What Is Skin Flooding and Is It the New Moisture Sandwich?
The Winter’s here and so is a new skincare trend called skin flooding. What is skin flooding? It sounds like the new moisture sandwich to me! The general idea of skin flooding is to apply layers of hydrating skincare to damp skin to maximize the effects of each product and prevent moisture loss.
Ok, so you mean a moisture sandwich right? The idea of a moisture sandwich is to apply water products on already damp skin and then layering thicker ones on top. The key to the best “sandwich” is to start with damp skin (cleanse first and apply your favorite facial mist! Mine is Sana Hadanomy Deep Moisturizing Mist) and apply your favorite serum (I swear by Triple Peptide Hydrating + Firming Oasis Serum with Hyaluronic Acid or for a more affordable option the Bliss Drench and Quench Hyaluronic Acid Serum is great!). After that first application mist your face again or even apply a lightweight essence (I love Etude Moistfull Collagen Toner). After that, you can apply your favorite facial oil, followed by your favorite moisturizer, and if you want you can seal it all up with something like CeraVe Healing Ointment or Vaseline!
It feels like Skin Flooding is the same concept. Essentially it’s a technique used to prevent water loss and flood the skin with moisture by using a humectant to hydrate and layering an emollient product on top to lick in moisture and prevent water loss.
Who benefits from skin flooding and which skin types should try it? Anyone can try this technique but dry skin types are the ones that will benefit from it the most. I wouldn’t recommend it for acne-prone skin as a lot of moisture and layering a variety of products could clog pores. The benefit of using this technique is more hydrated skin and more hydrated skin means a smoother, brighter complexion if you are struggling with finer lines on your face it may just soften their appearance thanks to the extra moisture you’re injecting into your skin.
I don’t think this technique is groundbreaking at all as I typically use my humectant on damp skin anywhere. I use a variety of different Hyaluronic acids and none are ever applied to my dry skin. I learned a very long time ago applying HA on dry skin will just make it even more dry and tight. Applying it to damp skin gives it something to draw moisture from. It acts like a sponge and sucks up moisture so imagine applying it on dry skin that isn’t terribly moist at all. You’ll end up with a drier feeling.
How do you actually do the skin flooding technique? Cleanse your face and either leave it slightly damp after you cleanse or dry it off and mist it with your favorite facial mist. Now apply your favorite Hyaluronic Acid serum. Now you can continue to apply your other products and of course, use the skincare rule of thinner serums (anything water-based) to thicker moisturizers. You can seal it all off with an emollient product. Some of my recs would be Naturium Intense Overnight Sleeping Cream, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream, Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer, or even good old fashion Vaseline! I personally love CeraVe Healing Ointment! I use this stuff to slug all the time. Keep in mind when doing any routine like slugging, moisture sandwiches, or skin flooding you should avoid your retinol or glycolic acid routine that evening.
Skin Flooding seems like the new trending word for moisture sandwich in my opinion. The idea of applying any moisturizing product on dry skin has been around for a long time. Dermatologists have recommended it when using body care as well for years and years but of course, we always need a new “buzzword” to sell more products and I guess right now that word is skin flooding.
What do you think of this skincare routine?