Do Skin Lotions Work Better if You Pat Instead of Rub?

Calla Lily asks…I’ve always wondered if there is legitimacy to Clarins’ claim that by patting their product into your skin, it works better and you skin absorbs it better than rubbing it in. Is this really true? If so, what about all other skincare products out there? Should we be patting instead of rubbing?

The Right Brain responds:

We’re not familiar with this particular Clarins product but the notion that lotion will be absorbed better if you pat it on instead of rubbing it on makes no sense. While patting your face may increase blood flow, blood circulation doesn’t play a role in the absorption process because ingredients penetrate the upper layers of skin by diffusing through the channels between skin cells and not by absorption through blood vessels.

A dermatologist discusses skin penetration

Rather than rely on our knowledge of chemistry to answer this one we decided to consult Dr. Cynthia Bailey M.D., a dermatologist who runs her own blog. Here’s what Dr. Bailey had to say in response to the question:

Hmm, I had to ponder just what might have led Clarins to this idea, and I’m stumped. You see, the outer dead cell layer of the skin (called the stratum corneum) is THE single, main protective barrier for our skin. Once something gets through the stratum corneum it has a free ride into the rest of the skin, but getting through the stratum corneum is no easy feat – and the act of rubbing or patting is inconsequential.

To put it in perspective, if it wasn’t for the strength of this huge (like biggest organ in the body sort of huge) barrier all our important body stuff would be leaching out from our skin all day long, and every substance we came into contact would enter. The integrity of this barrier is a big deal for our health, and it takes more than patting or rubbing to impact it. To breach the stratum corneum you need to assault it with tactics like a facial acid peel that dissolves it entirely, laser vaporization where it goes up in smoke, repetitive stripping with tape until you’ve pulled it all off (anyone who has had hair removal waxing knows what I mean), or severe irritation that disrupts the components of the stratum corneum rendering it defective (think dish pan hands).

When we apply skin care products, by either rubbing or patting, our skin care products sloooowly penetrate our stratum corneum by gradually seeping in (a process called diffusion). Again, whether we pat or rub, they aren’t going to get through any faster than the stratum corneum will let them.

If you’d like to learn more from Dr. Bailey you can find her at Drbaileyskincare.com.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Patting on lotion instead of rubbing will not make the product penetrate your skin any differently. If Clarins has any data to the contrary, we’d be glad to review it in a future post.

Reference: Hwa C, Bauer EA, Cohen DE, Skin Biology, Dermatologic Therapy, Vol. 24, 2011, 464-70