An NMF (natural moisturizing factor) is an essential type of structural molecule that’s found in your skin. Their roles? To maintain skin hydration. This is it, in its literal most simplest terms. Amino acids, lactic acid, etc are NMFs which are essential moisturizing molecules that are found in your skin, which is why they’re also found in skin care products.
Why are they important?
In our honest opinion, NMFs are some of the most important ingredients you could incorporate into a barrier-focused routine. While we know that barrier-buzz is still all the rage right now, we gotta admit - science agrees that there’s a clear point to all this. To put it simply, by addressing your skin’s barrier and hydration needs, you’re subsequently addressing many of the skin’s needs altogether. Furthermore, when you lack the needed concentration of these in your skin, you'll experience dryness, increased moisture loss, and even irritation.
The NMFs, through hydration:
The NMFs, through hydration:
- maintain plasticity of the skin to protect it from damage
- contribute to optimized barrier function
- allow for enzymes to function more optimally in the exfoliation process of the skin
The different NMFs in your skin, and in your products
Below is a depiction of the skin’s Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMFs). You may also recognize some of these as names of ingredients in your fave products. The next time you see them on the label, just know that that product has some good NMFs at work!
How many can you spot from your favorite skincare products?
More barrier-focused tidbits are coming your way here on the MULTI journal, and in our Dotcom community.