The Science

The stratum corneum is largely made up of a lipid matrix organized in lamellar structures. Ceramides dominate that matrix — roughly 50% of it. When the barrier is disrupted by shaving, UV, environmental stress, or harsh cleansers, ceramide levels drop and water loss increases.

A moisturizer that includes a ceramide complex directly addresses the chemistry of what's depleted when the barrier breaks down. That's the foundational logic for including it.

Niacinamide (vitamin B3) has published research indicating it can support ceramide synthase activity — the enzyme involved in the skin's own ceramide production. This supports the skin's internal mechanism for producing ceramides, rather than just delivering them externally.

Pairing niacinamide with a ceramide complex makes logical sense: you're replenishing ceramides while supporting the pathway that produces them. Both claims are grounded in published research, not proprietary data.

Galactomyces ferment filtrate has one of the stronger evidence bases in modern skincare. It's been researched for decades — its properties were first noticed through observation of sake brewery workers' consistently healthy skin. The research covers skin clarity, cellular turnover, and barrier function.

It's included because the published literature supports it. Not because it photographs well in a marketing campaign.

Every ingredient goes through the same evaluation: What is the proposed mechanism? What does the published research say? Is the evidence from independent studies or manufacturer-funded data? Does it interact well with the other ingredients in the stack?

This is the same evaluative process used in professional scientific settings. It doesn't guarantee results — biology is complex and individual responses vary. But it produces a more defensible formulation than picking what's currently trending.