The Safer Skincare Secret Ingredient You Need to Know About: Hyaluronic Acid
Skin dehydration is a major factor in aging skin. As we age, our bodies are literally drying out as our body composition changes. Between the ages of 12-18 water makes up an average of 56% of our body weight as women. From the ages of 19-50 it decreases to an average of 50%, and at 51+ it dips down to an average of 47% (source HERE). There are a multitude of ways to address hydration in the body including ingesting water rich foods and beverages, but today we’re going to talk about one of my favorite ways to impact skin hydration through topical ingredient application.
I’m not a skincare expert by ANY means, but I do really love deep diving into ingredients and ingredient safety and sharing the WHY behind why we choose certain high powered ingredients to include in our products. Today, we’re going to be deep diving into the use of one of THE MOST IMPACTFUL skincare ingredients you can use - Hyaluronic Acid. Hyaluronic Acid and it’s various forms may sound concerning (because anytime someone says '“acid” my ears perk up lol) but HA and the form of HA we use in most of our products, sodium hyaluronate are both rated a 1 by the EWG in terms of ingredient safety. Meaning this ingredient rates the lowest you can get in terms of any potential health concerns. Which means not only is it higher powered and effective, but it’s a safer option! But before we dive into the science, let’s talk about what to look for in your own skin to decide if hyaluronic acid is something that will help boost your skin health.
Signs of Dehydration in your Skin
Signs of dehydrated skin include dryness, flakiness, roughness, irritation, and the overall look of AGING SKIN. Because we are exposed constantly to factors that pull moisture out of our skin and environment (extreme temperatures, air-conditioning, heaters, soap, medications, sun, alcohol, and smoking) it's essential to create a moisture rich environment when we can through inner hydration (food and water), environmental hydration (things like cool mist humidifiers at night), and topical hydration (through products that improve and protect your skin’s moisture barrier and content).
Did you check off any of those signs of dehydrated skin in your head? I know I did (and more than one)! Don’t fear, you know by now that rarely will I ever talk about a problem without offering a solution! My big solution is of course hyaluronic acid! Let’s talk about why and how it works.
The Science Behind Hyaluronic Acid
"The outer layer of your skin is known as the Stratum Corneum and it's made up of what is called your Natural Moisturizing Factor. Water naturally binds to this NMF and it is this water binding that is what creates skin hydration. Balanced skin depends on the production and health of these natural moisturizing factors so that your skin can both attract and retain water." (find out more on this HERE)
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a sugar found naturally in our skin that holds water and helps keep it hydrated and plump. The HA within our bodies holds a thousand times its weight in water to not only retain all that moisture in our skin and joints, but also prevent all that moisture from evaporating into the air. HA is what can really assist your NMF to attract and retain moisture in the skin.
However, the amount of naturally-occurring hyaluronic acid in our bodies decreases as we get older. Which means, our body’s ability to maintain and attract moisture to the skin will be compromised. How can we help our skin?
Using Hyaluronic Acid in your Skincare Products
When we use HA in our skincare products, it’s going to work to bring moisture to the surface of your skin, and acts as a humectant or water attractor. It is a skincare product SUPER INGREDIENT in this regard. Because just one gram (or 0.03 oz.) of hyaluronic acid can hold up to six LITERS of water, it really can instantly brighten and add a beautiful plumpness to the appearance of skin, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It does this incredible magic all while also avoiding OVER hydrating, which can also be a problem - it truly is a magical little ingredient.
You’ll oftentimes see sodium hyaluronate on the ingredient list versus hyaluronic acid, and many companies opt to use this form of HA because not only does it provide the moisture rich benefits of HA but it’s much more easily absorbed through the skin, which is an added bonus!
Hyaluronic Acid Concerns
The real bonus is that HA is actually an incredibly gentle magical ingredient, and most skin types, yes, even sensitive skin will be able to tolerate its use! It has a naturally calming and healing effect, which means that it can work for even redness and breakout prone skin. As always, I recommend spot testing along your jawline with any and all products, but MOST people shouldn’t see many issues with HA directly.
