Effect of a skin moisturizer on the water distribution in human stratum corneum

The effect of a skin moisturizer on the water content distribution in human stratum corneum was examined from the rate of water loss from the skin surface. An increase of 9% in the water content was calculated from the water loss data. This increase was not evenly distributed across the tissue. Most of the increase occurred near the skin surface. In the first one-tenth of the stratum corneum the increase was estimated to be about 100%.