1. What are the sources of ceramides?
There are three main ways to obtain ceramides:
(1) Naturally derived ceramides can be obtained from animal or plant extracts. Extracts from animal sources are hardly used in skin care products due to the risk of immunogenicity and pathogenicity. At present, a small portion of skin care products use ceramides obtained from plant extracts, but due to the low yield, the application is somewhat limited.
(2) Chemical synthesis of chemical synthesis method is mainly prepared by ceramides, its structure is similar to ceramides, similar function, most of the ceramides in skin care products are mainly synthetic, and there are currently six types of synthetic.
(3) Microbial fermentation Microbial fermentation is a commonly used method for the preparation of ceramides in recent years, i.e., the application of Snow's Picot yeast or brewer's yeast is fermented under certain conditions and further phytosphingosine is obtained, and finally, fatty acids are added to synthesize the ceramide substance.
2. What are the types of ceramides?
Ceramides are formed by the condensation of sphingosine compounds with fatty acid compounds (amide bond formation). Since both sphingosine and fatty acids can have different carbon chain lengths, there can be different ceramides. Ceramides are a class of compounds, not a single compound.
As of today, dozens of ceramides have been discovered, and the old nomenclature rules categorized and named them based on the different functional groups on sphingosine and fatty acids, e.g. Ceramide [NP] is composed of a non-hydroxy group of fatty acids (Non-hydroxy fatty acid, N) with phytosphingosine (P). However, this nomenclature has been phased out after 2014.
The new nomenclature, which is now common, categorizes ceramides into Ceramide 1, Ceramide 3, and so on. However, old and new nomenclature still exist side by side in skincare ingredient lists.
The old and new nomenclature of the 11 common ceramides in skincare ingredient lists are shown for reference only.
1.Ceramide 1 = Ceramide EOS
2.Ceramide 2 = Ceramide NS = N-Stearoyl Nerve Sphingomyelinol
3. Ceramide 3 = Ceramide NP = N-Stearoyl Phytosphatidylinositol
4.Ceramide 4 = Ceramide EOH
5.Ceramide 5 = Ceramide AS
6.Ceramide 6 = Ceramide AP = α-hydroxy-N-stearoyl-phytosphingosine alcohol
7.Ceramide 6 ll = Stearoyl-phosphatidylsphingomyelinol
8. Ceramide 7 = Ceramide AH
9. Ceramide 8 = Ceramide NH
10.Ceramide 9 = Ceramide EOP
11.Ceramide E = cetyl-PG hydroxyethyl palmitamide
3. The corresponding effects of different types of ceramides
Although there are many types of ceramides, but skin care products are often added to the following main types, due to its different molecular structure, there are differences in the role of different ceramides corresponding to different effects:
Ceramide 1: Repairs the skin's natural sebum membrane, reduces water evaporation and loss, and enhances the skin's defense function.
Ceramide 2: Regulates the water-oil balance.
Ceramide 3: Rebuilds cell adhesion and restores the health of the stratum corneum, especially for sensitive skin.
Ceramide 4: Forms a water-locking film, which has a long-lasting moisturizing effect and helps inhibit melanin production.
Ceramide 6: Helps metabolize the stratum corneum and smoothes the skin. It is much gentler than acid products and is more suitable for sensitive skin.
4. How to replenish ceramides?
There are many types of ceramides, and the ingredients and specific ratios in the product are also very important. Sometimes improper use even has the opposite effect. Specific instructions are as follows:
(1) Importance of concentration: creams containing 8% ceramide E can increase skin moisture content and improve atopic dermatitis. It is important to note that many studies have been conducted at 8% concentration, but we usually don't know what concentration of ceramides is in the skin care products we use, and in fact it may be less than 1%.
(2) Importance of Formulation: Some studies have shown that the role of ceramides in skin care also requires good partners, otherwise the effect is average. For example, ceramide itself has insufficient skin penetration, adding glyceryl ether can promote penetration. Topical ceramides need to be paired with cholesterol and fatty acids, which are also components of intercellular lipids, for good moisturization, otherwise the effect is limited and may even diminish the skin's moisturizing properties. When either of these lipids is used alone on severely damaged skin, the skin barrier function may deteriorate instead.
(3) No blind dosage: free natural ceramides are messengers of cell apoptosis. Excessive use will accelerate cell metabolism and stripping, which is not conducive to barrier repair.
If you need ceramide raw material, please contact sost biotech