With beauty brands putting the spotlight on hero ingredients and their benefits, there are definitely a few that have reached cult status and taken center stage in our beauty regimens. Hyaluronic Acid (HA), or Hyaluronan, has become a ubiquitous humectant and a beauty buzzword that is the topic of many beauty conversations and part of numerous cosmetic formulations and treatments. Given its meteoric rise in popularity, we’re now seeing HA in everything from serums to moisturizers, foundations, lip gloss, and everything in between.
Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar molecule also known as a glycosaminoglycan found in the dermis. It’s a major structural component of our skin. This jelly-like lubricant cushions our joints and plays a pivotal role in repair after an injury has occurred in the body. I’m pretty sure you’ve already heard that HA can hold up to hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water – and is responsible for giving skin its plumpness and volume.
As we age, this sugar molecule gets depleted, like collagen and elastin, so our skin needs extra support to retain moisture and stay supple. This is where hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers such as Restylane® and Juvéderm® come in, or topical forms of HA you most commonly see as serums. But not all HA’s are created equal – they vary by molecular weight, origin, and how they were manufactured – all of which impacts performance in the skin.
Interestingly enough, mainstream HA used to come from rooster combs, but today many have a bacterial origin and are produced in a lab.[1] There is also a “green” variety and they may come from vegetable feedstock or the liquid left over from fermenting root vegetables and sugar, through biotechnology.
Low molecular weight HA vs. High molecular weight HA
Within the science community, many are debating whether the molecular size of the hyaluronic acid matters when it comes to beauty treatments and or products. Dermal fillers use a gel form of high molecular weight, crosslinked HA that draws in water to smooth fine lines, plump, and add volume to sunken areas. It then eventually dissolves in the skin over the course of a year. Dermal fillers like Restylane® and Juvéderm® have been approved by the FDA and their efficacy is substantiated by extensive research.
HA in skincare products, on the other hand, presents a different narrative around performance, mainly because it’s a large molecule with low skin penetrability. Many products today now claim to use more advanced, low molecular weight HAs (like Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate) that can penetrate the skin better and provide anti-aging benefits. If it is able to penetrate beyond the skin barrier, it most likely remains within the epidermis and does not penetrate the dermis.[2] So, you can look at an HA as a hydrator, rather than an anti-aging super hero.
The utility of HA in skincare products has a lot to do with climate and skin type
HA works best in humid climates, so that it can pull moisture from the air.[3] So, if you live in a low humidity environment, it is particularly important to follow this best practice: apply your HA serum to damp skin so it has a base to work with and follow it up with a moisturizer to seal it in. For those who have oily skin, your sebum should have enough occlusive properties to lock in that moisture.
SMD’s Absolute Hydrating Serum
Our Absolute Hydrating Serum features fractionated Hyaluronic Acid in the form of two low molecular weight HAs: Sodium Hyaluronate and Hydrolized Sodium Hyaluronate that work synergistically to cover more ground in the skin. The formula also contains a powerful peptide – Palmitoyl Tripeptide-28 – which supports a prominent growth factor in our skin, antioxidants Ergothioneine and Glutathione, and skin conditioning agents Copper PCA and Zinc PCA. We recommend pairing this serum with either our antioxidant-rich Super 3 Cream or one of our Age Defy Moisturizers.
Written by Maya
Reviewed by Drs. Smith & Fardin
[1] Baumann, Leslie. Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015, p 77.
[2] Baumann, Leslie. Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015, p 70.
[3] Baumann, Leslie. Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients. McGraw-Hill Education, 2015, p 78.