Dealing with dry skin? Dehydrated skin? A compromised skin barrier? Acne? Acne scars? Redness? Skin sensitizing? Skin irritants? Damaged skin? Hydrate. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Because I have oily skin, I've always thought that hydrating my skin isn't
that important, but the fact is, hydration is the solution to every skin problems. If you've read my blog post on
how to moisturize your skin the right way (if you haven't already, you need to read it!), you'll know that there are 3 key components when it comes to moisturizing your skin.
Moisture → Humectant → Emollient.
So in today's Skincare Talk, I will be talking about my favourite humectant, Hyaluronic Acid.
Hyaluronic Acid is a clear, gooey humectant naturally found in our body and humectants in skincare, are substances that attracts and retains moisture. Just like
AHA, hyaluronic acid comes in different molecule sizes and as usual, size matters (that's
not what she said). If the molecule size is too big, it might not be able to penetrate deep into our skin to deliver any benefits, and if the molecules size is too small, it might have an adverse effect on our skin. Fortunately, unless you're a chemist who formulates your own skincare products and hyaluronic acid... There's not much to worry about hyaluronic acids having a negative side effect on our skin.
Think of humectants as moisture magnets. While there are many different types of humectants such as glycerin, AHA, sodium PCA, etc, hyaluronic acid tops the list for me as it can impressively attract and hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. With hyaluronic acid, we can ensure that our skin is well-moisturized and therefore healthy, plump, and youthful looking.
Since our body produces hyaluronic acid, why do we still need to topically apply hyaluronic acid on our skin? As we age, the amount of hyaluronic acid in our body decreases due to external factors as such as sun exposure, which means our skin's ability to retain moisture, drops. Like I said, hydration is the key to solving all skincare problems, so that also means that dehydrated skin is the source of all skin problems. Dehydrated skin causes acne, peeling, irritations, infections, damage, and of course, all signs of aging. Thus, it is important that we support our skin's ability to hold as much moisture as it could. If you have normal skin, using a regular moisturizer might be sufficient as all moisturizers contains all 3 components (moisture, humectant and emollient), but if you're a person who uses acids like AHA or BHA, or if you have sensitive skin, or dehydrated skin, incorporating hyaluronic acid in your routine will definitely increase your skin's tolerance to potential skin irritants.
As mentioned, there are a few types of hyaluronic acid depending on its molecule size. Most (good) skincare products will include a mixture of a few different types of hyaluronic acid to provide maximum benefit for your skin, so don't be surprise to see a few of them in just one product. Thankfully, the common hyaluronic acids all have similar names, so it's not difficult to distinguish them in the ingredient list. A few of the most common hyaluronic acids are Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, and Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate. If you're interested to know more about how the different molecule sizes will affect our skin, Hada Labo, a great brand to go to if you're keen to start using hyaluronic acid in your routine, has explained the differences in simple terms
here.
There are countless of hyaluronic acid serums and essences in the market at the moment, but always make sure to check the ingredient list. Here's why. The
La Roche Posay Hyalu B5 serum is a popular one that I've seen many Youtubers including Liah Yoo recommend. However, when we dive into the ingredient list, this $55 serum has alcohol as its third ingredient and hyaluronic acid is its 12th ingredient... EH. The
Drunk Elephant B-Hydra™ Intensive Hydration Serum states sodium hyaluronate as one of its key ingredients but this $74 (omg) serum has Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer as its 13th ingredient and Sodium Hyaluronate as its 17th ingredient... The $64
Sunday Riley Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream has hyaluronic acid listed as its first key ingredients but Sodium Hyaluronate is the product's 20th
-ish ingredient. 20th-
ish because I lost count.
Well, if it's not obvious by now, my current go-to product for hyaluronic acid is none other than
The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. At only $11, this serum has Sodium Hyaluronate as its 2nd ingredient, and Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer as its 5th ingredient. This serum is also oil-free and alcohol free, unlike the examples given above. Whenever my skin feels extra dehydrated, I will top it up with the
Hada Labo Whitening Premium Lotion ($19) which contains 3 different types of hyaluronic acid along with vitamin C and E for brightening effects.
In conclusion, hyaluronic acid has become a staple in my routine especially after I've started using chemical exfoliants such as BHA and azelaic acid. These acids are really easy to overdo (and yes I've done it multiple times...) and therefore, it is really important for me to maintain the health of my skin by always ensuring that it is well-moisturized. If you have acne and is currently using an acne treatment like benzoyl peroxide or epiduo, these treatments can dry out your skin (like crazy), so you may want to consider adding hyaluronic acid in your routine as well to avoid any negative side effects.
Labels: beauty, review, skincare, skincare talk, tips
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