Water Cooler Convo: Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid sounds a little scary.  Acid, sadly, is a noun that has suffered all sorts of abject connotation. Say it aloud, and it even sounds evil right? But while that’s true of some acids used in skincare, hyaluronic is just a little misunderstood, tarred with the same brush applied to wrong'un cousins in his circle. For there are good acids. And no acid is gooder or purer or more helpful than a certain strain of the hyaluronic variety which feels great, agrees with just about everyone, and is extremely beneficial for the texture and resilience of your skin.

When used in skin care products like creams and serums, hyaluronic acid brings moisture to the surface of your skin because of its ability to draw and hold water-  it effectively offers salvation for your skin to slurp up if it's feeling sapped keeping it moisturised throughout the day. If you commit, you’ll see significant improvements to your skin’s tautness, radiance, and resilience in the long term. (Yes, you should plan on using it indefinitely.)

Here’s the real rundown on how hyaluronic acid works, as well as my favourite products that contain it.

What is hyaluronic acid?

Pronounced hiya-loo-ron-nick, hyaluronic acid is in fact a natural component of skin, produced in a bid to maintain moisture levels. But, thanks to pesky ageing and environmental aggressors, to name just a few things flung at our faces on a daily basis, those levels tend to take a bit of a dip. Cue sensitivity, dullness, fine lines and uneven tone and texture. Need we go on

What does it do to the skin?

As we age, our natural hyaluronic acid levels deplete, and that loss of moisture means drier, rougher and lined skin? Hyaluronic acid helps strengthen and fortify the skin’s hydrolipidic barrier—that’s what keeps moisture locked inside the skin, and keeps bacteria out. (If you’ve ever heard people talk about the skin’s “barrier function”, this is what they are referring to.) It’s a great ingredient for those with ageing skin helping to maintain suppleness as well as sensitive or breakout-prone skin, or those with an oily complexion and has antioxidant properties, which means it acts like a shield against free radicals like pollution and other aggressors.

How to apply hyaluronic acid

First, wash your face. You’re not going to get the proper product benefits without removing oil, dirt, and grime. Towel dry the face, but leave it slightly damp. Since hyaluronic acid pulls moisture from the air, you want to be in the habit of leaving a bit of water on your skin (but just a bit) so that it can more easily pull moisture from there. I

Next, drop 1-2 drops of serum onto your pointer and middle finger, then rub those fingers against the same ones on your opposite hand. Bring both pairs of fingers to your face, and apply the serum first across both cheeks, starting at the nose, then lift and bring the fingers to the middle of the forehead and apply the product outward towards the temples. Now that the serum is on the face, you can repeat this motion—first the nose to the temples, then the middle of the forehead to the temples—until it is thoroughly absorbed. Then, you can do a second pass with 1-2 drops from the chin to the cheekbones, and can even hit the jowls or neck with any excess.

Be cautious around the eyes—you can test the skin around the eyes for their sensitivity to whichever product you’re using. Some hyaluronic acid products are specifically targeted at this area, too.

Wait about 15-30 seconds for the serum to absorb, then apply a moisturizer over top.

 If your grooming rotation is without hyaluronic acid, then you're going without an essential. Try our XXXX -  his little green bottle of goodness works at the speed of light to plump and smooth dry skin. Alternatively there's XXXX - Hyaluronic acid meets XXXX resurfacing papaya enzymes in this refreshing, glow-giving gel cream.