Ceramide EOP

Ceramides are special lipid molecules that serve an important function in our skin: they maintain the barrier function of its topmost layer, also called the stratum corneum.

This layer is made of almost-completely-dead skin cells called corneocytes, held together by protein bridges and creating a mesh-like structure. The space in between is filled with a very oily mixture called the lipid matrix, and ceramides make up almost 50% of it, followed by cholesterol (around 25%) and various fatty acids (10-20%).

This system in healthy skin is perfectly balanced and creates a generously designed waterproof barrier that keeps our skin from drying out, and foreign substances from getting in.

Ceramides are big, oil-soluble molecules that consist of two parts: a fatty acid part (it has one or sometimes two fatty acids joined together) and a sphingosine part, which has a small water-soluble head.

The name “ceramide” reflects their properties – “cera” means wax-like and “amide” refers to their chemical structure. They used to be numbered, but that system became difficult to navigate with the discovery of more and more ceramides, and so since the year 2014 they have been named with letter codes: the last letter refers to the type of sphingosine and the letters prior refer to the type of fatty acids that make up the molecule.

There are 4-5 basic types of sphingosine and 3-4 different groups of fatty acids, which makes 12-20 basic ceramide types.

In recent years, more than 300 individual ceramides were discovered in the human stratum corneum, along with their chemical structures. It appears that they all play an important role in keeping the skin barrier balanced, even though you might only find a handful of select ceramides in your skincare products.

Ceramides used to be obtained from animal sources but are nowadays sourced elsewhere, such as in plant oils or biotechnological yeast cultures. Ceramides are obtained as a mixture that has to be separated and purified.

Ceramide EOP was formerly called Ceramide 1. Due to the above-described confusion with the previous naming conventions, there are many inaccuracies in the articles written before 2014 as to which chemical structure Ceramide 1 actually refers to.

Ceramide EOP makes up only 1-3% of the stratum corneum ceramides but it plays a very important role – it has an ultra-long fatty acid tail with the essential linoleic acid at the end of it. Scientists say that the ultra-long linoleic acid tail has a stabilizing function for the skin barrier.

Dry and flaky patches of skin are almost certainly missing Ceramide EOP in their lipid matrix. Research has shown a serious lack of ceramides in skin suffering from conditions such as atopic dermatitis.

Our skin naturally has fewer ceramides in the winter season, and some body parts like the hands, face, and lips tend to lose the lipid matrix with aging. Replenishing the building blocks of the lipid matrix in the form of creams and lotions is a good idea for everyone, not just for people with dry and cracked skin.

If you are suffering from these unpleasant skin problems, then creams and lotions with ceramides may help to alleviate the symptoms, especially when combined with other building blocks of the lipid matrix – cholesterol and polyunsaturated fatty acids.