SKIN COMPOSITION 101: WHAT ARE YOU REALLY MADE OF?
You didn’t take advanced Biology but we are here to help dispel the complication and decode the mystery!
Your skin is a brilliant, biointelligent organ made to protect, repair, and renew—no 12-step routine required. Understanding its natural composition helps you make better choices about what you put on it (and what you don’t need). Let’s get under the surface.
MEET THE THREE LAYERS
EPIDERMIS: Your outermost layer where the top is referred to as the stratum corneum. The SC is often overlooked but is mostly proteins (70%) and lipids (15%), with a water content of about 15%. Think uppermost layer to shield + shed. It renews itself about every 30-45 days and houses your acid mantle—that thin, slightly acidic film that locks in moisture and fends off pollutants, bacteria, and grime. This layer prefers being around 5.5PH and holds in about 15–20% of your skin’s water, and its job is to keep the baddies out while keeping the moisture in. When irritated and disrupted? Say hello to flaking, sensitivities, and redness. The innermost layer is called the basal layer and is the regenerative layer of cells that proliferates and creates new keratinocytes.
DERMIS: Your strength layer. It’s where collagen, elastin, and blood vessels live—aka your bounce, firmness, and glow. This layer contains the majority of your skin’s water (70–80%), thanks to naturally occurring humectants like hyaluronic acid (one of the better-known moisturizing factors). It’s the deep reservoir that keeps skin plump and resilient and is best when organized and dense.
HYPODERMIS: Also called the subcutaneous layer. This fatty cushion insulates and anchors your skin to your body. While mostly made of fat and connective tissue, it stores some water too, helping regulate temperature and support overall hydration balance.
YOUR SKIN’S COMPOSITION: BUILT FOR BRILLIANCE
Here’s what your skin is actually made of—and why our formulas are designed to support, not fight it.
WATER: Although your skin is made up of about 64% water it needs to make it for it to retain. Don’t be fooled by temporary humectants and the addition to water on the epidermis—just because skin contains water doesn’t mean your skincare is replenishing your reservoir. In fact, many conventional formulas evaporate off the skin or have mechanisms to draw your water out leaving the skin worse off. The fact that many formulas dilute their actives and require system stabilizers and rely on harsh preservatives to keep it shelf-safe, also tends to cause issues instead of fixing them. At DEW MIGHTY, we stay waterless and biocompatible with protein building amino acids and essential fatty acids so your skin’s moisture can stay where it belongs—in your skin.
LIPIDS: Your skin’s glue. These are fats like ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids that form the barrier keeping the good stuff in and bad stuff out. DEW MIGHTY formulas are rich in barrier-mimicking plant actives, ceramides, squalene and amino acids, giving your skin the fatty support it needs to stay resilient. Spoiler it's also why we think
PROTEINS: Collagen, elastin, and keratin = it’s like the skin scaffolding. These proteins are responsible for strength, elasticity, and structure. They break down over time naturally (hi, aging), but can be protected by antioxidants, nutrients, and smart support. There are also ways to boost their function. That’s where our potent, refillable skin fuel comes in.
CELLS: You’re regenerating all the time. Your epidermis sheds, your dermis repairs, your skin constantly reboots. When you work with your skin’s cycles (not against them), you get glow, clarity, and comfort. Our concentrated, junk-free formulas help your skin do what it does best while optimizing the cycle.
We don’t rely on hot buzz words or adding in fairy dusted actives. We boost the skin’s own natural moisturizing systems, rebalance the proteins and fatty acids, all while supporting the barrier and its protective functions. Heck we even have NOVA as a retinol replacement to help restore optimal cell turnover. It truly is a unique thought process to products to get long lasting healthy skin instead of temporary results.
WHY SKIN BIOLOGY MATTERS
Skin isn’t complicated—your routine shouldn’t be either. If a product doesn’t respect your natural biology, it’s just noise. We believe in science-backed simplicity: high-performing formulas that sync with your skin, not sabotage it.
That’s why all DEW MIGHTY products are:
- WATERLESS & CONCENTRATED→ for absorption, potency, stability, top tier ingredients and environmental health.
- PLASTIC-FREE + REFILLABLE → because then you don’t have packaging to toss or taint your ingredients.
- BARRIER-FIRST → no stripping, no disruption, just skin harmony and health
IT ALL SOUNDS THE SAME
Unfortunately, there is always a way to “game the system.” We even wrote a whole BLOG on decoding it. The rules created for nomenclature of ingredients along with creation of the ingredient deck of a formula adds another level to the greenwashing game. It’s tough and all companies end up sounding the same. It’s the main reason why skin skeptics exist and why we love flaunting our 20 years of beauty experience.
You’re made of moisture, strength, lipids, and constant renewal. So is our skincare.
Our mission is simple: give your skin tools to thrive, not trends to survive. The more you understand what your skin is made of—and how it needs support—the easier it is to say no to fluff and yes to formulas that dew more with less.
Additional Good Reads:
Morgan B. Murphrey; Julia H. Miao; Patrick M. Zito. Histology, Stratum Corneum https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513299/
Rawlings, A. V., & Harding, C. R. (2004). Moisturization and skin barrier function. Dermatologic Therapy, 17(s1), 43–48.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1396-0296.2004.04s1005.x
Elias, P. M. (2005). Stratum corneum defensive functions: An integrated view. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 125(2), 183–200.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-202X.2005.23668.x
Shuster, S., Black, M. M., & McVitie, E. (1975). The influence of age and sex on skin thickness, skin collagen, and density. British Journal of Dermatology, 93(6), 639–643.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1975.tb05113.x
Papakonstantinou, E., Roth, M., & Karakiulakis, G. (2012). Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging. Dermato-Endocrinology, 4(3), 253–258.
https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.21923