My Favorite Products Containing Hyaluronic Acid
At Beautycounter we actually use the more readily absorbed and stable form of HA, sodium hyaluronate. The really cool thing is you can easily find all of the products that contain this powerhouse by looking in our Ingredient Glossary. This is incredibly useful when looking for a specific ingredient for any reason. Because of our ingredient transparency, you can rest assured ALL of our ingredients are truthfully and easily listed.
Skincare Items:
Overnight Resurfacing Peel - This is the ONE product that I would recommend to every single person, regardless of age, gender, or skin type. It’s one of those products that will impact your skin no matter what other products you’re using. It’s one of the first swaps or additions I recommend, and it changed my skin in one use. The peel is a combo of plant based acids used to exfoliate the skin chemically, but it’s also balanced with the addition of hyaluronic acid to also keep the skin hydrated at the same time. It resurfaces the skin gently, overnight, with no physical peeling, improves tone, pore size, redness, reduces hyper pigmentation, and leaves you with skin that feels as smooth as a baby’s behind. YES, YOU NEED IT.
All Bright C Serum - Actually, I might have a tie for my all time favorite safer skincare product now that we just released our brand new Vitamin C Serum, which is like the Overnight Resurfacing Peel’s Daytime Best Friend! This serum is sunshine in a bottle, an instant shot of moisture, brightens the skin, and has personally given me a brand new glow that I haven’t seen in ages! And of course it contains HA as well, which means it’s EXTRA moisture rich.
Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum - for dry, mature skin that needs the powerful anti-aging component of bakuchiol (a safer retinol alternative) AND a shot of mega moisture with hyaluronic acid, this is the treatment step you need! I personally use this line and this particular serum in my own day and nighttime regimen. I alternate it in my treat step with the overnight resurfacing peel every other day, and I’ve never been happier with my skin!
Charcoal Mask - This is one of my absolute favorite once weekly treatments, and it’s one of the only masks that pulls out impurities while NOT also drying out my skin. And it’s because of that magical little ingredient, hyaluronic acid! It cleans the skin while also soothing it, and I can’t say enough about this mask. It’s one of our most popular products of all time.
Countermatch Intense Moisture Serum - This is the treat/serum step from our Countermatch line. The Countermatch line is perfect for advanced hydration, particularly for combination skin that needs an extra boost of moisture!
Countermatch Recovery Sleeping Cream - This is the night cream for our Countermatch Line and the addition of HA to this product means that it’s going to protect from nighttime moisture loss and maintain and repair the skin’s moisture barrier, all while you sleep!
NEW Counterstart Cocoboost Moisturizer -A wonderful BRAND NEW basic moisturizer, perfect for the skincare minimalist or those with sensitive skin. It’s affordable and incredibly moisturizing!
Makeup Items:
Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizers with SPF - a fan favorite, this is a lightweight moisturizer with a slight tint that evens skin tone and protects your face against daily sun exposure. I use this alone when I want a makeup free look, or layered underneath my foundation for better coverage!
Tint Skin Foundation - this is our medium coverage lightweight foundation, and I can’t say enough good things about how it wears! I’ve always been afraid of liquid foundation because I felt like I never looked like myself, and my face always looked dry with it on. Because our foundation has hyaluronic acid in it, it’s not only a really natural coverage, but it’s incredibly moisturizing - so none of that dry, caked on look!
NEW PRODUCT COMING SOON….. If you love our current makeup options stay tuned for the release of a highly anticipated new product that is a combination of skincare and makeup with the powerful skin changing addition of hyaluronic acid that visibly plumps the skin while wearing it! I CAN’T WAIT.
Last Chance Items:
Nourishing Line - There are many items in our soon to be retired Nourishing Line that contain HA as well!
Rosewater Mist - Another soon to be retired item that I will miss! This toner mist is perfect for a quick shot of moisture throughout the day. I love to take mine with me when traveling to protect my skin from dry air changes!
There you have it my friends! The lowdown quick and dirty of one of my favorite powerhouse safer skincare ingredients - hyaluronic acid. I’ve seen monumental changes in my own skin simply by strategically adding in products that contain HA. Tell me, do you currently use any products that contain HA in them? Leave your favorites in the comments below!