When it comes to rescuing dry skin (xerosis), a soothing, natural cream can be your skin's best friend as it can help to restore your skin's natural barrier.
What causes dry skin?
Nutritional deficiencies and genetics may be to blame for dry skin, including defects in the structural protein called filaggrin and it's breakdown products which help to form Natural Moisturising Factor (NMF). NMF is essential for hydrated skin.
Dehydration can also cause dry skin and premature skin ageing. Researchers found that drinking 2 litres (68 fl oz) of water per day can improve deep skin hydration, but it is unlikely to reverse genetic defects in the skin.
What is the solution to dry skin?
Even since I was 10 years old I have struggled with flaky and dry skin. Every morning (especially during the winter months) I would wake up with sore skin, which had me reaching for ointments and creams that did not work, in the hope to get some relief for an hour or two. I guzzled water, I ate my greens with flaxseed oil but still my skin was dry and flaky.
My struggles led me on a journey to create a skin moisturiser to provide deep hydration and nourishment, helping to restore my skin's natural barrier.
Since creating 24-Hour Rescue, I no longer have achy, flaky dry skin.
Hello, I’m Karen Fischer, nutritionist and formulator of 24-Hour Rescue. I know you have questions about the recent formula "tweak" so this is my blog to answer your questions.
24-Hour Rescue is now 100% natural
The formula has been updated so it is now 100% natural. However, it still contains the same main ingredients that make up most of the formula including shea butter, castor oil, camellia seed oil and purified water. Only the minor "support" ingredients have been modified. So the cream looks and feels the same when applied to your skin (FYI it no longer separates).
Key benefits
One of the key benefits of 24-Hour Rescue is its long-lasting hydration. Unlike lighter lotions or creams that may require frequent reapplication, this body butter can provide continuous moisture, ensuring your skin stays soft and hydrated throughout the day and night.
It's not an ointment and here's why
Ointments and pure oil balms are notoriously oily and sticky on the skin and they can stain clothes and bedsheets. Petroleum-based ointments (e.g. vaseline and pawpaw ointment) are also problematic because they are flammable so they should not be applied under clothes or before bed as they are a fire hazard.
24-Hour Rescue is different. It soaks into your skin fast, leaving an invisible barrier to combat dry skin. It prevents skin flaking too. It also does not look oily or feel greasy, and it won't stain your clothes or sheets.
It has a body butter consistency. However, it is more hydrating than regular body butters thanks to it's unique ratio of oils and water.
Apply it liberally to your whole body or dry skin areas such as elbows, knees and hands, before bedtime. This will give you an overnight moisture boost that leaves your skin feeling rejuvenated all night long and into the morning.
If you have eczema, you may need to apply it more often during the day, but over time you will find you will need less applications as your skin repairs.
Good for your skin microbiome
Did you know most skin creams and cleansers (and soaps) have the wrong pH which can cause the loss of beneficial skin microflora from your skin? (reference)
Soaps and cleansers are often alkaline (with a pH or 8-9.0) so they can make your skin barrier alkaline for a few hours after use, rendering it defenceless to combat harmful microbes.
Healthy skin has a natural acidic pH of about 4.7, which protects your skin from microbe invasion. So it is important to use at least one skin care product daily that has a pH around 4.7 (between 4.0 - 4.7 is ideal), especially after showing as water naturally has a higher pH (7.0-8.0), which can adversely affect your skin's pH for a few hours after bathing. It could be why water stings eczema, but more research is required to know for sure.
FYI: It was once thought that the skin's pH was around 5.5 (5.0 - 6.0) but this is incorrect. Today many skin care brands have not updated their formulas to be in line with the new science, so be wary of older products that have not been updated recently.
So what makes 24-Hour Rescue so hydrating? Let me share with you why I chose each ingredient in this formula:
The ingredients
[full ingredients list, shown in alphabetical order]
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil is my favourite natural seed oil for ageing or dry skin. It has excellent skin conditioning, moisturising and anti-ageing properties, helping to reduce fine lines and improve skin elasticity. Camellia seed oil also has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, according to this research found in PubMed, and it may help to calm red skin. Our camellia seed oil is organic.
Castor Seed Oil is a lovely natural seed oil that is thicker, and thus more hydrating, than most other oils so it is excellent for dry skin. It is often a star ingredient in baby nappy rash creams as it has anti-inflammatory properties, and it has excellent skin conditioning, moisturising and hydrating effects.
Cetearyl Alcohol is not really an alcohol, it’s a super hydrating wax with skin conditioning, opacifying and formula stabilising properties (reference). We chose 100% natural cetearyl alcohol. It is the most hydrating of all the emulsifiers and thickeners I have tested over the past 10 years.
Cetearyl Glucoside is a natural emulsifier (reference) that links water and oil together, helping to deliver both ingredients into your skin to boost hydration.
Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba Gum - we use a tiny amount of this natural guar gum as it has excellent stabilising properties (reference), so the cream does not separate. Guar gum is also used in food production and it is free from gluten, corn and other potential allergens so we feel it is a safe choice.
Caprylhydroxamic Acid is a natural preservative-alternative that has antimicrobial and chelating properties (reference). It helps to keep the product free of nasties and it is safe for use on broken skin, unlike many other natural preservative alternatives.
Glycerol (glycerin) is a wonderful ingredient for hydrating dry skin. Our glycerol is 100% natural with skin conditioning, skin protecting and humectant properties, that literally draws moisture to your skin (reference).
