The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin.
The epidermis is composed of five layers called the strata.
The uppermost surface layer is the stratum corneum — “the horny cells”, followed by the stratum lucidum — “the clear cells”, stratum granulosum — “the grainy cells”, and stratum spinosum — “the spiny cells”; the bottom layer is the stratum germinativum (the basal layer) — “the germination or growth layer”.