New - Wood & Lime the first body care for hydration and skin renewal

You know that feeling? You apply body cream, your skin looks smooth — and an hour later it’s dry, tight, rough again. It’s as if the cream only lasted a moment on the surface, but didn’t get to where your skin really needs it. It’s not a coincidence. And it’s not your fault. It’s a question of how the cream works — or rather, where exactly its effect ends.

 

Our founder Petra explains in a video why our body cream is unique in its composition. Watch it on our YT channel here.

Why Dry Skin Isn’t Just a Surface Problem

Dry and dehydrated skin isn’t primarily about not having enough cream. It’s a sign that the skin barrier isn’t working properly.

Healthy skin is made up of layers — and the topmost layer, the stratum corneum, works like a brick and mortar wall. Corneocytes are the bricks, intercellular lipids are the mortar. This mortar is made up of approximately 50% ceramides, 25% cholesterol, and 15% fatty acids. When this balance is disrupted — due to age, air conditioning, hot showers, winter air, atopy, or simply everyday life — the mortar crumbles. The barrier is weakened. Water escapes from the skin (technically: increased TEWL, transepidermal water loss) and irritants penetrate from the outside.

A cream that just “paints” the skin from the outside won’t solve this mechanism. It applies a film to the surface, temporarily beautifies — and then the effect wears off, because nothing fundamental has changed.

Lasting hydration only comes when a cream works on three levels at once: it restores the natural hydration capacity of cells, repairs the lipid barrier, and replenishes immediate hydration. That’s exactly how Lime & Wood is built.

Lime & Wood: a body cream that thinks deep

The Lime & Wood body cream was developed for dry, sensitive, and weakened skin that needs more than just superficial care. The velvety texture absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave a greasy film — but what’s going on beneath the surface is much more interesting.

Three levels of hydration — how Lime & Wood works

Level 1: Natural Moisturizing Factor — hydration directly in the cells

Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) is a group of substances that healthy skin produces itself to maintain optimal moisture from the inside. These include amino acids, minerals, lactates — and the key component is urea.

Lime & Wood contains 10% urea — urea is a humectant that actively attracts and binds water directly inside the stratum corneum. Unlike hyaluronic acid, which retains water on the surface, urea, due to its low molecular weight, penetrates deeper into the cells and binds water mechanically inside. But urea can do more. At a concentration of 10%, it also has a keratolytic effect — it gently releases keratinized, dead cells that keep the skin rough and prevent the absorption of other substances. The result is skin that is not only hydrated, but also smoother and more able to absorb the care from the cream in depth. In addition, with regular use, urea stimulates the synthesis of ceramides — the skin gradually learns to maintain hydration on its own, without dependence on the cream.

It is complemented by glycerin as a classic humectant and panthenol (provitamin B5), which soothes, reduces irritation and actively supports the healing and regeneration of skin cells.

Level 2: Ceramides, cholesterol and phytosphingosine — skin barrier repair

This is the heart of the entire cream and what sets it apart from the vast majority of body creams on the market.

Lime & Wood contains all three key classes of ceramides — ceramide NP, ceramide AP and ceramide EOP — in combination with cholesterol and phytosphingosine. This is not a random selection: it is an exact replica of the lipid composition of a healthy skin barrier.

Ceramide NP (formerly ceramide 3) forms the backbone of the lamellar lipid structure. It is one of the most abundant ceramides in human skin and is the first to enter the repair process of a damaged barrier. It physically fills the gaps in the lipid layer and immediately reduces water loss.

Ceramide AP (formerly ceramide 6-II) contributes to the gel phase of the barrier — a dense and resistant layer that protects against mechanical irritation, cold and dry air. It is key to the elasticity and resilience of the skin barrier.

Ceramide EOP (formerly ceramide 1) is structurally the most unique — with an extremely long fatty chain, it bridges adjacent lipid bilayers and acts as a molecular key that holds the entire lamellar structure in the desired arrangement. Without EOP, the other ceramides cannot organize themselves properly. It is the least abundant in the skin, but its role is essential — and its deficiency is strongly associated with atopic eczema and chronically dry skin.

Cholesterol then plays a role that is often overlooked in the popularization of ceramides. Without cholesterol, ceramides would form too rigid, fragile structures. Cholesterol regulates their fluidity — it keeps the barrier flexible even in cold or dry weather — and at the same time significantly accelerates the natural restoration of the barrier after damage. Ceramides without cholesterol simply do not function at full capacity.

Phytosphingosine is a natural sphingoid base — the building block from which the skin synthesizes ceramides itself. It is a ceramide precursor: once it enters the skin, enzymes combine it with a fatty acid to form a functional ceramide. Phytosphingosine therefore not only supplements ceramides from the outside, but actively stimulates their own production from the inside. In addition, it has proven antimicrobial activity (inhibits the overgrowth of Staphylococcus aureus, a key problematic microorganism in atopic skin) and an anti-inflammatory effect — it soothes reactive and irritated skin at the cellular level.

The result of the combination of ceramide NP + AP + EOP + cholesterol + phytosphingosine is a synergistic repair of the skin barrier from two sides at once: from the outside (ceramides physically fill the gaps) and from the inside (phytosphingosine starts its own synthesis of ceramides).

Level 3: Immediate hydration and nutrition of the surface

On the third level, Lime & Wood works classically, but with selected ingredients.

Hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate) acts as a hydration reservoir on the surface — it attracts moisture from the air, retains it in the skin and immediately smoothes it. While urea hydrates in depth, hyaluronic acid takes care of an immediate effect on the surface.

Squalane is one of the most compatible oils with human skin — it occurs naturally in it and decreases with age. In the cream, it forms a light occlusive film that prevents water evaporation without clogging pores or leaving a greasy feeling.

Apricot Oil (Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil) is rich in oleic and linolenic acid — it is exceptionally well absorbed, nourishes and softens. Thanks to its light texture, it does not create a feeling of heaviness.

Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii) adds deep nourishment and occlusive protection. Rich in vitamin E and fatty acids, which strengthen the lipid layer and help maintain softness even in extremely dry conditions.

Tocopherol (vitamin E) protects all these ingredients and the skin itself from oxidative damage — especially important in the summer months or when spending time outdoors.

Antioxidant bonus: Kakadu Plum and Willow Extract

Lime & Wood goes one step further and adds two less common, but highly effective ingredients.

Terminalia Ferdinandiana (Kakadu Plum) is an Australian superfruit with one of the highest natural vitamin C contents in the world — up to 100x more than an orange. Kakadu Plum Extract provides powerful antioxidant protection, helping to neutralize free radicals caused by UV rays or pollution, and naturally promotes skin brightening.

Salix Nigra Bark Extract is a source of natural salicylates — compounds related to salicylic acid, but in a gentle, natural form. It soothes irritated skin, promotes even cell renewal, and contributes to a smoother, more even complexion without the harsh effects of synthetic acids.

Who is Lime & Wood ideal for?

Lime & Wood is for anyone struggling with:

chronically dry or dehydrated skin on the body
tight, scratchy or itchy skin after a shower or in winter
corny areas (elbows, knees, heels)
atopy or eczema in the resting phase
skin weakened after sun, air conditioning or during pregnancy
any skin type that needs long-term — not just temporary — hydration