Glyceryl Caprylate is a skin conditioning agent (reference) which means it hydrates dry skin. But we use it as a natural preservative-alternative, which keeps 24-Hour Rescue free from microbial growth. This action helps to keep your skin safe too, so it's a win-win.
Sambucus nigra fruit extract (Elderberry) is a natural fruit extract, rich in phytonutrients, including quercetin, ferulic acid and vitamin C, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The bioflavonoids in elderberry also have astringent and skin firming qualities, helping to combat ageing skin and wrinkles, according to this research. The 100% natural elderberry extract we use in 24-Hour Rescue also has mild antibacterial properties so it helps to protect the formula AND your skin.
Shea Butter is an exceptional skin hydrator for dry skin, and we use lots of it to super hydrate your skin. It provides a skin barrier, and it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties according to this research and this skin barrier research. Shea butter also helps to fight inflammation according to this research.
Stearic Acid is 100% natural with cleansing, emulsifying and emulsion-stabilising properties (reference).
Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil is a natural and light oil that has excellent skin moisturising and skin conditioning properties that are good for dry skin.
Purified Water is the magic ingredient with skin-conditioning ability which works alongside the oily ingredients to give your skin long-lasting hydration.
Lactic Acid has buffering, skin conditioning and humectant properties. Lactic acid is also a component of Natural Moisturising Factor in healthy skin and it can also increase flexibility and thickness of the skin barrier (ref.).
We use a tiny amount of natural, pure lactic acid specifically to adjust the pH of 24-Hour Rescue so it mimics the pH of healthy skin (around 4.5 to 4.7).
As always, 24-Hour Rescue is free from the following:
- No animal products (vegan)
- No chemical preservatives
- No steroids
- No parabens
- No dyes or mica
- No fragrance (natural or artificial)
- No petrochemicals including petroleum, mineral oil or paraffin (they can make your skin feel drier and weaker once they wear off, and they're sticky)
- No lanolin (it can make your skin feel drier once it wears off)
- No benzoates or benzyl alcohol
- No soy
- No dimethicone (silica/silicon can be a skin irritant)
- No essential oils (they can irritate sensitive skin)
- No retinol (vitamin A dries out your skin and can trigger skin flaking)
- No citrus/lemon (lemony essential oils can make your skin sunburn more easily)
- No gluten
- No olive oil (it damages the skin barrier)
- No citric acid
Q: What has changed in the formula?
24-Hour Rescue was almost 100% natural before but we decided to make a few small tweaks to give it 100% natural status. The main (bulk) of the ingredients were not changed, so 24-Hour Rescue will look and feel the same when applied to your skin.
We switched from artificial preservatives to natural preservative-alternatives (Glyceryl caprylate, Elderberry and Caprylhydroxamic Acid) as we have used these ingredients in past products, so we know they are gentle and effective from years of customer feedback.
The phytonutrient benefits from Elderberry are a bonus that can also help to protect your skin from premature skin ageing.
We also switched from a synthetic pH adjustor and replace it with natural lactic acid.
We are confident you'll love the new and improved 24-Hour Rescue for dry skin, flaky skin, itchy skin, chapped and ageing skin and more. As mentioned earlier, 24-Hour Rescue also has a “gentle on skin” 30-day money back guarantee, so there is no risk trying it.
SHOP THE STORY
References
Pons-Guiraud A. Dry skin in dermatology: a complex physiopathology. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2007 Sep;21 Suppl 2:1-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02379.x. PMID: 17716284.
Cao C, Xiao Z, Wu Y, Ge C. Diet and Skin Aging-From the Perspective of Food Nutrition. Nutrients. 2020 Mar 24;12(3):870. doi: 10.3390/nu12030870. PMID: 32213934; PMCID: PMC7146365.
Palma L, Marques LT, Bujan J, Rodrigues LM. Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2015 Aug 3;8:413-21. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S86822. PMID: 26345226; PMCID: PMC4529263.
Proksch E, Berardesca E, Misery L, Engblom J, Bouwstra J. Dry skin management: practical approach in light of latest research on skin structure and function. J Dermatolog Treat. 2020 Nov;31(7):716-722. doi: 10.1080/09546634.2019.1607024. Epub 2019 Jun 19. PMID: 30998081.
Feás X, Estevinho LM, Salinero C, Vela P, Sainz MJ, Vázquez-Tato MP, Seijas JA. Triacylglyceride, antioxidant and antimicrobial features of virgin Camellia oleifera, C. reticulata and C. sasanqua Oils. Molecules. 2013 Apr 18;18(4):4573-87. doi: 10.3390/molecules18044573. PMID: 23599015; PMCID: PMC6270245.
European Commission, CosIng, Cosmetic Ingredients, retrieved 8 April 2024 from https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/details/34040
Przybylska-Balcerek A, et al., Sambucus Nigra Extracts-Natural Antioxidants and Antimicrobial Compounds. Molecules. 2021 May 14;26(10):2910. doi: 10.3390/molecules26102910. PMID: 34068909; PMCID: PMC8156197.
Verma N, Chakrabarti R, Das RH, Gautam HK. Anti-inflammatory effects of shea butter through inhibition of iNOS, COX-2, and cytokines via the Nf-κB pathway in LPS-activated J774 macrophage cells. J Complement Integr Med. 2012 Jan 12;9:Article 4. doi: 10.1515/1553-3840.1574. PMID: 22499721.