Forty-seven percent of adults say their skin is more sensitive than it was five years ago, according to CeraVe research unveiled October 2 at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Vienna.

The brand surveyed 6,000 adults across the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain on how they understand the skin barrier and respond to everyday environmental stress. The results show high concern, low action.

Ninety percent of respondents said they worry about at least one environmental factor affecting their skin. Eighty-one percent said protection beyond UV exposure matters to them. Yet only 22 percent reported using products designed to support the skin barrier.

What did respondents report about their skin?

Beyond sensitivity, the survey documented environment-linked changes in skin condition and behavior:

• 50 percent reported dryness they linked to their environment or changing weather.
• 10 percent said they take extra skin-care steps when pollution levels are high.
• 55 percent said skin care has to be simple or they won't follow it.

That last figure points to a practical constraint for the industry: complicated routines don't necessarily stick. Consumers say they abandon regimens they find too demanding.

Why do dermatologists see a gap in awareness?

"People may experience dryness, tightness or sensitivity without realizing these can be linked to the skin barrier," says board-certified dermatologist Andrew Park, MD. "While awareness matters, clear and trusted guidance is the most important factor."

In other words, consumers recognize symptoms but often miss the cause. That gap between symptom and explanation is where CeraVe positions its medical-relations strategy.

"The research shows that people are paying closer attention to their skin, but greater awareness also brings a greater need for clarity and trust," says Gene Colon, CeraVe's global senior vice president of medical relations and communications. "As the conversation around skin becomes increasingly complex, we want to give people something simple: credible science, effective skin care and the confidence to make informed choices for their skin."

How does CeraVe use the findings?

CeraVe used its EADV presence to explain how it develops products. The company says it assesses formulas for safety, efficacy and tolerability with input from scientific and medical experts. Its safety, claims and regulatory teams validate product claims, the brand says.

The formulation argument rests on familiar ground. CeraVe products contain three ceramides identical to those found naturally in skin, and the brand says more than 80,000 dermatologists worldwide recommend it.

For beauty retailers and formulators, the survey's commercial signal is the 22 percent figure: nearly four in five concerned consumers have not yet adopted barrier-support products. With half of respondents linking dryness to environment and weather, and a majority demanding simplicity, the growth opportunity sits in barrier care that fits minimal routines — a space CeraVe has now staked out publicly at Europe's largest dermatology congress.