Informational

Hyaluronic Acid- Is There Truth Behind The Trend?

September 17, 2020 by schott1310@gmail.comLeave a Commenton Hyaluronic Acid- Is There Truth Behind The
Trend?
Image by Krzysztof Pluta from Pixabay 

If you pay attention to the happenings of the skincare world, you have probably heard of hyaluronic

acid. If you paid attention to the happenings of the skincare world ten years ago, you probably have

not.

Hyaluronic acid is often touted for plumping skin, moisturizing, reducing fine lines, and making skin

overall more ~glowy~. After doing research and my own experience, I do not think hyaluronic acid is

all hype. However, it is also not a miracle serum.

So what exactly is hyaluronic acid?

Hyaluronic acid is a humectant. It is a sugar that actually naturally occurs in our skin. Its biological

purpose is to help keep our skin supple. HA molecules hold a thousand times its weight in water and
also helps prevent moisture leaving our skin. The amounts of HA we have in our skin does decrease

with age.

How to Use- HA being a humectant and all, it is necessary for there to be moisture in your

surrounding environment in order for it to moisturize your face. It is recommended to lightly spray

your face with water (or just splash your face with water…) before applying a HA serum. It is also

further recommended to put on an emollient (Aquaphor is my personal favorite!) to seal in the

moisture and the HA and prevent it from evaporating. If you live in a very humid climate, it is

possible that adding HA to a wet face isn’t necessary, but I would do it just to be safe. If you live in a

dry climate, be vigilant about adding it HA to a wet face and adding an emollient afterwards.

A great thing about HA is that it is generally very well-tolerated on acne-prone skin. And since it

moisturizes by bringing water to your skin-not oil- HA is a great moisturizer option if you are acne

prone. HA is also very stable (unlike the finicky Vitamin C) and plays nicely with other skincare

products.

I have personally tried the Skinceutical’s H.A. Intensifier. I liked it- I tried it during wintertime (and

winters where I live are cold and dry) and my skin felt marginally softer and more hydrated.

Marginally being the key word here- unfortunately, my face did not turn into a baby’s bottom (I think

the holding 1000x its weight in water thing might have given me unrealistic expectations!). The

Skinceutical’s H.A. product is also very expensive, at $100 for 1 fluid oz. Especially considering

how stable hyaluronic acid is- I do think it is way overpriced. I have heard great things about Hada

Labo’s HA products, and they are WAY more affordable. I am going to try it out and do a review

soon! (And maybe a comparison to the much more expensive Skinceutical’s version??)