Dry skin can be an issue for anyone, but it doesn’t show up the same way on all skin tones. For darker skin, dryness often causes ashiness, dullness, uneven tone, or a rough, tight feeling that doesn’t improve with basic lotion. Over time, untreated dryness can also lead to inflammation and dark spots that linger long after the skin feels better.
“Dry skin occurs as a result of water loss from the stratum corneum layer, which is the superficial layer of the skin,” says Regine Mathieu, MD, a dermatologist and member of the Skin of Color Society. “When the skin barrier is compromised, this leads to increased water loss as well as the decrease in the skin’s ability to retain moisture.”
Learn what to look for in dry skin repair products to protect your skin barrier while avoiding irritation that can trigger pigment changes.
Dryness in Darker Skin Tones
Darker skin has certain structural differences in its outermost layer that make it thicker and more compact than lighter skin, says Mathieu.
“This results in improved barrier function, however ceramide and lipid composition is decreased, which is needed for moisture retention,” she says.
Ceramides are a type of lipid that can typically make up around 50% of your skin’s barrier. Lipids are fatty, waxy, oily compounds that keep moisture in and irritants out. But people with darker skin tones specifically have less than the typical amount of ceramides. That means darker skin is more likely to have moisture loss.
When lighter skin loses moisture, it usually flakes. But darker skin is more likely to:
- Turn ashy or cause a gray cast on the skin
- Become dull or uneven in texture
- Feel tight or itchy without obvious flakes
When choosing products for treating or preventing dry skin, you want to home in on ingredients that will protect your skin tone and support long-term skin health.
Product categories that tend to work best for this include:
- Creams
- Ointments
- Balms
Next, scan the ingredients. Here’s what can help.
Humectants
Humectants attract water and pull it into the skin’s upper layers. For darker skin tones, humectants are essential for improving dullness and restoring a healthier-looking surface.
Examples of humectants include:
- Glycerin. This ingredient helps improve skin softness and comfort and is well tolerated by sensitive, pigment-prone skin.
- Hyaluronic acid. It boosts hydration and temporarily plumps dry skin, helping reduce the tight, rough feeling that often comes with ashiness.
Where you’ll find them:
- Hydrating serums
- Cream cleansers
- Moisturizing face or body creams
Because humectants draw in water but don’t seal it in, they work best when you layer them under thicker products that can trap moisture. This category of products is called occlusives.
Occlusives
Occlusives are especially important for people with darker skin tones dealing with persistent ashiness or severely dry skin. They work by making another barrier on top of your natural barrier to trap moisture inside your skin. They typically come in formulas that are heavy, greasy, or sticky.
“Occlusives are especially effective for severe dry skin or barrier disruption,” says Mathieu.
Options include:
- Petrolatum. Petrolatum (petroleum jelly) forms a protective seal that prevents water from escaping the skin. While thicker in texture, it is one of the most effective tools for repairing dry skin. It can work especially well on feet, hands, elbows, and lower legs.
- Lanolin. This is a natural wax from sheep's wool you can find in creams, lip balms, and nipple ointments.
- Liquid paraffin. Nail salons often use paraffin wax treatments as part of a manicure. Liquid paraffin is often an ingredient in products aimed at hands like balms.
Because of its texture and sticky nature, it’s best to use paraffin as:
- Overnight treatment
- Spot treatment for cracked or dull areas
- Layering over creams to lock in moisture
You can put occlusives on especially dry areas and cover them with gloves, socks, or other clothing to avoid a mess.
Emollients
Emollients help repair your skin barrier by filling in microscopic gaps that happen as your skin gets dry and lipid-depleted with age. Emollient is a broad term that includes both humectants and occlusives, but other lipid-heavy moisturizing ingredients fall in this category, too.
“Emollients such as ceramides, shea butter, and squalane support barrier repair and moisture retention,” says Mathieu.
These ingredients are particularly valuable for darker skin tones, where ceramide levels are naturally lower.
- Ceramides replenish essential barrier lipids and improve the skin’s ability to retain moisture.
- Shea butter provides rich nourishment, reduces redness and swelling, and helps smooth rough, ashy areas without excessive irritation. Go for raw shea butter over refined versions, which lose some of their essential nutrients during processing.
- Squalane mimics the skin’s natural oils and is lightweight enough for both face and body use. Squalenes (with an “e”) are naturally occurring oils in your body. But in order to make them stable as an ingredient in moisturizers, labs hydrogenate them, which makes them squalane with an “a.” They have anti-inflammatory properties and help seal in moisture.
Find these emollients in:
- Ceramide-rich face creams
- Body creams for legs, arms, and the torso
- Barrier-repair hand creams
General Dry Skin Relief Guidelines
Overall, you want to avoid options with harsh chemicals or strong ingredients and apply anything you select wisely.
“The foundation of treating and preventing dry skin is barrier repair and moisture retention,” Mathieu says. “I recommend using gentle, fragrance-free cleansers that don’t strip the skin, followed immediately by a moisturizer while the skin is still slightly damp.”
She also advises choosing richer product textures such as creams or ointments over lotions. Lotions tend to be higher in water and lower in lipids, which makes them less effective for mature skin and darker skin tones that need lasting moisture retention.
One of the most important considerations for people with darker skin tones is minimizing inflammation.
“A common concern in skin of color is post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation,” says Mathieu. “If a topical product causes stinging, burning, or discomfort, it should be avoided, as these sensations can signal inflammation.”
Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation is a long-lasting discoloration on your skin where you had dryness that caused irritation. It’s most common on your legs, arms, and face.
Fragrance is a frequent inflammation culprit. While it may improve scent, it increases the risk of irritation, which can worsen dryness and trigger discoloration.
If your skin dryness persists, even after you’ve tried some of these suggestions, you may want to see a dermatologist. They can rule out any skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
