Well hydrated and moisturized skin is healthy skin
Moisturizing the Skin
Moisturizing the skin may be the most mis-understood. Many popular moisturizers offered by major cosmetic companies are mixtures of oils, water, and surface active chemicals that increase skin damage similar to skin irritants.
Dry skin is caused by two problems: (1) Damage to the skin's protective barrier which produces excessive water loss through the skin, and (2) a reduction in the concentrations of the skin's water-holding sugars and proteins the the proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs).