Last Updated on December 27, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti
Does drinking 8 glasses of water a day hydrates skin? Rumour has it, this healthy habit heals dry skin. You won’t have to deal with it ever again. But, if it were that easy to get rid of dry skin, why are people still suffering from it? Are they not drinking enough water? Not really… Here’s everything you need to know about the benefits of drinking water for your skin and how it all got out of hand and turned into this myth:
The Skincare Benefits Of Water
Skin needs water – no doubt about that. Water makes up about 60% of your body, and just like all your other organs, skin needs its fair share to function well. And, we need at least 2 liters a day, according to the experts. That’s a lot, right?
Here’s what your skin does with all that water. When your skin has all the water it needs, it’s natural softer, plumper and brighter. This is literally the secret behind Korean skincare. They plump up skin with moisture, so it looks younger, softer, and dewy. So yeah, water is no-negotiable.
In case you’re wondering, it’s true most skincare products contain water. BUT, your skin has a protective barrier made of lipids (another name for oils). And water and oil repel each other. Put simply, don’t reply on the water in your skincare products to hydrate your skin. It’s there mostly as a solvent.
Related: If Your Skin Is Perfectly Hydrated, Do You Need To Worry About Anti-Aging?
What Actually Happens When You Drink Water
Let’s follow that glass of water through your body and see where it actually goes. When you drink water, your body has priorities. And sorry to break it to you, but your skin isn’t at the top of the list. Water gets distributed to your vital organs first – your brain, heart, kidneys, liver. These guys need water to keep you alive, so they get first dibs.
Your skin? It’s at the end of the line. By the time water reaches the outer layer of your skin (the part you can actually see), it’s already been distributed everywhere else your body needs it. This is why chugging a litre of water doesn’t instantly plump up your face or make your dry patches disappear.
Even when water does reach your skin, it goes to the deeper layers first. The dermis (the inner layer) gets hydrated before the epidermis (the outer layer). And the stratum corneum, i,e. that outermost layer that actually shows dryness? It’s the last stop on the water train. And that’s why you need so much water.
Can Drinking 8 Glasses Of Water Cure Dry Skin?
Dry skin desperately needs hydration. Water hydrates, so the more you drink, the more hydrated your skin is, right? Wrong. The REAL reason dry skin is dry is because it can’t retain moisture well. You see, your skin has a natural protective barrier that keeps moisture in. If this is damaged (and when you have dry skin, it IS damaged) moisture evaporates.
It doesn’t matter how many glasses of water you drink everyday, adding water to your skin without fixing its protective barrier first is useless. The moisture you put in will simply go out again. Think of it like this: if you have a bucket with holes in it, pouring more water in doesn’t solve the problem. You need to fix the holes first. Same with your skin: you need to repair that barrier before hydration can actually stick around.
I have written a post on the best skincare routine for dry skin. It tells you which products to use, in what order and when to get your skin in top, hydrated shape again. By all means, drink your water (it’s good for your health too), but also get a proper skincare routine that fixes the problem, know what I mean?
Related: The Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin
Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness and makes your skin supple and dewy? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):
How To Get Your Hydrating Water Fix
So water won’t magically cure dry skin. But, when you drink enough, it helps to keep it hydrated – and the rest of you alive (which matters too). What do you do if you don’t want to drink 8 glasses of water a day?
Here’s what no one tells you: food contains water too, so you can get part of your needed daily intake from it. Cool, huh? When you eat plenty of veggies and fruits every day, you’re replenishing your skin with water from the inside out.
Of course, if you want to drink your 8 glasses of water every day, go ahead and do it. Water is my fave drink (boring, I know!), and I always keep a bottle on my desk and one in my bag. I drink at least 1.5 liters every day, BUT I drink it when I’m thirsty, not to improve the condition of my skin.
FYI, I’m not saying eat a few strawberries so you can enjoy margaritas instead of water at dinner. And don’t get me started on sodas (they age your skin so fast!). I’m saying, everything in moderation: when you eat (and drink!) healthy most of the time, you can enjoy the occasional treat without hurting your skin and your health.
One more thing: there’s such as thing as drinking too much water. After your body has got all the fix it needs, the rest gets expelled when you pee. So expect more frequent bathroom trips. Just saying…
SHOP BEST PRODUCTS FOR DRY SKIN
The Bottom Line
Drinking 8 glasses of water a day may be good for your health, but it won’t cure dry skin. If that’s what you’re after, you’re better off using occlusive moisturisers to repair your skin’s damaged protective barrier.
Hahaa more beauty gimmicks, thanks to the media and all. Of course drinking sufficient amount of water is important, but if water is all I need, I wouldn’t spend too many time trying out moisturizers nor applying it 2x daily.
So, does those ‘designer’ water like evian or Perrier any different?
.-= HaNNa´s last blog ..Shu Uemura on Zizi’s wedding =-.
The recommended 2 liters of water per day does not constitute only the amount of water we drink. You are right. The food we eat esp fruits and vegetables also contributes to the recommended 2 liters.
While drinking that much water does not have a direct effect on preventing dry skin, it does help by flushing out wastes and toxins from our body which when accumulated over long term in our body, would be a contributing factor to poor skin condition such as dullness, yellowish skin tone.
.-= Vonvon´s last blog ..My New Skin Concern – Emerging Spots! =-.
Hanna, exactly! If water was all that was needed to hydrate skin, no one would use moisturizers and no one would have dry skin anymore! Designers water aren’t much better either. They contain more magnesium or calcium, which the body needs, than other brands of water, but for the skin they won’t do much. And calcium and magnesium can be found in food too so I don’t really feel the need to spend more money to buy these expensive waters either.
Vonvon, you are right. Water helps the kidneys to work properly and flush out toxins from the body, which would have a negative effect on the skin. I’m not sure that drinking too much water would help that though. Of course, you’d be running to the bathroom all the time, but since that is one of the many functions water has in our body, I always though the recommended amount of water we need (2 liters ingested with both food and drinks) was enough to help the kidneys do their job.
I totally agree with this. When I’m sitting in front of my PC all day, I keep a bottle with water near me all the time and by the end of the day it’s all empty. 🙂
.-= Tavia´s last blog ..MAC Cosmetics Spring – Summer 2010 Makeup Trends =-.
Tavia, I do that too. When you keep a bottl near you all day, it’s easy to finish it up. 🙂
I think it helps with skincare and other things but it cant just moisturize. It does not moisturize your skin. Thats why lotions and creams and stuff are here.
Prettykitty, I think water definitely helps keep skin in good condition,but to a certain extent. It’s not a substitute for moisturizers especially if your skin is very dry.
Well it moisturizes a bit maybe???
Prettykitty, I know it helps but I’m not sure it moisturizes. I know that in beauty products it is usually used as a solvent for other ingredients rather than to moisturize skin.