CHOLESTEROL

Cholesterol belongs to the fats and, together with free fatty acids and sphingolipids such as ceramides, is a main component of the lipid fraction of the stratum corneum. Healthy skin synthesizes cholesterol itself in the epidermis.  

After a disruption of the skin barrier, the early phase of repair is characterized by an increase in fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis, followed by epidermal sphingolipid synthesis. This highlights the importance of these epidermal lipids for the integrity and function of the skin barrier. (1) 

(1) Coderch, L.,López, O., de la Maza, A., & Parra, J. L. (2003). Ceramides and skin function. American journal of clinical dermatology, 4(2), 107–129. https://doi.org/10.2165/00128071-200304020-00004