Following an application from Extraction Purification Innovation France, submitted pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of France, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Wheat Polar Lipid Extract and protection of the skin against dehydration. The Panel considers that Wheat Polar Lipid Extract is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect is “contributes to improve skin hydration”. The target population proposed by the applicant is healthy adults with skin dryness. The Panel considers that protection of the skin against dehydration is a beneficial physiological effect. The applicant identified one published and two unpublished human intervention studies as being pertinent to the health claim. The Panel considers that no conclusions can be drawn from one uncontrolled pilot study, nor from one study which was not carried out with the food which is the subject of the claim. In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that one human intervention study reported an effect of consumption of Wheat Polar Lipid Extract on transepidermal water loss and skin water-holding capacity, but that the outcome of the study lacked plausibility given the limitations in the study design, and that the evidence provided in support of a mechanism was weak. The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of Wheat Polar Lipid Extract and protection of the skin against dehydration.