healing

By Marista | Made by Risch Why a Wonderful Ingredient Might Not Belong in Your Eczema Cream Let me say this upfront: I love glycerin. It is one of the most well-researched, well-proven, genuinely remarkable skincare ingredients in existence. It hydrates. It protects. It is gentle, natural, and backed by decades of solid science. I use it in several of our products, and I stand by that completely. But I do not use it in our Eczema Skin Restoring Jelly. Because eczema and glycerine do not always mix. And for a long time, that felt controversial — even to me. Almost every dermatologist recommends it. Almost every eczema moisturiser on the market contains it. The mainstream skincare industry treats glycerin as a near-universal good, especially for dry, compromised skin. But in my research I came across a research article that showed that glycerin might be contra-indicated for eczema skin. The research showed that it might actually make it worse. By this point in my journey in creating a cream that will work for my son’s eczema, I was desperate. I have tried everything. And despite having used all the right things in my cream, it still did not work. So I made a batch without glycerin, or vaseline, or mineral oil. The first batch was an absolute disaster! Since I use oils and butters in my cream, with no added ingredients like emolients, emulsifiers, etc. the oils and the butters kept splitting. It looked like a horrifying, oily goo. More research, more batches. And then I succeeded. I created a cream that naturally combined the oils and butters. But the proof is in the pudding – I had to test this on my son. I applied the cream to his skin, he had eczema all over – arms, legs, back, stomach, it was heartbreaking. He cried even more when I applied the cream and my heart sank. Did I make a mistake? Am I actually making it worse? When I say that his eczema was better by the following day, I am not exaggerating. Most of the inflammation on his skin, and the red patches were gone within a week. It was the glycerin. Because eczema and glycerine don’t always get along. And the science — once you dig deep enough — explains exactly why. This article is my honest attempt to lay out both sides of this story fairly, with all the research, all the nuance, and the full truth about glycerin and eczema. Part One: Why Glycerin is Genuinely Wonderful Before we get into the controversy, let’s be clear about what glycerin actually is and why it has earned its stellar reputation. Glycerin (also called glycerol) is a naturally occurring alcohol compound found in all plant and animal tissues, including human skin. It is derived commercially from vegetable oils or as a byproduct of soap-making. It is colourless, odourless, non-toxic, and biodegradable. Its primary function in skincare is as a humectant — an ingredient that attracts and binds water molecules to the skin. It does this through its hygroscopic nature: glycerin can absorb up to 20% of its own weight in water from the surrounding environment, drawing moisture both from the air and from deeper skin layers into the stratum corneum (the outermost skin layer). Research has consistently confirmed these benefits: A major review published in the British Journal of Dermatology (Fluhr et al., 2008) described glycerin as having a holistic role in skin health, noting its ability to improve stratum corneum hydration, enhance skin barrier function, and support the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF) — the collection of compounds the skin naturally produces to stay hydrated. Research has also shown that glycerin is involved in the activity of aquaporins — the protein channels that regulate the flow of water through skin cells. When functioning normally, this is enormously beneficial: glycerin essentially helps the skin’s own water management system work more efficiently. A double-blind clinical trial comparing 20% glycerin cream against a urea/sodium chloride cream in 197 patients with atopic dermatitis (Lodén et al., 2002, Acta Dermato-Venereologica) found both equally effective at reducing skin dryness, with glycerin actually causing significantly fewer adverse sensations like smarting — an important finding for people with already irritated eczema skin. And a placebo-controlled randomized trial specifically in atopic dermatitis (Breternitz et al., 2007, published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology) confirmed that glycerol-based emollients significantly improved stratum corneum hydration compared to glycerol-free placebo. So the science supporting glycerin is real, substantial, and not to be dismissed. For most skin — including dry skin, sensitive skin, normal skin, and skin with mild dryness — glycerin is an excellent, evidence-backed ingredient. Full stop. Part Two: Where the Story Gets Complicated Here is where I need you to put on your scientist’s hat and follow me into some more complex territory. Because what happens in eczema skin is not the same as what happens in healthy dry skin — and that difference matters enormously. The AQP3 Problem I mentioned aquaporins above — the protein channels that regulate water flow in skin. In healthy skin, a specific aquaporin called AQP3 (Aquaporin-3) is expressed at low, controlled levels, mainly in the basal layer of the epidermis. It quietly and efficiently transports water and glycerol across cell membranes, helping to keep the skin hydrated. AQP3 is also the channel through which topically applied glycerin is transported into and through the skin. Under normal circumstances, this is exactly what you want. But in eczema skin, this system is broken. Multiple peer-reviewed studies have now confirmed that AQP3 is significantly upregulated — overexpressed — in atopic dermatitis lesions. A gene microarray study by Olsson et al. (2006, Allergy) analyzed skin biopsies from 10 eczema patients and 10 healthy controls and found that AQP3 was among the most notably upregulated genes in eczema skin, with strong AQP3 staining found throughout both the stratum basale and stratum spinosum — layers where it barely appears in healthy skin. The study’s conclusion: “Increased expression