TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Occlusives A1 - Baumann, Leslie Y1 - 2015 N1 - T2 - Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients AB - Occlusive agents are usually oily substances that coat the stratum corneum (SC) rendering an emollient effect as well as the ability to decrease transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Two of the best occlusive ingredients currently available are petrolatum and mineral oil. Petrolatum, for example, has a water vapor loss resistance 170 times that of olive oil.1 However, petrolatum and mineral oil have a greasy feeling on the skin, leaving them cosmetically undesirable, and have further lost popularity because of the greater awareness of the environmental effects of processing these products. Other synthetic agents commonly used as occlusive ingredients include paraffin, squalene, dimethicone, and propylene glycol.2 Lanolin is an example of a natural occlusive ingredient. Organic occlusive ingredients have also become increasingly popular and include argan oil, beeswax, borage seed oil, safflower oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, and tamanu oil. Occlusive ingredients seem to be most effective when placed over damp skin and are only effective while present on the skin because once removed, TEWL returns to the normal level. Occlusives are usually combined with humectant ingredients. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1174541201 ER -