Explaining the Science in Plain Language

This is Bob Root, Keys Scientist.

Let’s take a moment to unpack what we mean by skin barrier and why it matters so much as we age.

Think of your skin barrier as a brick wall. The bricks are your skin cells, and the mortar is a complex mixture of lipids—fats like ceramides, cholesterol, and natural oils. In younger skin, that wall is tight. Water stays in, and irritants, pollutants, and microbes stay out. But as we move into our seventies, that wall often develops gaps. The skin gets drier, the pH shifts, and the barrier repairs more slowly.

When that happens, the skin is forced into a constant repair mode. It responds by releasing inflammatory signals. A little inflammation is normal and healthy, but a slow, steady drip of it—day after day, year after year—can add to what scientists now call inflammaging, the background inflammation that is linked to many age-related problems.

In my work at Keys, I focus on formulating products that help that wall rebuild itself. Our Keys® moisturizers are designed to hydrate, soften, and support the lipid matrix instead of stripping it. We avoid unnecessary additives that can irritate fragile skin, and we lean into botanicals and oils that integrate with the skin’s own barrier structure.

For adults over 70, this becomes more than a comfort issue. When you use a Keys® barrier-supporting moisturizer consistently, you are helping your skin lower its alarm level. The goal is calmer skin, fewer micro-cracks, and less constant triggering of the body’s inflammatory response.

So when you hear about skin barrier science and whole-body aging, know that this is not abstract theory. It is exactly the problem set that guided Keys formulations from day one: help the skin barrier work the way it wants to, so your body does not have to fight so hard.