How To Use Papyrus Care According to Your Skin Type?

What is Papyrus? It is a herbaceous monocotyledonous plant native to Egypt.  Since 2 500 BC, the papyrus constituted the support of the writing of the civilization of Ancient Egypt. Being the royal symbol of Lower Egypt, this plant was also the goddess Hathor’s symbol of power (Hathor being regarded as mother goddess in ancient Egyptian religion).

In skincare, papyrus is used in the form of leaf cell extract. This is obtained through an environmentally friendly biotechnological process that aims to reproduce and multiply cells from plant cell stems in a controlled environment.

The skin contains 60% to 80% water depending on age, the majority of which is found in the dermis: the proteoglycans that make it up fix large quantities of water molecules. The horny layer, the most superficial layer of the skin, contains 13% to 15% water. The skin is said to be dehydrated when this percentage falls below 10%. The stratum corneum becomes rough, brittle and loses its integrity.

Dehydrated skin is due to a failure in the hydrolipidic barrier which is no longer able to retain water. Skin dehydration is often linked to environmental factors (cold, wind, pollution, sun, etc…), stress, fatigue, lifestyle (smoking, insufficient hydration, alcohol consumption, use of cosmetic products that are too aggressive/stripping) and the taking of certain medications (anti-cholesterol, anti-acne, etc…).

All skin types require hydration. However, it is even more urgent to act on dehydrated skin. A papyrus care limits insensible water loss, which is the natural evaporation of water through the skin. On the other hand, papyrus leaf cells promote the creation of lipids (free fatty acids, cholesterol, ceramides, etc…) of the epidermis’ stratum corneum. These lipids are the very ones that help maintain cohesion between the corneocytes, the cells of the stratum corneum that act as the skin barrier. Thanks to this improved hydrolipidic balance, the epidermis limits its dryness and provides better protection against external aggressions.