Body Care Vs. Skin Care: What's the Difference?

It's incredibly easy to confuse body care and skin care because at the end of the day, it's all skin, right? Technically this is indeed correct, however, the skin on your face differs wildly from the skin on your body, so the care that these two sections  (and more if you consider the thick skin on your hands and feet!) need is different, and this blog post is going to dive into the "why". As a body care company, it's truly a question I get all the time! Let's start with the difference in the type of skin on your face vs your body.

The Skin Difference

In order to explain the difference in our skin, we're gonna go back to school and re-learn what our skin is even made up of! Let's get nerdy, shall we?

The skin has three main layers: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. The outermost layer, the epidermis, is a protective shield that provides a barrier against environmental threats and keeps moisture in. Beneath it is the dermis, which contains connective tissue, blood vessels, nerves, and structures like hair follicles and sweat glands that help with sensation, temperature regulation, and healing. Below the dermis lies the hypodermis, also known as the subcutaneous layer, which is primarily composed of fat and connective tissue. This layer insulates the body, protects underlying muscles and bones, and helps anchor the skin to deeper structures.

Within the epidermis, the stratum corneum is the outermost layer, made up of dead skin cells (corneocytes) that form a barrier against pathogens and water loss. Beneath this, squamous cells are found in the middle layer, contributing to structural integrity, and just below them are the basal cells, where new skin cells are constantly produced to replace the shedding ones. Further down, in the hypodermis, adipose tissue (fat cells) serves as insulation and cushioning. Each layer and cell type has a specific role, working together to protect the body, regulate temperature, and enable sensation.

So now that we understand that a little better, when I say that it's not just the full epidermis that is thinner on the face but rather specifically it's the stratum corneum that's thinner, we can see exactly what that means. For simplicity, we'll focus solely on the full epidermis :)

Caring for the Face

Because your facial epidermis is thinner, this is why we see signs of aging sooner, dryness appears easier due to wind exposure, and sun exposure has a more profound effect. When it's winter in most of the country, even in warmer areas, we tend to cover either our arms, legs, or both in very cold climates much more. Our face, however, takes the brunt of that winter air and most air and sun exposure all year long. So, not only is that skin more sensitive because of it's thin nature, we also beat on it quite a bit. This is why our facial skin tends to need a bit more love.

Hyaluronic acid, retinols, niacinamide, ceramides and more are often found in highly technical skin care. These ingredients draw and keep moisture in your skin, help with cell turnover, plump areas with fine winkles, and generally help reduce the effects of external stress on your skin. Some of these ingredients can also be found in body care, however, because your body's skin tends to be thicker and you also need quite a bit more product to spread around the larger surface area of your body, those ingredients tend to drive up the cost of body care with little to no measurable effects.

Caring for the Body

Because our body's epidermis is thicker, it definitely does not mean our body skin doesn't need it's own version of love! Because the cell turnover rate for our body skin is slightly slower, our body skin tends to be much drier than the face. To help with this cell turnover, using a body scrub bar exfoliates the skin and exposes the softer, more nourished skin underneath.

If you live in a cold climate, your skin is probably dry ALL OVER because the wind zaps the moisture out of that face skin and the thicker clothing + dry takes the water right out of your body skin. This is called Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL). We still get wrinkles and have other skin issues with the body, however, TEWL is the main body care concern.

The best way to prevent TEWL is to use products that contain FDA approved barrier ingredients like beeswax, cocoa butter, or silicones. I formulated our multipurpose balms with locally sourced organic beeswax for this very reason! These balms are wonderful for the areas of your body's epidermis that need special attention because of dryness or cracking like your hands, feet, cuticles, shoulders, or more where your epidermis tends to be the thickest.

The beeswax in combination with myristyl myristate which is a type of coconut wax, prevents TEWL by creating a very thin barrier on your skin. A little goes a long way, and when using the perfect amount it won't feel greasy or tacky the way silicones can feel. You can thank the sorbitan olivate (olive wax), avocado oil, and jojoba oil for that. The combination of these ingredients gives the balm a super silky feel on the skin while our three fragrance options leave a light scent on the skin that pairs well with your favorite body oil or perfume :)

For general body care, our botanical body oils are the best option because they focus on the full body epidermis and provide a light layer of nourishment. By now, you may be wondering, "why do you keep recommending oil for the skin instead of water based lotions?" Ready for the nerdy answer? Sebum is the reason why our skin isn't completely bone dry all the time, and it's naturally produced by the body. Sebum is a mixture of fats, waxes, and other lipids, and it plays a key role in moisturizing and protecting the skin and hair. It comes from your sebaceous glands, which are small, oil-producing glands located in the dermis layer of the skin. These glands are typically attached to hair follicles, and they release sebum through the hair follicle ducts to the skin's surface. Some people have a high level of sebum being produced (oily skin) while others don't have enough (dry skin). By using our cleansing products (bar soaps, hand and body washes), you skin gets clean without being over-stripped, and by following up with a body oil, you can continue to maintain a healthy balance of sebum. ❤️

So that's the long and long of why our skin is so different in different areas of the body, and how to care for it! Want some skin care recommendations? Lemme know in the comments :)