Why Skin Barrier Function Matters
The skin barrier is the body’s first line of defense: it regulates water loss, protects against external stressors, pollution, UV, irritants, and determines how well a product will be tolerated. It’s also one of the pillars behind hydration, soothing, and repair claims, which are facing increasingly rigorous scientific scrutiny.
For formulators and R&D teams, the question is no longer just “does this product strengthen the barrier?” but “how do we prove it with the most relevant method?” That’s exactly what this webinar addresses.
Skin Barrier Testing Methods: A 2026 Overview
Skinobs presents a state-of-the-art look at the methods currently available to assess barrier function:
- Biophysical measurements: transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin hydration levels, surface pH, established, fast-to-run indicators that only tell part of the story.
- Molecular biomarkers: ceramides, filaggrin, involucrin, and other markers of corneocyte cohesion, offering insight into the barrier’s structural integrity.
- Imaging approaches: non-invasive visualization of stratum corneum integrity, complementing functional measurements.
The session will cover the strengths and limitations of each approach, and which method combinations make the most sense depending on the claim being built.
Lipidomics Spotlight with Lipotype
The webinar will feature a guest presentation from Lipotype, a mass spectrometry-based lipidomics specialist, on analyzing stratum corneum lipids, ceramides, cholesterol, free fatty acids, to characterize barrier integrity at the molecular level. A concrete look at what newer molecular approaches can bring to an efficacy dossier.
Olya Vvedenskaya, MD, PhD
Senior Communication Manager·Lipotype
Lipids and Skin Barrier Health: What New Studies Reveal About Eczema
The skin barrier depends on the lipid composition of the stratum corneum. Shifts in this lipid profile, particularly among ceramide subclasses, show up across pathological conditions, in both disease mechanisms and treatment responses. In eczema, lipidomics differentiates the effect of two topical formulations on ceramide subclass profile and skin barrier function. In atopic dermatitis, lipidomics paired with microbiome sequencing identifies Staphylococcus hominisas a driver of reduced levels of a specific ceramide and improved barrier integrity. Together, these findings show how lipid profiling, not just of totals but of individual subclasses and species, serves as an indicator of skin barrier health.
Registration & Practical Details
Two sessions are offered on August 27: a French-language session at 11am CEST and an English-language session at 4pm CEST, featuring a guest presentation from Lipotype. Free registration, limited seats.
👉 [I register for the EN session (4pm)]
👉 [Je m’inscris à la session FR (11h)]
