Hyaluronic acid is the 'darling' of the skincare world so it’s a name you’ll hear thrown around a lot. But what does it actually do for the skin?
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The current wintry temperatures are like kryptonite to skin, so seeking out products that are like a tall glass of water for a thirsty complexion is likely important to you.
For shuttling moisture into the skin and creating an invisible coat of armour for the skin barrier , hyaluronic acid is the gold standard ingredient. Lest you confuse it with resurfacing acids, hyaluronic acid is a safe sugar found naturally in the body. Rather than strip away, it puts back by acting like a sponge for moisture in the skin. “With its ability to hold 1,000 times its own weight in water, hyaluronic acid attracts moisture from the surrounding atmosphere and pulls it into the skin’s surface layers,” says Martin Lyne, founder of Woods Copenhagen.
Related: What exactly is the skin barrier?
What does hyaluronic acid do to your skin?
Our levels of hyaluronic acid deplete as we age, leaving our skin increasingly unable to retain water. Cue a complex set of issues, including dehydration, sallowness and premature wrinkles.
That’s why it’s important to lean on a hyaluronic acid serum as it squeezes into the spaces between your cells to leave your face translucent and pillowy, as well as protecting against water loss. Applied topically, a single gram of hyaluronic acid can hold up to six litres of water so you can see why skincare experts are so obsessed with it.
How should you apply a hyaluronic acid serum?
Hyaluronic acid is safe to be applied every day and, unlike many other skincare actives, it plays nicely with all ingredients, including the best vitamin C serums. In fact, Lumene combines vitamin C with two types of hyaluronic acid in its Nordic-C Valo Glow Boost Essence as smooth, hydrated skin is known to reflect light more easily.
But, crucially, there is a right way to deliver hyaluronic acid into the skin. According to
aesthetic doctor Barbara Sturm, whose Hyaluronic Serum is beloved by the Scandinavian cool set, including our Danish fashion editor Sophia Roe, it’s important to choose a formula containing hyaluronic acid in both high and low molecular weights. “The low molecular weight allows for easier penetration into the skin,” says Sturm. “Once it has reached the collagen and elastin fibres it can bind them with water, improving skin elasticity. The higher weight molecules feed the surface with hydration.”
Find out: Everything to know about Vitamin C
Photo: Getty
For application, pat a hyaluronic acid serum into damp skin after cleansing or applying toner. Hyaluronic acid needs moisture to work. Ergo when applied to dry skin in a dry climate, it can backfire as your hyaluronic acid serum will start to draw water from the deeper layers of skin to quench the surface ones, ultimately leaving your face feeling drier than before.
For the final step, apply a lipid-based moisturiser as ingredients such as ceramides, which naturally make up 50 per cent of the skin barrier, lock in hydration. CeraVe’s Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum cleverly deploys both into the skin.
Read also: Do you really need to use toner?
Given this ingredient’s popularity you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a hyaluronic acid skincare product. Woods Copenhagen recommends leaving its Intense Hyaluronic Mask, which additionally contains antioxidants from sea buckthorn, on overnight if skin is feeling especially parched. The Elemis Hydra-Boost Serum uses a deeply nourishing blend of hyaluronic and quinic acids to reduce trans-epidermal water loss while Tromborg’s Eye Gel delivers hyaluronic acid via a cooling gel to fake eight hours uninterrupted sleep.
