Can I use Hydrator instead of Moisturizer? Can one thing replace another

Authored by: Abhishek Ranjan Jha
Reviewed by: Kapil Dhameja 
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

 

There’s a vibe in nature that often attracts me; I feel a very close connection with the environment. Therefore, whenever I want to seek refuge from this noisy and hustling world, I go to plants and trees in my garden.

One fine evening, while I was watering plants in my small garden, my teen daughter arrives and asks, What are you doing, Pa?

I’m watering plants, hon. What brings you here?

Pa, actually I'm so pissed; look at my skin; it has become dry and flaky, said the daughter.

Then, I feel you have come at the rightest time.

How come, Dad? asks the daughter.

You can see I'm watering the plant. Do you know why we do that?

Yes, Pa, plants use water to make food. It's an important part of photosynthesis. They can’t sustain without water, replied the daughter.

Ok, so you said plants can’t sustain themselves without water. You know, the skin too can’t sustain itself without the water.

Daughter replies laughingly, What am I supposed to do then, water my face?

Well, yes, but not literally, I replied.

I know, Pa, that hydration is important, and I'm using moisturizer for that, but that's not showing the result I want to see. 

What if I tell you, honey, that you are unaware of the gig of moisturizer?

You're really improving your lingo, Dad, but what unawareness about moisturizer are you talking about? Asks the daughter.

Well, most people do not know that the moisturizer doesn't add hydration to your skin; it only locks in the hydration and prevents water loss.

It only works when there is already hydration in your skin.

So, what do we do to add hydration to our skin, Dad? - asks the inquisitive daughter.

Use a “hydrator.”.

Dad, can you explain it more in detail? requests the daughter.

Yes, sure. Why not?

Let's start with your first and foremost doubt.

Table of Content


 

Understanding the term “hydration” and “moisturization”

Hydrator vs moisturizer

Hydration and moisturization are the terms that often confuse people. There are quite a large number of individuals who think both these terms are the same. However, in practice, both of these phrases have different meanings even if they are related. 

While moisturization entails retaining the skin's water content, hydration refers to introducing water to the skin. The moisturizing process is what dry, oil-free skin needs, while the hydrating process helps dehydrated skin. 

What is a hydrator?

A hydrator is a skincare product that is fundamentally involved in adding water or hydration to your skin. It contains humectants that soak moisture from the air or deeper skin and add it to the dry skin

Humectants? What is it, Dad? I've heard this for the first time. Asks the daughter.

Have you heard about hyaluronic acid, glycerin, AHAs, etc.?

Yes, Dad. replies the daughter

Well, these are nothing else but the humectants that attract water from the environment and recharge the skin.

“Oh, so is it for everyone?” asks the daughter.

Who can use a hydrator?

You know it well now; what does a hydrator do? Once you understand its function, it's not tough then to understand who it is for.

Any person who has dry, flaky, and dehydrated skin can freely use a hydrator.

But yes, know one thing: that hydrator would not work for you if you are using too many occlusives, as the layer formed by occlusive like petroleum jelly, thick oils, or balms hinders the water absorption. Therefore, the hydrators become unable to penetrate through the skin.

But yes, if you use a hydrator before occlusives, it will work out for you.

What is moisturizer?

Scientifically, moisturizer is an umbrella term used to describe the ingredients that help our skin to prevent dryness.

It comes in various forms like:

Squalene: It is a liquid that is present in human sebum as well as many other plants and animals.

Emollients: These are moisturizing agents that create smoother, softer skin by repairing the cracks in your skin barrier.

Occlusives: The occlusives are involved in forming a film on the skin that further helps in preventing water loss. These are often combined with water and emulsifiers.

In contrast with hydrators, the moisturizers are involved in creating a seal on the skin that helps in locking in the moisture and preventing the loss of hydration.

Now just to gain more clarity, let's take a glance at the key factors that distinguish moisturizers with the hydrator:

Hydrator Vs moisturizer

Aspect

Hydrator 

Moisturizer

Duty

Adding water to the skin.

Locking water in the skin.

