I’ve been using hyaluronic acid for a while, but I genuinely can’t remember what it does. I think it’s supposed to clear blackheads or something like that, but I think it’s also making my skin dry, and I can’t grasp what else it does.
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Hyaluronic acid exists naturally within our skin. It’s essential for skin and wound healing (amongst other things). Acne is an infection, and the skin has to repair & regenerate itself. So adding extra outside the body HA onto our skin can help speed that process up. But, like anything, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. You don’t want your skin regenerating too much or too fast.
It’s called “plus one marketing”. Our product is basically ok and works, but so do our competitors products. So how do we convince people to buy ours? We add one ingredient that the competitors don’t have and advertise “(our product), now with (new ingredient)”.
This year it’s hyaluronuc acid, a few years ago it was jojoba, next year it could be “activated oxygen”. What do these things do? At a biology level maybe nothing and it really doesn’t matter anyway. They help us sell more of our product.
Naturally it’s one of the components that helps hydrate the skin. But topical hyaluronic acid has been shown to not absorb deep enough to make a significant difference for everyday skincare. Most clinical studies for over the counter skincare ingredients are poorly done and the results are over exaggerated. The best way to maintain skin hydration is to apply a thick moisturizing cream or lotion at night after washing the face in order to prevent water within the skin from evaporating and drying the skin out.
Increases moisture content in skin. Don’t put it on dry skin – put it on when your face is still damp from washing and then apply moisturizer on top.
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