[Academic Presentation] The Efficacy of Medical Skincare Products on Skin Barrier Function in Dermatological Conditions and Guidelines for Selection

As living standards improve, people’s pursuit of skin health and aesthetics has grown increasingly strong, and medical skincare products are receiving ever greater attention. Compared with conventional skincare, medical skincare not only enhances the skin’s appearance but also exerts beneficial effects on the skin’s underlying physiological or pathological processes, making it suitable for adjunctive treatment of various dermatological conditions. This helps augment the efficacy of pharmacologic therapies while reducing adverse reactions and skin discomfort. Consequently, medical skincare has become an important clinical adjunct for many dermatologists, earning widespread favor and recognition.

1 The Concept and Characteristics of Medical Skincare Products

Dermocosmetics, also known as cosmeceuticals—cosmetics with medicinal properties—were first introduced by Raymond in 1962 to describe “active” or “scientifically substantiated” cosmetic products. In 1970, Kligman defined them as a new category of products that combine the characteristics of cosmetics with those of certain pharmaceuticals, occupying an intermediate position between conventional cosmetics and topical dermatological medications. Compared with traditional cosmetics, dermocosmetics are distinguished by their therapeutic efficacy, safety, targeted action, and professional-grade formulation.

1.1 Pharmacological Effects

Medical skincare products contain certain synthetic or natural pharmaceutical ingredients, or ingredient‑like compounds, to enhance their auxiliary functions beyond ordinary cosmetic enhancement—such as exfoliating the epidermis, improving skin hydration, strengthening the skin barrier, reducing cutaneous sensitivity, suppressing local inflammatory responses and melanin production, and promoting wound healing. Consequently, they offer adjunctive therapeutic benefits for a variety of skin health concerns and dermatological conditions, thereby exhibiting distinct pharmacological properties.

1.2 Safety

Compared with pharmaceuticals, medical skincare products typically lack strict indications and do not have clearly defined dosing regimens or treatment durations; their application methods also reflect cosmetic characteristics. Moreover, compared with ordinary skincare products, medical skincare formulations generally contain lower levels of colorants, fragrances, and preservatives. They require more sophisticated manufacturing processes, exhibit reduced allergenic potential, are less likely to cause the adverse reactions commonly associated with drugs or cosmetics, and therefore offer a higher safety profile.

1.3 Targeted Approach

Different medical skincare products contain varying active ingredients and offer distinct benefits, often with specific target populations. Therefore, selection should be guided by the patient’s unique skin condition or disease state, ensuring that the chosen product is appropriately tailored to the individual. Clinicians should deepen their knowledge of these products to enable precise, evidence‑based recommendations that address each patient’s specific needs.

1.4 Professionalism

Compared with ordinary skincare products, medical‑grade skincare products typically require targeted professional guidance from a dermatologist, based on the patient’s skin condition or underlying medical status, prior to use. Moreover, such products are mostly sold in pharmacies and must be purchased and used only with a prescription from a dermatologist. Consequently, medical‑grade skincare products demand that prescribers, users, and retailers all possess a certain level of medical expertise.

2 of medical skincare products Common Active Ingredients and Their Functions

Most medical skincare products contain unique active ingredients—either pharmaceuticals or drug‑like compounds—that enhance their efficacy. These active ingredients are typically derived from natural plants, animals, or minerals, offering advantages such as high safety and minimal adverse effects.

2.1 Natural Animal and Plant Ingredients

Common natural plant and animal-derived ingredients include sea buckthorn oil, avocado oil, purslane and licorice extracts, pumpkin seed oil, mushroom-derived beta‑glucan, sea buckthorn oil, arbutin, ascorbyl glucoside, lanolin, and others. When incorporated into medical‑grade skincare products, these ingredients can help hydrate, nourish, soothe, regulate sebum secretion, and restore the skin’s barrier function.

2.2 Natural bioactive substances or enzymes

Natural bioactive substances and enzymes—including superoxide dismutase, cell growth factors, fruit acids, coenzyme Q10, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, polysaccharides, allantoin, and papain—work by inhibiting oxidative stress in the skin, promoting collagen synthesis, and enhancing endogenous hydration, thereby accelerating skin turnover, improving elasticity, and delaying aging.