Addresses

Dehydration or lack of water.

Dryness or lack of oil.

Mechanism

Uses humectants to absorb water from environment and adds to the skin

Uses emollients and occlusives to create a film on the skin that locks moisture and prevent water loss.

Ingredients

Hyaluronic acid, glycerin and aloe vera.

Shea butter, ceramides, squalane, oils

Suitable for

All skin types

Mainly dry skin but can be used by all to lock in moisture.

Outcome

Plumper and radiant skin

Soft and nourished skin.


Okay, that's interesting but dad can you tell me which one I should use: a hydrator or moisturizer? Asks the daughter

Choosing between a hydrator and a moisturizer

See, when you know what your actual concern is, you would not find it difficult to choose.

Firstly, identify what your skin needs: water or oil?

And to know that, just check your skin and see whether it is dehydrated or dry; they need water and oil, respectively.

But Dad, I don't know how to check for hydration in the skin. Asks the daughter

Well, you're not alone; a lot of people do not know this. Let me tell you a simple trick to check the hydration level of your skin.

Just pinch the fleshy area of your skin where your cheek and under-eye region meet with your thumb and index finger; as a result, your skin will temporarily appear "tented," or trapped in the shape of your pinch, when you do this. The speed at which the skin returns to its natural position indicates how hydrated you are.

The more hydrated you are, the faster it returns. Dehydration is frequently indicated by skin that slowly returns to its normal posture.

Now after determining the requirement of the skin, you can easily choose between a hydrator and a moisturizer.

But you know what can turn out best for you?

What dad?

Using both of these simultaneously.

You can use a hydrator first and then apply moisturizer to obtain the best results.

This will be nothing less than a boon for your skin, as you're not only providing hydration but you're also protecting it.

Pa, how can I add this to our skincare schedule? Asks the daughter

Adding hydrator in your skin care

The hydrators are available in the form of serums, toners, gels and others. You can use it as per your regular schedule, one thing that you must ensure is using a hydrator before applying any occlusives to your skin so that the hydrators easily penetrate in your skin.

Busting myths about hydrators

Myths 

Reality

Hydrators are not needed, in case you are using moisturizer.

We have already seen, both the hydrator and moisturizer perform a different role in our skin. So, using one would not affect the need for the other. Only thing that would affect is “skin concern”.

Drinking a lot of water will eliminate the need for the hydrators.

Internal hydration is crucial for the general health of the skin, but it does not ensure moisturized skin. Hydrators primarily address external variables that can promote water loss, such as a dry climate or a compromised skin barrier.

More amount of hydrator you use, more hydration it will provide

Excess of everything is bad. A pea sized amount of hydrator works fine. Excessive use can make your skin sticky and clog pores.

Hydrator makes skin oilier

Hydrator as the name suggests only adds water, it doesn’t add oil. You can freely use it without the fear of getting oily skin oilier.

Only arid climates require hydrators.

A lot of factors including air conditioning, heating, pollution, or even harsh cleansers can dehydrate your skin. So, saying only an arid climate requires hydration is absolutely a false claim.

Summing Up

Every organism in nature, be it human or plant, in one way or another, requires water or hydration to survive. Like other organs in our body, the skin too needs hydration to sustain its life.

But what we often do in the name of hydration is to apply moisturizers. We synonymize hydration with moisturization, which is absolutely false.

Hydration simply means adding water to the skin, whereas moisturizing refers to providing oils to your skin that form a layer that further locks in hydration and prevents water loss. You can choose a hydrator or moisturizer depending on your skin concern. Dryness, which is often caused by a lack of oil, requires moisturizer, while on the other hand, dehydrated skin needs hydrators to replenish skin with ample hydration. However, for the best results, you can use both simultaneously as well.

As we are moving to the final furlong after having a detailed analysis of several aspects of hydrators and moisturizers, it's important to parallelly maintain a good diet and be patient with the routine. Results won't show up overnight; it takes time and consistency.

References:

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/what-is-a-humectant

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/better-skin-in-3-days#hydration-test

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