- Lapland Cosmetics
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The Nordic climate places constant stress on the skin. Cold temperatures, wind, dry indoor air, frequent cleansing, and seasonal changes all challenge the skin’s natural protective barrier. When this barrier is compromised, moisture escapes more easily and the skin becomes prone to irritation, tightness, and discomfort. To better understand how reindeer tallow supports the skin under these conditions, Lapland Cosmetics commissioned an independent clinical study to evaluate its effect on skin-barrier function.
Why barrier protection matters in everyday life
A resilient skin barrier is essential for how the skin feels and functions day to day. When the barrier is weakened, moisture escapes more easily and the skin becomes more sensitive to external stressors such as cold weather, dry indoor air, wind, and frequent cleansing.
A disturbed skin barrier is also widely associated with increased skin sensitivity and vulnerability. When the barrier is compromised, external irritants, allergens, and microorganisms can penetrate the skin more easily, which is known to play a role in the development and worsening of various skin conditions, such as eczema and psoriasis.
When the barrier is well protected:
The skin feels comfortable rather than tight
Everyday redness and sensitivity occur less often
The skin adapts better to changing weather and environmental conditions
Moisture levels remain more stable throughout the day
This is why barrier-focused skincare often results in calmer, more balanced skin over time, especially in demanding climates such as Nordic winters.
What the clinical study examined
The study examined the protective effect of reindeer tallow on the skin barrier under irritation. Barrier integrity was measured using transepidermal water loss (TEWL), a well-established scientific marker for evaluating how effectively the skin barrier prevents moisture loss. Higher TEWL values indicate that the skin barrier is weakened and moisture escapes more easily.
In this study, human skin was exposed to a standardized irritation model. One skin area was treated with reindeer tallow, while a comparable untreated area served as a control. TEWL measurements were taken before irritation and again after irritation to evaluate how well the skin barrier was protected. The irritation was caused by a 24-hour SLS patch, a standardized test patch containing sodium lauryl sulfate, a cleansing cosmetic ingredient known to disrupt the skin barrier.
Laboratory results
What this graph shows
This graph compares moisture loss from skin treated with reindeer tallow and untreated skin before and after irritation.
Before irritation (D0), both skin areas show nearly the same moisture loss, which means the skin barrier was equally healthy in both areas at the start.
After irritation (D1 + 15 minutes), the difference becomes clear. The untreated skin loses approximately twice as much moisture as the skin treated with reindeer tallow. This indicates that the skin barrier in the untreated area was significantly more disrupted, allowing moisture to escape much more easily.
In contrast, skin treated with reindeer tallow retains moisture far more effectively, showing that its protective barrier remains largely intact even when the skin is stressed.
Why reindeer tallow works so effectively
Reindeer tallow’s protective effect is closely linked to its fatty-acid composition. It contains a balanced combination of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, including palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids, which are known to play important roles in skin barrier structure and function.
Rather than acting only as a surface occlusive, this balanced lipid profile supports the skin barrier by reinforcing the hydro-lipid barrier, as concluded by the laboratory, and reducing moisture loss under stress. This functional compatibility allows reindeer tallow to contribute to barrier resilience, rather than merely forming a temporary surface film.
This distinguishes reindeer tallow from many cosmetic oils that rely primarily on surface occlusion, offering a more structurally supportive approach to skin barrier protection.
WHAT THE CLINICAL RESULTS MEAN FOR YOUR SKIN
While clinical measurements provide objective data, their meaning becomes clear in everyday use.
Skin treated with reindeer tallow tolerates environmental and weather-related stress better. Irritation, redness, and post-cleansing tightness ease more quickly, and the skin feels supple and comfortable even in dry, cold conditions.
“Conducting a clinical study on human skin was a major investment for a small artisan brand like us. But it is rewarding to see that what we have already observed in practice was clearly reflected in the measurements as well” says Katarina Lehti, founder and owner of Lapland Cosmetics.
About The Study
The clinical study was commissioned by Lapland Cosmetics and conducted by an independent research laboratory specializing in skin studies. The testing was performed on healthy human volunteers under controlled laboratory conditions, using instrument-based TEWL measurements (Tewameter® TM 300).
Further Reading & Research Sources:
- In addition to existing scientific literature, Lapland Cosmetics has commissioned independent laboratory studies to better understand the skin-related properties of reindeer tallow. These include a clinical study on skin-barrier protection under irritation, as well as laboratory analysis of its fatty acid composition. Technical documentation is available for professional review only upon request.
- What is transepidermal water loss? https://www.isdin.com/us/blog/all/what-is-transepidermal-water-loss/
- Transepidermal water loss (TEWL): Environment and pollution-A systematic review https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9168018/
- Skin Barrier Function in Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis: Transepidermal Water Loss and Temperature as Useful Tools to Assess Disease Severity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33477944/
- Evaluation of skin susceptibility to irritancy by routine patch testing with sodium lauryl sulfate https://www.jle.com/en/revues/ejd/e-docs/evaluation_of_skin_susceptibility_to_irritancy_by_routine_patch_testing_with_sodium_lauryl_sulfate