The skin barrier provides us with several lines of protection from outside hazards. Its most outward layers, the stratum corneum and the epidermis seal our body with an acidic, dry, and rather cool surface, hostile to microbes. Yet, there are also fine-tuned interactions between the mostly commensal microbiota on top of the skin surface, with underlying epidermal cells as well as the immune system, to preserve a healthy steady state and to initiate repair processes when necessary. We take a concise look at the recent insights on the inner workings of this complex barrier.