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Whether you have a damaged skin barrier and need to repair it, or you are just looking for an everyday barrier repair product, this is a list of the best barrier building serums for all skin types.
I saw such a big change in my skin when I began incorporating a protective barrier serum into my daily routine – not just when I had irritated skin! For that reason, I really recommend you add one to your skin care routine.
The best skin barrier products for acne prone skin
These skin barrier products come in all different formats depending on what you prefer, including toners, serums, creams and gels.
1. The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum
The Ordinary is the first skincare brand I got really into when I was about 20, now I’m 30 and they still make great products! However in the past few years I’ve sort of fallen out of love with them, aside from their squalane cleanser that I regularly recommend for double cleansing.
When they released this skin barrier product I was very pleasantly surprised. The only downside for me is the price here. Maybe I’m old but… £17 is a lot for the Ordinary! Other than that, I think the product is great for repairing a damaged barrier.
Like most barrier repair products, it contains centella, madecassic and asiatic acid. What makes this one different is the addition of vitamin B12, which gives the serum its pink colour. This serum is great for preventing a compromised skin barrier, especially if you use a retinoid or acids regularly.
2. Dr Sam’s Flawless Moisturiser Intense
I would liken Dr Sam’s Flawless Moisturiser Intense to a more acne friendly version of the La Roche Posay cicaplast baume – which, by the way, I generally don’t recommend for acne prone skins unfortunately. They are both barrier repair creams but the Dr Sam’s has far less ingredients, so is more likely to work for breakout-prone skin.
The texture is heavier than a gel cream, but doesn’t quite feel like a rich cream. After a few minutes, it feels almost invisible.
You can include this cream as the second-to-last step before SPF in the morning, or your final step at night to soothe dry skin and maintain a healthy skin barrier. The main issue with this option is the price, it is not cheap! But if you’re wanting to spend more, I think you’ll love it.
3. COSRX Hydrium Centella Aqua Soothing Ampoule
COSRX is a trusty Korean skincare brand that make a lot of great products. I love their Hydrium range and this centella ampoule is an ideal barrier serum for acne prone skin. This is also a great option for sensitive skin, as it’s fragrance free and very lightweight.
Like other products in this list, it contains centella asiatica, which is one of my personal favourite ingredients, along with glycerin. You may like this serum if you have oily skin especially, as it is very lightweight and watery, whereas a barrier recovery cream texture might be a little heavy for you.
4. Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum with Propolis and Niacinamide
Beauty of Joseon get a lot of hype on social media and, generally speaking, I like their products. This Glow Serum contains niacinamide which is pretty polarising in the skincare community! Aside from strengthening your skin barrier, you can easily mix and match it with other actives without worrying. However, some people find that it does the opposite for their skin, unfortunately.
The serum also contains propolis which, much like honey, is both antibacterial and anti inflammatory. Together they make a powerful combo for glowing, glass skin and a healthy barrier. This can fit really easily into any skin care routine, as you don’t have to worry about what you layer it with.
5. Aveeno Face CALM+RESTORE Triple Oat Serum
This Aveeno range just keeps on giving. It’s very affordable and accessible across most of the world, and I love that the whole range is just about ‘calm and restore’. If you’re looking for a water based cleanser, the one from this Aveeno range is a great choice.
Most of the soothing properties in the Aveeno Triple Oat serum come from oats, as the name suggests. In retrospect, this serum is more of a soothing serum than full on barrier repair serum. If you’re not keen on niacinamide, this one doesn’t contain it so it may be a great option for you!
6. Purito Centella Unscented Serum
The Purito Centella Unscented serum is one of my personal faves – it’s so simple yet so effective for me. Many people who follow my social have tried it and loved it, and others have reacted to the niacinamide, which is a real shame. Either way, I love her!
In 2024 Purito reformulated this serum and, after a few trials, I concluded it was just as good as the original. Ultimately it felt similar and had nearly the same formula, and it still is hundreds of peoples holy grail serums. However I have to say, having tried it a few more times recently, I just don’t love it as much as the original. I still think it’s a great product, though.
7. The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum
You know I like to focus on budget-friendly skincare products for the most part, so I knew I needed to include this Inkey List new(ish) launch.
The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum works really well in my opinion. It’s fairly simple and it uses ectoin, which is an ingredient you pretty much can’t go wrong with. Overall I really recommend this protective barrier serum to anyone with pretty much any skin type.
8. Dermatica Daily Hydration 5HA+Cica Serum
I just love Dermatica’s whole OTC range, to be honest. I much prefer them to Skin&Me’s formulas (check out my Dermatica v Skin and Me comparison for more detailed info).
This Dermatica Daily Hydration serum combines five types of hyaluronic acid with centella and niacinamide. It’s ideal to repair and protect your skin barrier on a daily basis, without using an overwhelming barrier restore cream that may cause breakouts like Cicaplast, for example.
