What can penetrate through the skin's layers for absorption?

Drugs and essential oils are substances that can penetrate through the skin's layers for absorption due to their chemical composition and molecular structure. Many pharmaceutical products and therapeutic essential oils are formulated to enhance skin permeability, allowing them to embed in the lipid-rich layers of the skin or to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream through transdermal delivery systems. This is particularly effective with lipid-soluble substances that can more easily traverse the skin barrier than water-soluble compounds.

In contrast, while water can interact with the outermost layer of the skin, its capacity to penetrate deeply is limited. Minerals generally do not have a structure suitable for effective penetration through the skin, as they often remain on the surface or rely on other transport mechanisms. Oxygen, although vital for cellular metabolism, does not need to penetrate the skin to provide its effects as it is absorbed primarily through the lungs and transported via the bloodstream to tissues throughout the body. Therefore, the ability of drugs and essential oils to penetrate the skin makes this option the most accurate in the context of absorption through the skin's layers.