Ace the 2026 Skin Care State Board Theory Exam – Glow Up Your Career Today!

The clear, translucent layer is the stratum lucidum. This thin layer sits between the stratum granulosum and the stratum corneum and is characteristic of thick skin (like on the palms and soles). Its cells contain eleidin, a transparent substance that gives this layer its light-transmitting, glassy appearance, allowing light to pass through. In thin skin, this layer isn’t present. The other layers have different roles: the stratum granulosum contains keratohyalin granules as keratinization begins; the stratum corneum is the outermost, protective layer of dead cells; and the stratum germinativum (basale) is the deepest, where new cells form.