system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When you rub lotion into your skin and it vanishes, where does it end up?
gpt
Lotions, creams, and ointments are all mixes of watery ingredients (water, alcohols, stuff like that) and oily ingredients. Creams are more oily than lotions, ointments are more oily than creams. 

Generally, the oils are either absorbed and/or stay on your skin as a barrier, and the aqueous components are either absorbed or evaporate. Things that "moisturize" basically add some water to the dried surface skin, then make an oily barrier on the surface to prevent evaporative drying again- water goes in, oils stay on top.