Short answer: Drinking enough fluid supports your whole body, and your skin is part of that. A small body of research suggests that drinking more water may increase hydration in the skin’s outer layer, particularly in people who usually drink relatively little. How hydrated the surface of your skin looks also depends on your skincare and your environment: how you cleanse, how you moisturize and the air you spend your day in. The two work together. Adequate fluid intake supports you from within, and a suitable skincare routine looks after the surface.
Fluid intake and skincare are partners, each doing a different job.
How water reaches your skin
Water reaches your skin from the inside, as it reaches every other tissue, and your body relies on a steady supply to keep working well. At the same time, the outer layer of your skin loses water to the air all day long. How quickly depends on the condition of that layer, the air around you and your daily habits. What Is the Skin Barrier? explains the layer that slows that loss.
What the research shows
A 2018 systematic review looked for studies on fluid intake and skin in healthy adults and found six that met its criteria. Across those studies, drinking additional water was linked with a slight increase in hydration of the skin’s outer layer, particularly in people who had been drinking relatively little before, and some studies also recorded less visible dryness and roughness. The reviewers described the evidence as limited in quantity and quality and called for more research, and what they found is consistent with drinking enough as part of looking after your skin.
Drinking well beyond what your body needs will not resolve every cause of dryness or smooth away wrinkles, because dryness often has outside causes too. That is where skincare and your environment come in.
How much should you drink?
There is no skin-specific number. How much fluid you need depends on your age, your body, your activity level, the climate and your health, and you need more in hot weather, during exercise or when you are unwell. Food, especially fruit and vegetables with a high water content, adds to your intake too. Some medical conditions call for limiting fluids, and if your doctor has given you advice about how much to drink, follow it. If you have questions about your own intake, ask your doctor.
Looking after the surface
The air. Dry air draws water from exposed skin, and heated or air-conditioned rooms, dry climates, wind and long flights all add to it. Skincare in a Dry Climate covers skin that lives in dry air all year. In particularly dry indoor environments, a humidifier may help increase the moisture in the air.
Cleansing. Lukewarm water, shorter showers and gentle cleansing with a soft professional facial sponge or clean fingertips take less from the surface than hot water and scrubbing.
Your routine. A sensible order is cleanse, an appropriate toner or mist, serum, then moisturizer, each according to the product’s directions, plus daytime sun protection. Apply moisturizer after cleansing or bathing and any appropriate preceding steps. A moisturizer usually combines ingredients that attract water, smooth the surface and slow evaporation. Hyaluronic Acid Is Not a Moisturizer explains why one hydrating ingredient is not the whole story.
Exfoliation. Exfoliating more often or more aggressively than your skin needs can disrupt the skin barrier and contribute to dryness, irritation and increased water loss.
Dehydrated is not the same as dry
Dehydrated skin is short of water at the surface, often temporarily, and any skin type can have it. Dry skin tends to make relatively little oil. The two often overlap. For either, adequate fluid intake belongs alongside suitable skincare, attention to the skin barrier and your environment. Dehydrated Skin vs Dry Skin covers how to tell them apart.
When dryness is more than a hydration question
Dryness that persists despite a sensible routine, or that comes with itching, cracking, soreness or a rash, is worth showing to a dermatologist or another appropriate healthcare professional. So is any change in your skin you cannot account for.
Victoria’s approach
Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2003. She also owns and operates Younger You Clinique and is an experienced skincare educator. She draws on her professional experience at Younger You Clinique when evaluating skincare products and their performance. Victoria’s philosophy has always extended beyond what goes into a jar. “Mindful Living, Ageless Skin” reflects her belief that maintaining healthy-looking skin over a lifetime involves both appropriate skincare and thoughtful lifestyle habits. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, appropriate hydration, balanced nutrition and sensible sun protection all form part of that broader approach. None replaces a well-designed skincare regimen, and skincare doesn’t replace healthy living.
For the skincare side, examples from Esenté’s range include the Hyaluronic Hydration Crème, Hydro Mist and the Matrix Repair Crème, each with its own role. Hydro Mist is an antioxidant hydrating mist that can be used after cleansing before other skincare products and makeup, after makeup to help set it, and throughout the day as desired. The Hyaluronic Hydration Crème is a moisturizer applied to clean skin. Hydro Mist and the Matrix Repair Crème help support skin hydration, and the Matrix Repair Crème’s directions suggest nighttime use, with morning use also possible. Both crèmes come in jars, so take out what you need with a clean spatula and apply it with clean fingertips. These are examples among other suitable Esenté formulations, chosen for your skin, preferences and budget, and none of them replaces adequate fluid intake. Esenté works with boutique manufacturers to develop and select formulations that meet the brand’s ingredient, performance and quality criteria. If your skin still feels dry, the Ask Victoria page is open.
Frequently asked questions
Drinking enough supports your whole body, skin included, and a small body of research suggests extra water may increase hydration in the skin’s outer layer, especially in people who usually drink little. Your skincare and environment also shape how hydrated the surface looks, so the two work together.
It can be part of the picture, particularly if you usually drink little, but it will not resolve every cause of dryness. Gentle cleansing, lukewarm water and a suitable moisturizer, applied after cleansing according to its directions, look after the surface.
There is no skin-specific amount. Your fluid needs depend on your age, body, activity, climate and health, and some medical conditions call for limiting fluids. If you have questions about your own intake, ask your doctor.
That has not been established. Fine lines can look less obvious when the surface of the skin is well hydrated, which depends largely on your skincare routine and environment. Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen and consistent skincare are a steady foundation for how skin looks over time.
No. Topical products look after the surface of your skin, and adequate fluid intake supports your whole body. Each does a different job, and neither replaces the other.
About the author. Victoria Nash, founder of Esenté Skincare, has been a licensed aesthetician since 2003. She also owns and operates Younger You Clinique and is an experienced skincare educator.
Reviewed by Victoria Nash, licensed aesthetician, founder of Esenté Skincare and owner of Younger You Clinique. This article is educational and is not medical advice. Ask your dermatologist or licensed skincare professional about products appropriate for your own skin and medical history.
