In brief: Diabetes reduces sebum production over time, affecting the skin's natural oil barrier in ways that go beyond ordinary surface dryness. Standard humectant moisturisers assume the skin's underlying barrier is intact; for diabetic skin that has had its oil-producing capacity reduced, surface hydration alone doesn't address the barrier-level deficit. Products formulated with omega-7 (palmitoleic acid) from macadamia oil, one of the highest natural plant sources at 17-22%, are better suited to oil-depleted skin because they work at the level of the barrier lipid rather than the water content.
I have a close friend who has had Type 2 diabetes for about eight years. For most of those years, she has dealt with skin on her legs and heels that cracks, splits, and sometimes bleeds. Not dramatically. Just persistently. Quietly. In the way that things do when they become part of your normal.
What got to me was watching her try to fix it. She has tried everything available at the pharmacy. The thick creams. The foot balms in the tubs with the blue lids. The ones that say intensive moisture on the front and for very dry skin on the back. She uses them consistently, usually at night before bed, and by the next morning her skin feels almost exactly as it did before. Sometimes worse.
For a long time I thought she just needed a better product. A stronger one. More of it. That is not the problem. I know that now.
What regular moisturisers are actually built to do
Most moisturisers on the market are designed for skin that is fundamentally healthy but temporarily dry. They work in one of two ways. Humectants like glycerin and hyaluronic acid attract water from the deeper layers of the skin and hold it near the surface. Occlusives like petroleum jelly and mineral oil create a physical seal that slows water evaporation.
Both approaches assume the skin's underlying barrier is intact. They are working with what is already there, just keeping it hydrated. That works well for a lot of people. It is not working for my friend because her barrier is not intact.
What diabetes actually does to the skin
Over time, diabetes affects the skin in ways that go deeper than surface dryness. Changes in circulation and nerve function mean the skin produces less of its own natural oil, called sebum. Sebum is what keeps the skin barrier flexible, resilient, and able to hold moisture properly.
When sebum production drops, the skin loses the internal scaffolding that makes a good barrier. It does not just feel dry. It behaves differently. It cracks at the pressure points more easily. It takes longer to recover. And humectant-based moisturisers, while soothing in the moment, cannot replace what has been lost at a barrier level.
That is why the cycle repeats. Apply cream, feel better briefly, go back to cracked heels. It is not that she is doing anything wrong. She is using products designed for a different problem than the one she has.
What we looked for when developing Mac Pure
When we were developing Mac Pure, I kept thinking about my friend. Her heels. The way she would wince putting her shoes on after a long day. The quiet resignation that this was just her life now.
We kept coming back to macadamia oil because of its palmitoleic acid content. Palmitoleic acid is a fatty acid that is closely related in structure to what occurs naturally in human sebum. Products formulated with macadamia oil are well-suited to skin that is oil-depleted because they work with the skin at a barrier level rather than simply coating the surface.
My friend has been using Restore+ on her heels most evenings for several months. The difference in how her skin behaves has been meaningful. It holds moisture between applications. It does not split the way it used to. She stopped wincing. That matters more to me than any ingredient description I could give you.
One thing worth knowing if you have diabetic skin
Check what is in your moisturiser. If it contains fragrance, parfum, or any form of scent ingredient, it is worth considering a switch to something genuinely fragrance-free. Skin that has lost some of its barrier integrity tends to react to fragrance ingredients in ways that healthy skin handles without noticing. It does not need to smell nice to work well. It just needs to work.
And look for products designed for oil replenishment, not just surface hydration. For skin that has reduced its own oil-producing capacity, surface hydration alone is not going to be enough.
I am not a dermatologist. I am someone who watched a friend struggle for years and paid a lot of attention to why. If any of this sounds familiar, it is worth looking into further. I think my friend would agree with that.
The cycle that most diabetic skin care products create (apply, feel better briefly, return to baseline) is not a sign that the skin cannot be helped. That is a sign the products were designed for a different problem.
Understanding that difference is usually where the improvement starts.