Aaah, winter ... chapped lips, rough hands, and flaky, itchy skin! When you apply your favorite moisturizing lotion, what does it actually do? Science scholars examine the types and functions of moisturizers through a video from the American Chemical Society's Reactions playlist. The narrator discusses how each type interacts with your skin's layers to smooth and soften. 

Concepts

skin, the integumentary system, lipids, water, the epidermis, cells

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Add the video to an integumentary system unit for a fun facts break
• Have pupils try the different types of moisturizers discussed to see if they can feel the differences in how they work
  

Classroom Considerations

• Briefly discuss the layers of the skin and skin cells, then watch the video
  

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Video incorporates chemical structures of skin and moisturizer components, giving students exposure to natural and manmade long-chain compounds
• Animated water molecules help illustrate how each moisturizer works
  

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.9-10.2