2.3 Drugs or similar drug ingredients

Ingredients such as salicylic acid, niacinamide (vitamin PP), vitamin C and its derivatives, kojic acid and its derivatives, and UV‑protective sunscreen systems—when incorporated into medical skincare products—can help exfoliate the stratum corneum, enhance skin detoxification, provide UV protection, and prevent and treat acne. They also offer antioxidant and whitening benefits.

2.4 Minerals and Others

Other ingredients, such as natural spring water, zinc compounds, glycerin, propylene glycol, urea, mineral oil, dimethicone, cyclomethicone, peptides, and surfactants, help cleanse, soften, and exfoliate the skin, enhance hydration of the stratum corneum, and replenish essential vitamins and minerals to support skin metabolism.

3 Medical skincare products for specific skin types Efficacy and Selection for Skin Disorders

3.1 Sensitive Skin

Sensitive skin is a sub‑health condition of the skin, typically characterized by the patient’s self‑reported inability to tolerate environmental stimuli—such as cold, heat, or sun exposure—or to tolerate spicy foods, as well as an intolerance to routine skincare products or cosmetics. Physiological sensitivity often occurs without any specific trigger, whereas secondary sensitivity usually results from underlying skin disorders or inappropriate treatments, such as prolonged, improper use of topical corticosteroids, low‑quality cosmetics, or chemical peels. Sensitive skin is highly prevalent; across different countries and ethnic groups, it affects approximately one‑quarter to one‑half of adults. Under the combined influence of internal and external factors, patients experience heightened sensory nerve signaling, enhanced immune reactivity, compromised skin barrier function, and reduced levels of lipids and moisture compared with healthy skin. Consequently, individuals with sensitive skin should opt for medical‑grade skincare products that are formulated with simple, gentle ingredients and offer hydrating, moisturizing, and soothing benefits.

Yang Guangzhi and colleagues demonstrated that medical skincare products containing purslane extract can effectively reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in patients with hormone‑dependent dermatitis, increase the hydration of the stratum corneum and sebum content, and do so without any associated adverse reactions. These findings indicate that purslane extract possesses soothing and moisturizing properties, effectively alleviating skin sensitivity induced by long‑term topical corticosteroid use. He Shengwen and his team also confirmed that the abundant vitamin C, vitamin E, β‑carotene, and glutathione present in purslane extract can significantly enhance superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, bolster the skin’s capacity to scavenge oxygen free radicals and lipid peroxides, thereby mitigating cellular damage and exerting anti‑allergic and anti‑inflammatory effects. In their study of thermal spring water, Li Li and colleagues found that after 14 days of treatment, patients exhibited marked relief or resolution of cutaneous inflammatory erythema, edema, burning, and stinging sensations, accompanied by an increase in stratum corneum hydration. This suggests that thermal spring water helps reduce skin sensitivity and may serve as an adjunctive therapy for sensitive skin. Consequently, medical skincare formulations containing thermal spring water, purslane, and other active ingredients represent a beneficial option for individuals with sensitive skin.

3.2 Dry Skin

Dry skin may be a constitutional trait or a secondary symptom of certain dermatological conditions, such as ichthyosis vulgaris and xeroderma pigmentosum. Moisturizing ingredients in medical skincare products can replenish the skin’s lipids and hydration, restore the skin barrier function, effectively alleviate dryness, and improve patients’ quality of life.

The moisturizing ingredients commonly found in medical skincare products include ceramides, hyaluronic acid, urea, and various natural plant-derived components. Among these, ceramides are the most widely used; they are a key constituent of the lipid layer in the stratum corneum and exhibit exceptionally strong hydrating properties. Other natural plant-based humectants, such as argan oil and avocado oil, not only replenish the skin’s surface lipid content but also help suppress local inflammatory responses and promote the endogenous production of moisturizing factors. Studies by Liu Shubao et al. on argan oil have demonstrated that its unsaturated fatty acid profile closely resembles the lipid composition of the skin’s stratum corneum, resulting in excellent moisturizing efficacy—nearly comparable to that of ceramides. Furthermore, Pang Qin et al. have shown that medical skincare formulations containing wild Yunnan camellia extract can effectively improve both the water content and sebum secretion of dry skin: after 15 consecutive days of use, these parameters increased from baseline levels of (20.74 ± 8.84)% and (1.77 ± 2.37)% to (30.46 ± 7.19)% and (7.59 ± 8.38)%, respectively, while the dryness severity score decreased from 1.63 ± 1.10 before treatment to 0.27 ± 0.64.

