebook, and let’s get started.
What is the skin barrier?
Your skin barrier is what shields the largest organ of your body, your skin. It’s the uppermost protective layer of skin cells, lipids, and proteins that keeps essential moisture in, while blocking irritants and environmental aggressors. Dermatologists often describe the skin barrier as a brick wall made of multiple building blocks. When it’s healthy, this “wall” fully fulfills its function, helping your skin stay moisturized, healthy, and plump. But when it’s compromised or weakened, you’ll immediately notice the signs.
How do I know if my skin barrier is damaged?
Your skin barrier can be compromised when exposed to harsh conditions, whether that’s from a new skincare product, your environment, or even lifestyle factors like lack of sleep and stress. Common causes include extreme temperatures, pollutants, too much sun exposure, too little sleep, stress, irritating skincare ingredients, and over-exfoliating. Your barrier function might also weaken if you have chronic skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
Whatever the cause, once your barrier is damaged, you’ll be significantly more prone to inflammation and irritation. Your skin might feel more sensitive and dehydrated (even if you don’t typically have dry or sensitive skin), get red easily, flake, itch, or keep breaking out. If you notice a sudden shift to stressed skin, chances are it has something to do with your barrier. That said, if these conditions seem out of control or if you have an underlying skin condition, we also recommend speaking to your dermatologist or primary care physician to make sure you’re treating your complexion the right way.
How to Build a Skin Barrier Repair Routine
Now that you’ve identified potential barrier damage, you need to make sure your skincare routine stays barrier-friendly until it’s back to normal. The most important thing to remember is that less is more. Now is not the time for strong active ingredients; scale back your steps and keep it simple. Below, our team’s go-to products that work with—not against—your natural barrier function.
1. Cleanser
Cleansing is key to ridding your face of buildup and irritants, but you want to make sure you’re not stripping essential moisture. While your barrier is recovering, stay away from cleansing wipes that require harsh scrubbing, and both chemical and physical exfoliants. Instead, opt for a pH-friendly formula like our Black Rice Moisture 5.5 Soft Cleansing Gel. This soothing gel is fragrance-free and packed with moisturizing black rice extracts and natural coconut surfactants to minimize irritation.
“I have dry, sensitive skin and many gel cleansers are too harsh,” says our team member Claire, who swears by this daily cleanser. “This is the first one I’ve tried that leaves my skin feeling clean while also keeping my barrier healthy.” If you wear makeup, double-cleanse with an oil cleanser before you use this to make sure you fully remove your foundation. We suggest our Black Rice Moisture Cleansing Oil. It’s made with lightweight black rice bran oil, doesn’t sting your eyes or irritate skin, and won’t clog your pores either. Claire says this duo is her go-to combination, and our team member Anna says it’s the secret to making her face feel “clean but not dehydrated” whenever she needs extra barrier support.
2. Essence
This is the most important step in your barrier support routine. Whether you have a compromised barrier or just want the most effective, lightweight hydration possible, you need to try our Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. You may know probiotics as gut-friendly bacteria, but they can also play a crucial role in supporting your skin. We packed this milky essence with probiotics like Galactomyces ferment filtrate and bifida. Together, they moisturize, soothe, improve skin elasticity, and gently improve skin texture with consistent use.
Fun fact: the golden ratio for a healthy skin barrier is 3:1:1. That means 3 parts ceramides, 1 part cholesterol, and 1 part fatty acids. The added nutrients in this essence were formulated to follow this ratio exactly, so you can replenish lost nutrients and improve moisture balance. And to make extra sure it worked, we put it to the test and found a 33.695% improvement in moisturizing and 21.001% skin barrier improvement after two weeks of use in clinical trials.*
Even though this essence packs a ton of hydration, it won’t feel heavy or greasy on your face. “I love this essence because it’s light and fast-absorbing but highly hydrating,” says our team member Tamara. “Since I only use a few products in my barrier routine, I choose ones that are highly effective. I’ve been using this essence for a few months now and I can clearly see an improvement in my skin texture and health.”
*In a clinical trial of 20 subjects after 2 weeks of use.
3. Moisturizer
You’ve drenched your skin in essential moisture, but you also need to make sure it doesn’t evaporate and escape. That’s why the final step of this routine is locking it all in with a moisturizer. (During the day, we recommend adding sunscreen on top, too.)
Our Black Rice 5 Ceramide Barrier Moisturizing Cream is the perfect partner for our Probiotics Barrier Essence. This nourishing cream is clinically proven to improve skin moisture by 37.129%.** And it’s clinically proven to improve the skin barrier by 23.597%.**
To make it, our team selected some of the most powerful barrier boosters like fermented black rice and ceramide capsules structured similarly to your skin, ensuring effective absorption. These smart capsules look like tiny dots in the formula and melt into your skin as you apply for an immediate softening effect. Our team member Eunjeong loves this “effective, fuss-free formula” and says it’s “especially great for compromised, sensitive skin types” like hers. “I use this after the barrier essence and together, they help repair and strengthen my skin,” she says.
**In a clinical trial of 20 subjects after 2 weeks of use.
Even if you don’t have a damaged skin barrier, these gentle products are ideal for anyone that needs skin-friendly hydration in their routine. And if you are dealing with barrier damage, we officially found your new must-haves.
Meet the Author
Haruharu Wonder contributor Sarah Y. Wu has a decade of experience in the industry as a beauty editor, copy director, and brand consultant. Her bylines have appeared in outlets including Teen Vogue, Forbes, Allure, Marie Claire, Glamour, NYLON, Bustle, The Zoe Report, Vogue, WWD, and Byrdie. She’s also the copywriter and copy director for some of your favorite skincare, fragrance, and makeup brands. While she’s tried thousands of products over the course of her career, she’ll always save a spot in her beauty routine for Haruharu Wonder’s Black Rice Bakuchiol Eye Cream and Centella Sunflower Makeup-Melting Cleansing Balm. Connect with her on Instagram @say.wu.