Sure, you apply a moisturiser religiously every morning but by mid-day, your skin is already feeling parched again. Why is this so?
A moisturiser works by creating a film over your skin to keep moisture from evaporating. However, the integrity of this film affects how long it lasts – once it wears off, it is no longer able to offer the protection that retains moisture, and that’s when your skin starts feeling “thirsty” again.
Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream forms a 48-hour hydrating skin barrier?!
Korean skincare brand Real Barrier may have cracked the code for long-lasting hydration. One of their bestsellers is an intense moisturiser that doesn’t just deliver instant hydration but also helps to retain moisture for up to 48 hours!
The technology behind the Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream is inspired by the natural prevention of moisture loss by healthy skin. Our skin starts losing its ability to retain moisture as we age or are exposed to certain external aggressors. Real Barrier uses a MLE® skin barrier formula that forms a structure similar to real skin and repairs a damaged skin barrier.
The cream contains a potent dose of hyaluronic acid that pulls water molecules to hydrate skin from deep within. A blend of three calming ingredients: panthenol, madecassoside, and allantoin, further soothes skin that’s dry, flaky, or sensitive. It is also free of 10 additives that are harmful to the skin, which makes it safe for sensitive skin.
We put this moisturiser through a 48-hour test
Of course, it all sounds good on paper – a moisturiser that keeps your skin hydrated for 48 hours, but who’s going to use a moisturiser, not apply anything else, and test the hydration levels of their skin for two full days?!
Our editor, that’s who. Read on to see how our test go!
After 0 hours
At the start of my experiment, my skin’s moisture level was at 33.0%
I measured my skin right before I applied anything: 33.0%
I applied the Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream at 9pm right after using the cleanser and essence mist from the same product range.
After applying the Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream, skin’s moisture level shot up to 56.6%.
Moisture level: 56.6%
How I felt: The cream, while rich, absorbed quickly. My skin felt less taut and fine lines were less obvious. The jump in moisture level before and after applying moisturiser was big. I was glad that it gave my skin that burst of moisture upon application and loved how it soothed my skin instantly.
After 10 hours
It was 7am. I didn’t sleep with my air-conditioner on that night because the weather was relatively cool.
My skin’s moisture level when I woke up.
Moisture level: 53.2%
How I felt: I must say I was very impressed that the moisture level didn’t actually dip much. My skin typically feel slightly taut in the morning, but that day, it actually felt quite comfortable and I could see that my skin still retained its bounce!
After 24 hours
I had survived a long work day; I stayed in the office half the time and went out for events the other half of the day.
I sit right under the air-conditioner in the office.
And whenever I was in the office, I was seated right under the air-conditioner so my skin typically dried out by mid-day and I had to use a facial mist to hydrate it – something I didn’t do that day for the sake of this experiment.
The things I had to do to get a good experiment.
Comic relief: During shower, I tried to seal my face with cling wrap to avoid water getting onto “test area”. It didn’t work. The cling wrap kept dropping and it was really hard to breathe under it. It was hilarious and awkward, but hey – I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do!
Moisture level: 44.7%
How I felt: I thought all that commuting and exposure to environmental elements were going to dry out my skin. I also usually used a facial mist at mid-day, which I skipped for the sake of this experiment. So the number was actually quite impressive!
After 48 hours
I pretty much repeated my day and I finally arrived at the end of the test period. Phew!
Moisture level: 39.9%
How I felt: I couldn’t really feel whether or not my skin was hydrated. It was, by now, a little greasy and I felt icky – after all, I hadn’t washed my face in two days, and I just felt uncomfortable. However, my skin didn’t feel dry or taut. Considering I hadn’t used any more moisturiser in the last two days, it felt like quite a feat. More importantly, the moisture level that I measured showed a pretty decent number – in fact, it was slightly more hydrated than when I first started the experiment bare-faced (33.0%)!
Conclusion: Does Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream work for 48 hours?
I usually can’t live without my moisturiser because my skin dries easily. Even after slathering on a generous layer of moisturiser in the morning, I typically already feel that my skin is dry by mid-day. And by the time I knock off from work, I would have misted my skin a few times with a facial spray and my skin would still feel parched.
This was taken on Day 2 of the experiment. I had not washed my face for more than 24 hours and hadn’t applied any foundation. But my skin actually still looked supple!
This was why I was quite impressed by the moisture level of my skin after 48 hours of using the Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream. Of course, I wasn’t expecting it to keep my skin’s moisture level at the exact same level as when I first applied the moisturiser, but it was able to keep moisture in well enough.
Moisture level of my skin right after I applied my regular moisturiser. This is compared to 56.6% moisture level right after applying the Real Barrier moisturiser.
To make sure that I make a fair comparison, I applied my regular moisturiser – a cream from a popular high-end brand – and took measurements before and after 24 hours and it wasn’t as good.
After 24 hours with my regular moisturiser, my skin’s moisture level dipped to 35.0%. This is compared to 44.7% for Real Barrier.
What this means is that the Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream does live up to its promise!
Obviously, nobody’s going to wear a moisturiser and nothing else for 48 hours straight, but if you’re looking for a moisturiser that hydrates your skin intensely and continues to do so till the end of a long day, I’m guessing it’ll be hard to find anything better than this product.
Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream retails at SGD37 and is available at Watsons and Lazada. The product is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and acne-prone skin.
This article is brought to you by Real Barrier.
