The hydrolipidic film is your skin's own bodyguard: it locks in moisture and keeps aggressors out.
What is the hydrolipidic film?
The hydrolipidic film is a light protective film that covers your skin. It mainly consists of perspiration, water, sebum and lipids and it acts to protect your skin against external aggressors such as bacteria. There are five principal reasons why you should be looking after your skin's self-defense shield.
- Fight against dehydration: The skin's hydrolipidic film can be damaged or removed with the use of harsh cleansers, or simply with age, which can lead to transepidermal water loss (TEWL). A healthy film limits dehydration, tightness and dry skin.
- Protection from free radicals: The hydrolipidic film is a shield against free radicals. These molecules can damage the collagen and elastin that give skin its suppleness, leading to signs of premature aging such as wrinkles and fine lines.
- Defend against non-resident bacteria: Within this natural barrier, the skin's resident bacteria act as cleaners, preventing undesirable bacteria and fungi from developing.
- Maintain skin’s acidity level: Also known as the acid mantle, the hydrolipidic film has a pH between 4.5 and 6.2. This plays a crucial role in the body's self-defense method, because pathogenic bacteria that become adapted to the more acidic pH of the film are then unable to survive in the more alkaline environment in our blood.
The unique nature of the hydrolipidic film - its composition of both oil and water - requires specific ingredients to take care of it. The Oil-in-Water essence channels the natural qualities found in the hydrolipidic film: emulating and reconstructing the skin's own barrier. Squalane, extracted from pure olive oil, Vichy pH Balancing Thermal Water, hyaluronic acid and a combination of vitamins and active ingredients work together in a luxurious"sea of pearls" texture that glides over the skin to reinforce and rejuvenate the hyaluronic barrier. Skin is left visibly smoother, more radiant and healthy-looking.