3.3 Acne

Acne is a common condition during adolescence, primarily associated with increased androgen secretion, epidermal hyperkeratosis, the formation of follicular plugs, and secondary infection by Cutibacterium acnes, as well as inflammatory responses. Medical skincare products containing 2% niacinamide, azelaic acid, zinc compounds, and surfactants can remove excess sebum from the skin’s surface, maintain cleanliness, and inhibit bacterial growth. Meanwhile, medical skincare formulations with salicylic acid, alpha‑hydroxy acids, or polyhydroxy acids effectively suppress epidermal keratinization, clear follicular plugs, promote the extrusion of debris, and reduce the formation of whiteheads and blackheads. Additionally, products enriched with soothing and calming ingredients can attenuate acne‑related inflammation, alleviate local redness and swelling, accelerate inflammatory healing, minimize post‑inflammatory hyperpigmentation and scarring, and mitigate skin irritation caused by anti‑acne medications such as retinoids and benzoyl peroxide, thereby improving patient compliance. Furthermore, although acne‑prone skin is often oily, moisturizing medical skincare products are still beneficial; those containing dimethicone, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and similar ingredients help reduce transepidermal water loss, lower skin sensitivity, and curb acne development.

3.4 Atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, and others

Recurrent skin inflammation can disrupt the skin’s physiological functions, leading to impaired ceramide synthesis in epidermal cells, a deficiency in natural moisturizing factors, increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL), loss of intercellular connections, and compromised skin barrier integrity. As a result, patients experience dryness, scaling, and even fissures, while their resistance to external insults is diminished, making them more susceptible to pathogenic microbial invasion, which exacerbates inflammatory responses and tissue damage. Strategically selecting medical skincare products containing specific active ingredients not only provides hydration and relief from pruritus, thereby improving quality of life, but also enables these bioactive components to modulate epidermal cell differentiation, suppress scale formation, and mitigate inflammatory reactions.

Gayraud, Smirnova, and others have demonstrated that medical skincare products containing skin barrier‑repairing ingredients (such as Atoderm) provide significant adjunctive benefits in the clinical management of atopic dermatitis and eczema, rapidly alleviating pruritus, accelerating lesion resolution, and prolonging remission periods. Zhao et al. found that medical skincare formulations containing purslane effectively promote lesion clearance and itch control in patients with plaque psoriasis; this effect is associated with inhibition of the NF‑κB signaling pathway in epidermal keratinocytes and is further enhanced when combined with calcipotriol cream, leading to faster clinical improvement. Li Shuang et al. reported that the concomitant use of medical skincare products containing purslane extract significantly increases the synthesis of filaggrin and loricrin in lesional skin of patients with plaque psoriasis, while suppressing the expression of keratins K14 and K17, thereby improving clinical symptoms, reducing the required dosage of other therapeutic agents, and mitigating treatment‑related adverse effects such as skin irritation.

3.5 Photodermatosis

UVA and UVB radiation in sunlight can cause skin erythema and edema, lead to sunburn and hyperpigmentation, and even induce skin cancer. The applications of medical skincare products in photodermatologic conditions primarily include: ① preventing sunburn; medical skincare products containing sunscreen ingredients (such as titanium dioxide) can effectively block ultraviolet rays, prolong the time to develop a sunburn‑induced erythema, and reduce the incidence of sunburn. The sun protection efficacy of these products is typically expressed by the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and the UVA Protection Factor (PA). During summer and at high altitudes, it is advisable to use medical sunscreens with SPF > 30 and PA(3+); in spring, autumn, and winter, as well as in lowland areas, SPF > 10 and PA(2+) formulations are recommended. Additionally, for individuals engaged in prolonged outdoor activities, appropriate sun protection should be applied even on overcast days to prevent sunburn and photoaging. ② promoting post‑sunburn repair; certain natural plant-derived ingredients (such as purslane, sea buckthorn oil, and licorice extract) can effectively suppress the inflammatory response following sun exposure, alleviate local burning pain, facilitate the resolution of inflammation, and mitigate symptoms like post‑sunburn hyperpigmentation and desquamation.

Some synthetic sunscreen ingredients—such as para‑aminobenzoic acid and its esters, o‑aminobenzoic acid esters, p‑methoxycinnamate esters, benzophenones and their derivatives, and methane‑derived compounds—as well as natural sunscreen agents like extracts from green tea, sea buckthorn, scutellaria, and aloe vera, can not only be used in the two scenarios mentioned above but also serve to prevent and treat photosensitive or phototoxic skin disorders (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, polymorphic light eruption, xeroderma pigmentosum) or to mitigate photosensitivity that may arise from the use of photosensitizing medications.

