Tight cheeks after showering, a rough feeling on your shins, fine flakes that show through your make-up: dry skin is one of the most common complaints, and it rarely arrives alone. It usually comes with itching, a burning sensation or a dull, tired look. Dry skin becomes more common with age, especially after fifty, because the sebaceous glands produce less oil than they used to. Add cold weather, indoor heating and daily hot showers, and the skin's protective film gets thinner and thinner. The good news: with a few consistent habits and the right textures, you can make a visible difference within a couple of weeks.
Why skin dries out
Dry skin is essentially a loss of water vapour through a weakened barrier. That barrier is a mix of skin cells and lipids (oils). When the lipids are washed away, water evaporates faster than the skin can replace it. The most frequent culprits are long hot baths and showers, strongly degreasing soaps and cleansers, cold and windy weather, dry indoor air from central heating, and a naturally lower oil production with age. People with atopic (constitutional) eczema also tend to have drier skin all year round.
It helps to distinguish two things. Skin can be dehydrated (short of water) or dry (short of lipids), and often both at once. Dehydrated skin feels tight and looks lacklustre; lipid-poor skin feels rough and flakes. That difference decides your textures: water-binding ingredients for the first, richer, nourishing creams for the second.
How to recognise it
When the epidermis dries out, tiny cracks appear in the horny layer. The surface starts to look like old pottery or an aged painting with a fine craquelé pattern. In and around those cracks the skin turns red and scaly, sometimes accompanied by burning or itching. Skin that does not recover can develop into a form of eczema caused by dehydration, which typically flares in winter and mostly affects older people or those with very dry skin. Deeper fissures on hands, heels or fingertips are a sign that the barrier needs serious support.
If cracks keep reopening, the redness spreads or the itching keeps you awake, ask a skin therapist, pharmacist or GP for advice. Skincare can support and soothe the skin, but it does not replace medical treatment when inflammation is involved.
What actually helps (and what does not)
Start with cleansing, because that is where most damage happens. Swap foaming, degreasing products for a mild milk, a gentle gel or micellar water, and use lukewarm rather than hot water. Keep showers short and pat dry instead of rubbing. Apply your care while the skin is still slightly damp, so you seal in the water that is there.
Then think in layers: a water-binding serum first, a lipid-rich cream on top. Rich, ointment-like textures work best at night, when you do not mind a heavier finish; during the day a lighter but still nourishing cream is more comfortable under make-up. Around cracks, a urea-based ointment from the pharmacy can soften the edges so they close faster.
What does not help: aggressive scrubs, alcohol-heavy toners, very hot water, frequent strong exfoliating acids and skipping your cream because your skin "feels fine today". Consistency beats intensity. Also add humidity to your rooms in winter and drink enough water, though moisturising from the outside is what your barrier notices most.
A simple routine for dry, sensitive skin
Morning: cleanse mildly, apply a hydrating serum, follow with a nourishing day cream and add sun protection when you spend time outdoors. Evening: cleanse to remove make-up and pollution, then use a richer repair cream. Once or twice a week, a nourishing mask or an extra layer of cream as an overnight treatment gives the barrier a boost. Introduce one product at a time so you can see what your skin responds to.
Declaré has focused on sensitive skin since 1978 and adds its SRC™ complex (Sensitivity Reducing Complex) to every product. It lowers the skin's reactivity and strengthens the barrier, which is exactly what dry, easily irritated skin needs. All products are dermatologically tested on sensitive skin and made in Switzerland according to pharmaceutical guidelines.
Which Declaré products fit here
Declaré Nutrilipid
Nutrilipid comes from the Vital Balance line, created for tired, dry skin that lacks energy and lipids. It replenishes the oils the skin is missing and helps it hold on to water, so tightness and roughness ease off. Use it in the morning and/or evening on cleansed skin as your basic care; the texture is nourishing without feeling heavy, which makes it a good year-round choice for normal to dry skin.
Declaré Nutrilipid Extra Rich Repair Cream
This is the richer sister for very dry, flaky or craquelé-looking skin, and for cold months when the wind and heating take their toll. Its repairing texture supports the barrier so moisture loss slows down and the skin feels supple again. Ideal as a night cream, or as a day cream if your skin is extremely dry; you can also apply it as a thicker layer on rough areas and let it sink in.
View Declaré Nutrilipid Extra Rich Repair Cream 50ml
Declaré Skin Soothing Cream Extra Rich
When dryness comes with redness, a burning feeling or reactive patches, this lipid-rich soothing cream from the Stress Balance world is the calm choice. It comforts stressed, irritated skin while giving it the lipids it needs, and the generous 100ml size makes it practical for face and dry body areas alike. Apply a thin layer whenever your skin feels irritated, or use it as your evening care during a flare-up.
View Declaré Skin Soothing Cream Extra Rich 100ml
Frequently asked questions
Is dry skin the same as dehydrated skin?
No. Dry skin lacks lipids: it feels rough, flakes and can crack. Dehydrated skin lacks water: it feels tight and looks dull, and even oily skin can be dehydrated. Many people have both, which is why a hydrating serum under a lipid-rich cream usually works better than one product alone.
Can I use a rich cream during the day?
You can, especially if your skin is very dry or the weather is cold. Rich, ointment-like textures do feel heavier and sit less well under make-up, so many people prefer a lighter nourishing cream in the morning and save the richest cream for the night, when the skin has hours to absorb it.
How long before I see improvement?
Tightness and roughness often ease within days once you stop over-cleansing and apply care consistently. Visible flaking and craquelé patterns usually need two to four weeks, because the barrier needs a full renewal cycle. If cracks keep reopening or the itching persists, have a skin therapist or your GP look at it.
Dry skin is not something you fix once; it is something you manage with gentle habits and textures that match the season. Explore the full range on the Declaré brand page, find soothing care for reactive, red skin in Stress Balance, and browse comfortable everyday textures under Day Cream. Beautyfashionshop is an official Declaré stockist through the Dutch distributor, with more than 110 products shipped from our own warehouse in the Netherlands and free shipping from €50. Not sure which texture suits you? Ask us, or consult a skin therapist if your complaints persist.
