Nourishing or hydrating your skin: what’s the difference?

Hydrate the skin: provide it with water

Hydrating the skin means increasing its water content. When it lacks hydration, the skin can appear dull, uncomfortable, and show fine dehydration lines.

Moisturizers often contain ingredients that attract and retain water in the skin, such as aloe vera, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. These ingredients help the skin stay supple, fresh, and plump.

Note that even oily skin can be dehydrated and need hydration.

Nourishing the skin: providing it with lipids

Nourishing the skin involves providing it with oils (lipids) to strengthen its protective barrier. When skin is dry, rough, uncomfortable, and prone to tightness, this is a sign that it lacks lipids.

Nourishing skincare products typically contain:

• Vegetable oils
• Vegetable butters, such as shea butter
• Rich ingredients that help protect the skin

For example, soaps enriched with olive oil or shea butter treatments are particularly appreciated for nourishing dry skin.

Dry or dehydrated skin

• Dehydrated skin: lack of water → need for hydration
• Dry skin: lack of lipids → need for nourishment

Some people may even have skin that is both dry and dehydrated, requiring care that hydrates and nourishes.

The ideal: to hydrate or nourish your skin

To keep skin comfortable and balanced, it is often best to combine hydration and nutrition.

For example :

• Use a moisturizing treatment to provide water to the skin
• Then apply a vegetable oil or a nourishing cream to help retain this moisture.

This combination helps the skin to remain supple, soft and radiant every day.

Our natural skincare products to hydrate and nourish the skin

At the KŌSM shop, you will find several natural treatments that help maintain the balance of the skin, such as Aleppo soaps, traditional Marseille soaps, face and body care products, and nourishing vegetable oils.