Effects of Environmental Humidity on Epidermal Physiology
December 2025
in “
SKINdeep
”
Studysummary This paper reviews existing studies on the role of environmental humidity in skin health, highlighting that low humidity can impair the skin's barrier function and trigger inflammatory responses, though the precise mechanisms remain to be fully explored. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
The document discusses how low environmental humidity negatively impacts epidermal physiology by impairing skin barrier function, increasing inflammation, and altering sensory systems. Research involving animal models, human subjects, and epidermal equivalents shows that dry conditions reduce the water-holding capacity and free amino acid content in the stratum corneum, while increasing epidermal DNA synthesis and protein deimination. These changes can worsen inflammatory skin conditions and affect the skin-brain axis, emphasizing the importance of maintaining optimal humidity for skin health.
