A simple daily habit that might reduce inflammation and protect cognitive health.
This week’s Better You, Backed by Science explores a surprising way to slow cognitive decline as we age.
The secret sauce here isn’t really a sauce at all.
It’s moisturiser.
Research suggests that daily moisturising may help slow cognitive decline as we age. When I first came across the research, I was genuinely surprised. But the biology behind it actually makes quite a lot of sense.
A big player in ageing is inflammation. So much so, in fact, that scientists even have a name for it: “inflammaging.”
This refers to the chronic, low-level inflammation that gradually increases throughout the body as we get older.
I’m not talking about the short-term inflammation that helps us heal after an injury. That’s helpful. What scientists are concerned about is the slow, persistent inflammation that builds over years and decades, often linked with diet, lifestyle, stress, and immune system changes.
This kind of inflammation is associated with many aspects of ageing — including cognitive decline.
So where does the skin come into this?
A two-way street
We’ve long known that inflammation in the body contributes to ageing of the skin.
But growing evidence suggests it’s actually a two-way street.
Inflammation in the body can accelerate skin ageing — but ageing skin can also contribute to inflammation in the body.
And potentially in the brain.
As skin ages, the protective barrier becomes weaker and drier. This can lead to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines — inflammatory signalling molecules that circulate through the body.
Since the skin is our largest organ, these signals may contribute to overall systemic inflammation.
Some researchers have even suggested that inflammation originating in ageing skin may contribute to brain inflammation and cognitive decline.
Which led scientists to ask an interesting question:
Could protecting the skin — with something as simple as daily moisturising — help reduce inflammation throughout the body?
The moisturiser study
In 2022, researchers in China studied 200 adults over the age of 65.
Half of the participants were asked to apply moisturising cream twice a day to their forearms and lower legs during the colder months, between November and May. They continued this routine for three years.
The researchers then tracked changes in skin hydration and cognitive function.
Over the three-year period, those who did not apply moisturiser experienced increasing water loss through their skin and showed levels of cognitive decline typical for that age group.
But in those who applied moisturiser regularly, the picture was different.
Their skin hydration improved significantly, and they showed little to no measurable cognitive decline over the study period.
The researchers concluded that improving skin barrier function through moisturising may reduce systemic inflammation — which could help protect brain health.
It’s a striking example of how something as simple as caring for the skin may influence the health of the entire body.
Try this
• If you already moisturise daily, great — keep it up. You might even add a little intention to it. As you moisturise, remember that you’re helping protect your skin barrier and potentially reducing inflammation throughout the body.
• If you don’t moisturise, perhaps this is a good time to start. In the study, participants applied moisturiser only to their forearms and shins — yet the effects were still significant.
Even moisturising the most exposed areas, such as the face, hands, arms, or legs, may help support the skin’s protective barrier.
Sometimes the smallest daily habits can have surprisingly wide-reaching effects.
Want to explore more?
I always make a YouTube video based on these Better You, Backed by Science blogs. If you’d like to watch this week’s video where I explore the research in more detail, you can view it here.
References
Moisturising and cognitive impairment study
Review on skin inflammation and systemic ageing
More
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