Skin often turns drier and thinner in the years around menopause, because estrogen falls and skin holds less water. A balm can relieve the dryness. It can't touch the hormones behind it. If your face feels tight and papery by afternoon, this post is for you.
Here's who leads. Hormone therapy is a decision you'd make with a gynecologist or a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP), and dryness that won't settle goes to a dermatologist. We make the balm I'm about to recommend.
For the face and the everyday, I'd reach for Bare Silk ($34) in the Unscented original, with five ingredients and no essential oils or fragrance. Prices are as of October 5, 2026. For the look of fine lines, I'd point you to Velvet Face Renewal ($89).
What changes in your skin as estrogen falls?
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) dates menopause from one year after your last period. Its page on menopause skin says skin loses some of its ability to hold water, and that it's most noticeable when the air is dry. Skin also thins as estrogen falls. Thin skin bruises more easily, the page adds, and wounds take longer to mend.
Then there's collagen. The AAD says skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause, then about 2% every year for the next 20 years. The page also names breakouts and age spots. Around 50, it says, skin's pH changes, and skin can turn more sensitive and easily irritated.
Perimenopause comes first. The Menopause Society calls it the time before natural menopause, when the ovaries make hormones erratically and estrogen levels swing. The figures above describe skin after menopause. I haven't found comparable numbers for the earlier years, so I won't stretch these back into perimenopause.
| What the AAD lists | What the AAD suggests |
|---|---|
| Skin that holds less water | A mild cleanser instead of soap, then moisturizer after bathing |
| Thinner skin that bruises easily | Broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day |
| Collagen loss and the look of wrinkles | Sun protection, plus retinol or peptides |
| Skin that's more easily irritated | A fragrance-free moisturizer |
What does estrogen do for skin?
It's one of the hormones that keep skin supplied with oil and water. A 2019 review in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology, by Rzepecki and colleagues, says estrogen helps skin hold moisture by promoting sebum, the oil your glands make. Estrogen therapy also raises hyaluronic acid in the dermis, the review adds, which keeps skin hydrated.
When estrogen falls, dryness is one of the first symptoms. Firmness and elasticity go next, the review says, as sebum, collagen, dermal thickness and elastin fibers all decline. Its numbers don't stray from the AAD's. Thickness drops about 1.1% a year.
Thornton's 2013 review in Dermato-Endocrinology places the shift around age 50, when the ovaries stop making estrogen. Skin turns thinner and drier, it says. None of that sits within a jar's reach, though the water leaving the top layers does, and that's the next question.
What does a lipid layer do for dry skin?
It slows water loss from your skin's outer layer, and that's most of what dry skin needs from a jar. Dry skin has a number. A 2016 review in the Indian Journal of Dermatology by Sethi and colleagues puts it at an outer-layer water content below 10%. Tight or itchy skin is on its symptom list. Occlusives physically block water loss, the review says, and emollients, mostly lipids and oils, leave skin softer and more flexible.
Timing matters as much as the jar. Sethi's review says occlusive oils go on moist skin after you dab yourself dry, and the AAD says to moisturize while skin's still damp. I use a pea for my whole face. I warm it between two fingertips until it turns clear, then press it onto intact skin.
Bare Silk has no hyaluronic acid or glycerin. Both are humectants, and the AAD's menopause page calls a moisturizer with either one especially helpful. A no-water balm does the sealing half instead. If you like a hyaluronic serum, put it on damp skin first and press the balm over it. Sethi's review explains the order: a humectant pulls water into the outer layer, where it's easily lost, so humectants are mostly paired with an occlusive.
Where does a balm fit, and where does a clinician take over?
A balm does one surface job here. It slows water loss from the top layers and relieves the feel of dry, tight skin while it's on. Collagen and oil glands sit deeper than any balm reaches. Estrogen's out of reach too, and nothing in a jar stands in for a hormone, ours included.
Hormone therapy is the lever for estrogen. The Menopause Society's patient page says it replaces the estrogen and progestogens lost during the menopause transition, for symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness. It's a prescription. You and your healthcare professional weigh your own benefits and risks against your medical history, the page says.
Rzepecki and colleagues add a caution. Systemic hormone therapy can reverse signs like skin dryness, they write, but its risks rule out its use for skin disorders. For the skin itself, see a dermatologist. The AAD says to go if your skin still feels dry, and to ask before any exfoliation or microdermabrasion. A home attempt on thinner skin may cause more harm than good. It's cosmetic care, not a treatment. Your provider's plan comes first.
What else does the AAD say helps dry skin in these years?
Sunscreen comes first. The AAD's menopause page asks for a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher every day, even in winter, on your face, hands, neck and anywhere clothing won't cover. It can keep skin from thinning further, the page says. Tallow doesn't screen UV, so sunscreen goes over the balm each morning, and our post on tallow and zinc sunscreen covers the order.
