Moisturizers
Moisturizers rely on three mechanisms to improve skin hydration:
1. Occlusion (50–60% of the effect)
This is the heavy lifter. Occlusive agents like petroleum jelly (Vaseline), mineral oil, or silicones form a physical barrier over your skin. They block water loss. If you’ve got cracked, dry skin, this is what saves it. Nothing hydrates parched skin faster than stopping it from drying out in the first place.
2. Humectancy (30–40%)
Humectants, like glycerin, urea, or hyaluronic acid, attract water into the outer layers of skin, either from the deeper skin or the environment. But there’s a catch; unless you trap that water in, it just evaporates. That’s why humectants work best in combination with occlusive agents.
3. Emolliency (10–20%)
Emollients make the skin feel smooth. That’s it. They fill in the rough edges between cells and improve texture, but they don’t move water in or out.
Sorbolene delivers water and glycerin to the stratum corneum (humectant function), then uses paraffin or mineral oil to trap that water (occlusive function). Emollient texture comes from the fatty alcohols and oil base.
Performance profile (approximate contribution):
Occlusion: 40–50%
Humectancy: 30–40%
Emolliency: 10–20%
offshore westerly 