Human-Type Ceramides (Ceramide NG, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP)

Origin

This formula contains a nano-encapsulated precursor complex composed of three human-type ceramides — Ceramide NG (N-stearoyl dihydrosphingosine), Ceramide NP (N-stearoyl phytosphingosine), and Ceramide AP (hydroxystearoyl phytosphingosine) — combined with hydrogenated soybean phospholipids and plant-derived sterols.

Ceramides are neutral lipid molecules formed by the amide linkage of a sphingoid base and a long-chain fatty acid.

They are classified into 20 types according to the combination of five sphingoid bases and four fatty acids. Each ceramide type is named following the convention: “Ceramide + Fatty Acid + Base”.

In cosmetic formulations, only ceramides that are structurally identical to those found naturally in human skin are officially registered under the INCI naming format “Ceramide + letter.”

These are known as optically active human-type ceramides, or simply human-type ceramides.

Ceramide NG, NP, and AP are chemically identical to Ceramide NDS, NP, and AP, which exist in the human stratum corneum.

Skincare Benefits

The skin’s stratum corneum is structured like “bricks and mortar”, consisting of corneocytes (bricks) containing Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMFs), and intercellular lipids (mortar) that fill the spaces between them.

Among these lipids, approximately 50% are ceramides.

Together with amphiphilic lipid species, ceramides form a lamellar liquid-crystalline structure, whose hydrophilic regions retain and regulate moisture.

Within the intercellular lipid profile, the major ceramide components are:

Ceramide NP (29.4%), NH (23.4%), NDS (11.3%), AH (9.1%), EOS (7.7%), and AP (6.4%).

Ceramides are essential for maintaining the skin’s barrier function.

When the skin becomes dry due to environmental or internal factors—such as atopic dermatitis—its water retention capacity and barrier integrity decrease.

As moisture evaporates through the disrupted lipid layers, the corneocytes lose alignment, creating gaps that lead to further moisture loss — a vicious cycle of dehydration and barrier impairment.

Replenishing ceramides within the stratum corneum and restoring the lamellar structure is therefore one of the most effective ways to repair and strengthen the skin barrier.

However, applying ceramides alone has been shown to delay barrier recovery.

True efficacy depends on combining ceramides with cholesterol and fatty acids in the correct ratio and delivery system to optimize skin affinity and penetration (to the stratum corneum).

For this reason, ROSA FAYRE employs nanoencapsulated human-type ceramides designed for enhanced bioavailability and barrier integration.

Studies using Ceramide NG and AP in cell and human trials have shown that combining multiple human-type ceramides improves penetration into the stratum corneum, stabilizes the lamellar structure, and enhances barrier restoration.

Furthermore, the observed improvement in barrier function persisted even after discontinuation of use, suggesting that the ceramides were incorporated into the stratum corneum and actively contributed to reconstructing the lamellar matrix, rather than simply remaining on the skin surface.

Ceramide NG and NP are listed in the Japanese Standards for Quasi-drug Ingredients (2021).

Ceramide NG, NP, and AP have 27 years of established safety, showing minimal irritation or allergenicity for skin and eyes.

Commitment to Ethical Standards

The human-type ceramides used by ROSA FAYRE are produced from naturally derived, sustainable sources: