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The market is saturated with products that proclaim to give their consumers healthy skin. However, not all of these products live up to their promises. Scientists are examining how different products, such as skin creams, cleaning products, affect the skin.

Using a type of solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), scientists from Lund University, are examining, on a molecular level, how different products affect the skin. According to the research, by studying how skin molecules are affected by molecules from different products, a strong impact on the development and improvement of said products either to protect or enhance skin properties can be seen.

The stratum corneum is the outer layer of the skin molecules that is in a fluid state. Effects made on the stratum corneum can also impact the overall state of the skin. Furthermore, the stratum corneum also helps determine many of the skin's essential properties like its protective barrier function, flexibility, and softness.

By testing ten different kinds of products on the skin, the scientists found that when outside molecules, in this case, are the products tested, interacts with skin molecules, the stratum corneum showed reduced mobility.

However, some of the components of the stratum corneum induced fluidity. These changes on the skin molecules are dependent on the concentration of the products and the hydration conditions of the stratum corneum. Changes in the stratum corneum extend to overall changes of the skin.

In an article from Science Daily, Emma Sparr, co-author of the study, said, "Through an increased understanding of molecular mechanisms we are able to more efficiently influence and regulate skin properties."

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has the goal to understand the molecular effects of products such as skin care products, medical ointments, cleaning and sanitary products, and cosmetic products on the skin. And in turn help in the development and improvement of said products to enhance or protect skin properties.