You could use this every morning, every night or both! I use my Purito serum (old formula) every morning and night.
Now i’ll answer some common questions on keeping your skin barrier happy and healthy.
What is skin barrier damage?
Your skin has a protective lipid layer on the outside of it that does a few important jobs:
- The skin barrier keeps bacteria out
- It helps reduce damage from environmental factors such as pollution
- It keeps water and moisture locked inside the skin, so your skin can stay plump and hydrated
What do skin barrier products do?
If your skin barrier gets damaged, it’s almost impossible to regain control of your skin without repairing it. Skin barrier repair products not only repair the barrier if its weakened, but will also keep it looking healthy.
If you’re using a lot of acids, active and retinoids, you’re definitely at risk of damaging your skin barrier.
Signs of a damaged skin barrier
Here are some signs your skin barrier is damaged:
- Your skin feels dry and tight yet oily at the same time, when it normally doesn’t feel like this
- You’re seeing more acne than normal, especially in areas you don’t normally break out
- You have been using more actives than usual, especially in an effort to control the more breakouts you’re seeing (and it doesn’t feel like it’s working!)
- Your face appears redder than normal
- Your skin stings when you apply products you usually use that don’t normally sting
How to repair a damaged skin barrier
Here are some tips on how to repair a damaged skin barrier:
- Stop using actives for at least 1-2 weeks. You cannot heal your skin barrier and still use exfoliants, acids and retinoids etc at the same time – it’s just not going to work!
- Cut your routine down to a few simple products without actives. Cleanse, moisturise, barrier serum and SPF is all I use when my skin is feeling sensitised
- Make sure you’re only cleansing with warm water, not hot! Hot water can damage your skin barrier too
- Only reintroduce actives when your skin feels back to normal
- Prevent future flareups by skipping your actives on days where your skin feels a bit off – don’t let it get super bad before you allow it to recover!
How to use barrier repair serum
This applies to both barrier repair serums and toners, when applied in the morning:
- Apply first thing in the morning, either after cleansing (or not if you don’t cleanse)
- You can apply it to damp skin for a boosted effect, but it will still benefit your skin if it’s not damp
- While it’s still damp, apply your moisturiser, no need to wait for it to dry
- If apply moisturiser (optional) and then SPF afterwards, make sure to allow the skin to dry down before applying SPF so that you have complete protection
How to use barrier repair serum in your night time skincare routine:
- Apply your barrier repair serum after your active (such as a retinoid) or immediately after cleansing if you are not using actives
- If you’re using a barrier repair cream, you’ll want to apply it as the last step, after serums.
- People often ask if they should use the serum before actives like retinoids – ultimately there is no definitive answer, I just prefer my retinoid to have clear contact with my skin so it can work optimally.
This post showed you the best skin barrier repair products for a damaged skin barrier. You might also like:
- The best oil cleansers for acne prone skin
- The best moisturisers for clog prone skin
- Best azelaic acid products for acne prone skin
Hi. Love your content both here and on Tiktok!
I was just wondering how to layer skin barrier repair serum with hyaluronic acid and vitamin c in the morning and/or with retinol in the evening?
Thank you 🙂 Good question! It’s quite easy. You can apply it before or after in the AM, and after retinol in the evening. Key thing to remember is that, assuming its a serum and not a thicker cream, you can pretty much apply it whenever because it doesn’t matter *too* much xx
Hi, love the blog, but why is the purito centella unscented serum not on the list?
🙂
Hey, good Q! So I used my linktree to create the post and, because the purito is in a different section of my linktree (my ‘my routine’ section), I forgot to add it. I will add it now, thank you for spotting. My plan is to add all the pages and then go back and extend the lists xx
hi i was wondering if you use any vitamin c ? or ahas/bhas. i have textured skin with quite a few dark spots and my skin is dull. or do you believe tretionin or retinol would fix that?
Hey. Currently I don’t use vitamin C but that doesn’t mean others all shouldn’t. I also don’t use AHA/BHA regularly. Retinol should improve all of the concerns you mentioned, yes x
The day after I use retinol (cerave) some of my products sting a little, do I need to quit using it until nothing stings? Just got the ordinary barrier serum
Maybe just slow down a little instead of stopping entirely. Give yourself a few days off of the retinol, then resume and use it every other day, for example. Also make sure you’re using a barrier serum to protect your barrier! x
Hi, I love these recommendations! I never thought of using a skin barrier serum until I saw your TikTok video! My skin barrier isn’t damaged, but I’ve been breaking out a little more than usual. I want to try either the COSRX Centella, Beauty of Joseon Glow Serum, or the Aveeno serum. I was just wondering if I can use any of these with vitamin C in the morning and how to layer them. Thank you!