An impaired barrier is where the two components that make up the skin's first line of defence, sweat, and oil are either not being produced in amounts capable of protecting the skin from external triggers or excessive moisture loss for example naturally dry skin, or other contributing factors such as inflammation created from internal conditions such as dermatitis, eczema, etc. External factors that strip the skin of its natural oils can be ingredients commonly found in many skincare and makeup brands and in more extreme cases can even create mild burns on the surface of the skin. 

The term impaired barrier refers to the skin not being able to perform its natural function to create a line of defence through an ideal state of homeostasis on the surface of the skin. Sometimes we may intentionally impair the barrier of the skin with ingredients and or by performing skin treatments to ablate the epidermis eg chemical peels, laser resurfacing, and some forms of skin needling to name a few. In these instances, we use ingredients and products such as Recovery Balm, Facial Oil and even our Moisturiser 2 depending on the level of impairment to moisturise, heal, and protect the skin whilst it is recovering and until the barrier is repaired.