Characteristics
- INCI
- Ceramide NP
- Ru.
- Ceramide 3
- CAS
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72968-43-5
This is the substance number in the Chemical Abstracts Service registry. The CAS number uniquely identifies a substance regardless of language, trade name, or synonyms.
- IUPAC
- Ceramide Np,1,3,4-Octadecanetriol, 2-Octadecanamide,Stearoyl-C18-Phytosphingosine,Stearoyl-4-Hydroxysphinganine
- Functions
- hair conditioning, skin conditioning
Who it's for
Description
If your skin barrier were a brick wall, ceramide NP would be one of the most important bits of mortar holding the whole thing together. Ceramides are naturally found in the outermost layer of your skin, where they help fill the spaces between skin cells and keep everything neat, compact, and resilient. In fact, ceramides make up roughly 50% of the lipids in that barrier layer, which is a pretty big job for such a tiny family of molecules. When your barrier is happy, your skin is better at holding onto water and less likely to throw a tantrum in the form of dryness, tightness, or sensitivity.
Ceramide NP is one of the best-known members of the ceramide crew, and you’ll often see it in moisturizers, barrier-repair creams, and products aimed at dry or compromised skin. It’s not doing anything flashy or dramatic; it’s more of a quiet overachiever. By helping restore the lipid structure in the stratum corneum, it supports water retention and improves the feel of rough, flaky skin. That’s why ceramide-containing formulas are so popular for eczema-prone skin and for anyone who has gone a bit overboard with cleansing, acids, retinoids, or winter heating systems that seem personally offended by your face.
There’s decent evidence behind the idea that replenishing skin lipids can help. In one small study, a cream containing ceramides used twice daily for 2 weeks improved barrier function and reduced transepidermal water loss in people with dry skin. Other studies on ceramide-rich moisturizers have shown better hydration and less irritation compared with basic emollients alone, especially when the formula also includes cholesterol and fatty acids in skin-like ratios. Ceramide NP tends to work best as part of that kind of team effort, because your skin barrier is not a solo act. It plays especially nicely with other ceramides, cholesterol, and humectants like glycerin, so the end result is usually softer, calmer, less grumpy-looking skin.
As a final bonus, ceramide NP is generally considered well-tolerated and is unlikely to be a troublemaker. If your skin is dry, sensitive, or just feeling a bit depleted, this is one of those ingredient names that sounds technical but really translates to: “let’s help your skin act like a proper barrier again.”
More detail
One of the many types of ceramides that can be found naturally in the upper layer of the skin. Ceramides make up about 50% of the goopy stuff that's between our skin cells and play a super important role in having a healthy skin barrier and keeping the skin hydrated. It works even better when combined with its pal, Ceramide 1.
We wrote way more about ceramides at ceramide 1, so click here to know more.
Evidence & Research on Ceramide NP
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1
Huang, Huey‐Chun, and Tsong‐Min Chang. "Ceramide 1 and ceramide 3 act synergistically on skin hydration and the transepidermal water loss of sodium lauryl sulfate‐irritated skin." International journal of dermatology 47.8 (2008): 812-819.Find in PubMed
Products with Ceramide NP (11 869 total)
Most often found in CeraVe products (160 items)
