Dry Skin (Xerosis)

Dry skin is deceptively simple — it’s just skin that doesn’t hold enough water. But the causes run deep: reduced oil production with age, barrier damage from harsh products, low humidity stripping moisture faster than it’s replaced, or genetics that make the outer skin layer thinner than average. The result is rough, flaky, tight skin that can crack and itch.

Most moisturisers work on one mechanism — a humectant to attract water, or an emollient to soften, or an occlusive to seal moisture in. Peat does all three at once, using different compounds for each job.

Why peat may help

Three moisturising mechanisms in one material. Peat’s moisturising effect isn’t just one thing. Polysaccharides in peat act as humectants — they attract and bind water molecules to the skin surface, much like hyaluronic acid does in conventional serums. Waxes and lipids provide emollient softening, filling the gaps between dry skin cells. And the peat matrix itself creates a temporary occlusive layer that slows down moisture evaporation — the principle behind petroleum jelly, but with bioactive compounds included.

pH that doesn’t make things worse. Many soaps and cleansers are alkaline (pH 9–10), which strips the skin’s acid mantle and accelerates moisture loss. Peat’s natural acidity (pH 3.5–5.5) is compatible with healthy skin pH, meaning it cleans without disrupting the barrier that keeps water in.

Calming irritated dry skin. When skin gets dry enough, it gets inflamed — red, itchy, reactive. The anti-inflammatory compounds in peat (humic acids, fulvic acids) address this secondary inflammation, helping break the dryness-irritation cycle.

What the evidence says

For face masks specifically, this is now the best-supported cosmetic claim on the site. A double-blind RCT with 60 volunteers tested a 10% peat face and leg mask against a clay-mask control over 8 weeks: the peat group showed roughly 24% greater skin hydration (p<0.01) and 22% higher surface lipids (p<0.05) (Morganti 2001). That’s a controlled, statistically significant result — not just an observational one.

Beyond that trial, the rest of the evidence is practical rather than clinical. A study by Bovcon (2012) measured skin moisture before and after peat treatment: hygroscopy values nearly doubled, rising from approximately 27 to 55 units. A 10-day face mask trial reported that skin became softer and smoother after the treatment course. Reviews of peloid use in cosmetology (Mourelle 2024, Blonska-Sikora 2024) consistently list hydration improvement as a primary benefit.

Outside of face masks, the evidence for peat’s other moisturising formats (cream, soap, bath additives, foot soaks) remains mechanism-based and observational rather than trial-based. For dry skin specifically — where the bar for “works” is simply “skin feels and measures more hydrated” — that level of evidence is still more meaningful than it would be for a medical condition.