Then there's soap. The AAD suggests a mild cleanser instead of soap, since soap can be too drying for mature skin. Its dry-skin page keeps showers to five to ten minutes in warm water. Ointments and creams beat lotions, it adds. A balm with no water sits at the ointment end of the shelf, so it belongs right after the shower.
Below the neck, I'd switch jars. Honey Glow ($42) is the body jar I'd pick for dry arms and legs, with oil-soluble manuka honey extract and cold-pressed oat oil. Last, there's dry indoor air. If you use a portable humidifier, the AAD says to run it in your bedroom while you sleep.
Where does the look of fine lines fit?
Collagen loss deepens lines in these years, and no balm puts collagen back. Surface water still counts. Sethi's review says hydration smooths skin by flattening the valleys between its ridges, so fine lines look softer while a balm's on. Our post on whether beef tallow helps with wrinkles goes further.
For more than moisture, the AAD suggests considering a skin care product that contains retinol or peptides. Velvet's lead active is bakuchiol instead. It's a true 1% bakuchiol, twice the 0.5% in the published head-to-head trial against retinol, with 1.5% oil-soluble vitamin C (tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate). It goes on morning and night. Sunscreen goes over the morning layer, and our posts on where bakuchiol fits and on bakuchiol vs retinol cover the choice and the trial.
For the face and the everyday, Bare Silk Unscented is the jar I'd hand a friend. It's five ingredients with no essential oils or fragrance, and one of the five, jojoba oil, is on the AAD's list for dry skin. If the look of fine lines bothers you most, Velvet is the second jar to add.
The jar for this job is Bare Silk ($34). Subscribe to two jars and a third rides free, and every subscription takes 25% off the first delivery.
Questions we hear
Why does skin get drier in menopause?
Estrogen falls, and skin loses some of its ability to hold water, the American Academy of Dermatology says. Sebum, the skin's own oil, drops too. A 2019 review by Rzepecki and colleagues calls dryness one of the first symptoms of low estrogen. A balm relieves the dry, tight feel. It works on the surface, though, and it can't change estrogen or put back collagen.
Does perimenopause change your skin too?
Estrogen swings during perimenopause, The Menopause Society says, as the ovaries make hormones erratically before menopause. The skin figures I found come from after menopause. If your skin feels drier in these years, a balm relieves the dryness either way, and a dermatologist can check anything that doesn't settle.
Does a tallow balm do anything for hormones?
No. A balm works on the surface, where it slows water loss and softens dry skin while it's on. It doesn't reach estrogen. Hormone therapy is a prescription decision, and The Menopause Society says you and your healthcare professional weigh your own benefits and risks.
How much collagen does skin lose after menopause?
The American Academy of Dermatology says skin loses about 30% of its collagen during the first five years of menopause, then about 2% every year for the next 20 years. No balm puts collagen back. A layer of balm softens the look of fine lines while it's on, and the AAD's first advice for wrinkles is protecting skin from the sun.
What else helps dry skin in menopause?
The American Academy of Dermatology suggests a mild cleanser instead of soap and short baths or showers in warm water. Moisturize while skin's still damp. A humidifier in the bedroom helps overnight, and broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher goes on every morning. If it's still dry, see a dermatologist.
Go deeper
The skin terrain reading path is where this series starts. Skin barrier 101 explains the lipids that hold the outer layer together, and our beef tallow for skin guide covers what tallow does on any face. For dry hands and rough heels, tallow for hands and heels has the method I'd use. Postpartum skin covers the other big hormonal turn, and skin through the cycle the monthly one. Magnesium tallow balm covers what the studies found and why we do not pour one.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology (2025). Caring for your skin in menopause, last updated November 24, 2025. aad.org.
- Rzepecki AK, Murase JE, Juran R, Fabi SG and McLellan BN (2019). Estrogen-deficient skin: the role of topical therapy. International Journal of Women's Dermatology 5(2):85 to 90.
- Thornton MJ (2013). Estrogens and aging skin. Dermato-Endocrinology 5(2):264 to 270.
- Sethi A, Kaur T, Malhotra SK and Gambhir ML (2016). Moisturizers: the slippery road. Indian Journal of Dermatology 61(3):279 to 287, via PubMed Central.
- American Academy of Dermatology (2026). Dermatologists' top tips for relieving dry skin, last updated January 2, 2026. aad.org.
- The Menopause Society (2026). Menopause topics: hormone therapy. Patient education page, modified July 29, 2026.
- The Menopause Society (2025). Perimenopause. Patient education page, modified June 5, 2025.
- The Menopause Society (n.d.). Credential glossary. Patient education page that defines the MSCP credential, read October 5, 2026.
Aspen is the co-founder of Craft Tallow and runs the wear tests: every recipe goes on her skin and the family's for weeks before it gets a label. Questions? Reply to any email from us; it lands with one of us.