3.6 Pigmentary Skin Disorders

Increased skin pigmentation may result from congenital or physiological factors (such as melasma and freckles) as well as physical factors (such as sun exposure), and it can also arise secondary to various dermatologic conditions, leading to post‑inflammatory hyperpigmentation. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism involves enhanced tyrosinase activity in cutaneous melanocytes, accelerating the synthesis of pigment granules. When selecting medical skincare products for pigmented skin disorders, the following considerations are important: ① First, prioritize thorough cleansing, hydration, and moisturization; choose formulations with cleansing, hydrating, nourishing, and soothing properties to minimize inflammatory responses and promote their rapid resolution. ② Building on this foundation, incorporate products with SPF to reduce UV‑induced increases in melanin production and thereby lower the incidence of hyperpigmentation. ③ Concurrently, use medical skincare products containing whitening and spot‑removing ingredients—such as calcium panthothenyl ethyl ether sulfonate, tetra‑isopropyl palmitate, licorice extract, niacinamide, vitamin C and its derivatives, kojic acid and its derivatives, arbutin, and flavonoids—which inhibit tyrosinase activity, further reducing melanin synthesis and delivering a brightening effect. In addition, medical skincare products containing alpha‑hydroxy acids and linoleic acid offer chemical exfoliation, helping to remove pigment deposits from aged skin.

3.7 Skin Wound Repair

Certain active ingredients in medical skincare products—such as turmeric and aloe vera extracts—can also relieve pain, reduce postoperative erythema, swelling, and pruritus, regulate collagen synthesis, promote wound healing, and inhibit scar formation. Consequently, they can be used to prevent and minimize postoperative complications, shorten recovery time, and enhance cosmetic outcomes.

Pincelli et al. have demonstrated that thermal spring water can be used not only for various inflammatory skin conditions but also for postoperative skin care—such as after surgical excision and suturing, electrocautery procedures, and photorejuvenation—thereby reducing postoperative inflammatory responses, alleviating patient pain, and promoting recovery. Mer-ial et al. found that applying thermal spring water by spray to the wound every 4 hours following photodynamic therapy (PDT) significantly decreased the incidence of local pain during days 3–6 postoperatively; this effect is associated with inhibition of mast cell degranulation at the site and suppression of inflammatory responses. Larissa et al. reported that extracts from plants of the genus Eugenia dysenterica are rich in polyphenols, which effectively inhibit the activities of collagenase, elastase, and tyrosinase, while promoting the proliferation of HFF‑1 fibroblasts and accelerating wound healing.

3.8 Skin Aging

Aging is an irreversible process in organ development. Skin aging not only significantly affects appearance but also increases the incidence of skin tumors. It is associated with the degradation of tissue‑matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and type I collagen, leading to epidermal thinning and dermal atrophy, which in turn give rise to wrinkles. Moisturizing and nourishing ingredients found in medical skincare products—such as hyaluronic acid and collagen—can effectively increase water content in both the epidermis and dermis, maintain skin elasticity, and improve the appearance of wrinkles and skin radiance. Rouvrais et al. demonstrated that medical skincare formulations containing retinaldehyde, δ‑tocopheryl glucoside, and dipeptide‑oleamide can efficiently stimulate the synthesis of elastin, integrin β1, ankyrin, and actin‑α2 within the extracellular matrix, thereby increasing its overall content. These products also enhance the dermal cells’ capacity to repair UV‑induced damage to elastin and fibrillin, thus delaying photoaging; daily, continuous use can effectively reduce the formation of facial wrinkles. Furthermore, vitamins C and E in medical skincare products exert antioxidant effects by neutralizing superoxide anions and oxygen free radicals generated during the aging process, thereby slowing down skin aging.

4 Conclusion

Medical skincare products are a relatively new category of formulations that bridge the gap between pharmaceuticals and conventional skincare. Combining cosmetic‑enhancing and pharmacological‑supportive benefits, they are widely used for the daily maintenance of healthy skin and as adjunctive therapies for dermatologic conditions. A thorough understanding of the key ingredients and their respective functions enables clinicians to tailor product selection to patients’ specific skin types and disease states, thereby optimizing therapeutic outcomes and promoting both skin health and recovery.

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