Relying solely on warm gloves to relieve hand chapping in winter has limited effect, as the air humidity in cold environments (such as -15°C) is often lower than 20% (the World Health Organization recommends a minimum of 40%). This leads to a water loss rate of the stratum corneum of the skin reaching 300 g/m²/h (only 100 g/m²/h in summer), while ordinary wool gloves, although providing warmth of 1.2-1.8 clo (thermal resistance unit), cannot prevent more than 85% of water evaporation. (Source:) (British Journal of Dermatology 2023 Study) A survey of outdoor workers in Northern Europe shows that the group wearing warm gloves for 8 hours a day still has a 67% rate of hand chapping, and the median depth of the crack is 0.5mm (only 18% better than those without protection).
Physical barrier defects are the core issue: The moisture permeability of commercially available glove materials (such as polyester fiber) is generally 500-800 g/m²/24h, while the moisture permeability of medical-grade cashmere (such as Merino Wool 18.5μm) can be optimized to 300 g/m²/24h. Combined with the Hyrax waterproof membrane, the surface moisture absorption is reduced by 52% (tested by ISO 11092). The 2022 Canadian Clinical Report on frostbite indicates that the epidermal temperature of skiers’ hands after wearing basic warm gloves is only maintained at 28°C (≥33°C to prevent chapping). Professional gloves with a “sandwich structure” (outer layer of windproof nylon, middle layer of aerogel, inner layer of silver ion antibacterial velvet) can raise the epidermal temperature to 32.5°C and reduce the probability pressure of chapping by 41% (sample size n=1,200).
Active repair ingredients are indispensable: Experiments have proved that when the inner lining of gloves was coated with 10% urea +5% panthenol (with a drug loading rate of 2 mg/cm² per unit area) and used continuously for 7 days / 4 hours each day, the repair speed of hand cracks in the subjects increased by 230% (clinical trial of “Contact Dermatitis”). Compared with the group treated with warm gloves alone (with a chapping improvement rate of 22%), the smart thermostatic gloves with ceramide microcapsules added (sustained-release efficiency of 0.2 mg/h) increased the cure rate to 68%. Because this component inhibits the percutaneous water loss rate (TEWL) to 8.3 g/m²/h (the normal threshold is <15 g/m²/h).
The combined care strategy is more effective: According to the guidelines of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), for those with severe chapping (keratin layer damage > 2mm), apply 0.05% potent Vaseline (dosage 1.5g each time) before wearing gloves. Its occluded property can reduce water loss by 75%. The tracking data from the University of Munich in 2023 shows that after 28 days of using this regimen in combination with medical-grade warm gloves (with an outer humidity control of 45±5% RH), the area of fissure in the subjects decreased by 93% (31% in the control group). Moreover, the recurrence period was prolonged to 15 months (with an average of 6 months), fully verifying the synergistic value of “external water retention + internal temperature increase + drug penetration”.