Hyaluronic acid in the body

Hyaluronic acid has become a big beauty buzzword over the years. Marketers seem to have capitalised on the ingredient to no end, with the molecule being endorsed in every product from moisturisers to foundations to lipstick. With the constant reiteration of a term we may know so much as it is somehow beneficial and improves the look of skin. However, beyond simply being told that I should use an ingredient, I do like to look deeper into the science behind it so that I can make my own informed choice. So for those who, like me, hunger for even more information, here is everything you need to know about hyaluronic acid in skin care. 

Hyaluronic acid (or hyaluronan) belongs to a group of polysaccharides (a long chain carbohydrate) known as glycosaminoglycans. It is a key component of the extracellular matrix, forming part of the tissue that surrounds collagen and elastin fibres. Basically, it is a vital substance that occurs naturally in the body. It lubricates the eyes, joints and connective tissue, and works to bind and hold water molecules in the skin. Approximately 50% of hyaluronan found in the body is found in the skin.

Typically, when we think of acids in relation to skincare, we might think of chemical peels and chemical exfoliants. However, hyaluronic acid is not an acid exfoliant in the way that acids such as glycolic acid or salicylic acid are, but rather a humectant whose function is to attract and retain moisture. In fact, hyaluronic acid is able to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. Think of the plump, bouncy, hydrated skin of a baby; it is chock-full of hyaluronic acid.

Decreased hyaluronic acid levels lead to visible ageing

The hyaluronic acid levels in our skin decrease with age, which explains why our skin with every passing decade gets further and further from that pillowy, supple, smooth baby skin. Due to the loss of this water-binding molecule in the skin, skin’s moisture levels also decrease with age. This leads to visible lines, dryness and loss of volume. The lip-plumping, cheeking-filling, face-volumising properties of HA make it a popular choice for injectable fillers such as Juvederm.

As a humectant, hyaluronic acid draws moisture from the environment to the skin, keeping it supple and replenished without the need of heavy or occlusive moisturisers. This makes it an ideal choice for hot and humid weather conditions and works for all skin types from oily to dry. A great way to hydrate during the current hot summer weather is incorporating a HA with pantothenic acid. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is known for its moisturising and soothing properties so works nicely with HA to regenerate dehydrated skin.

Some great examples of this are:

Roche Posay Hyalu B5 Anti-wrinkle Serum – Fabulous for keeping skin hydrated during the hot weather. It contains two types of pure HA as well as B5 protect your skin barrier and moisturise. It is a very elegant texture, not heavy, great for summer time. And it’s currently on sale through this beauty site!

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 is an affordable hyaluronic acid and B5 serum. It contains HA of varying molecular weights for increased skin penetration. Again, very lightweight and great for hot and humid weather.  If you are already in love with the serums you are using and do not want to have to add another substantial layer or serum, try a HA essence.

This lotion from a great Japanese brand is brimming with hyaluronic acid and goes on light and liquid. Simply pat on your face before you apply your usual serums and you are good to go. One thing is for sure: the Japanese certainly know what they are doing when it comes to skin.

Does HA work for everyone?

There has been concern that, due to its ability to pull moisture from the environment, hyaluronic acid may not be ideal for use in extremely dry arid desert conditions. The lack of moisture in the air may potentially result in the pulling of moisture from the deeper levels of your own skin. While there isn’t substantial research to support this, you should always pay attention to your skin’s needs and your current environment.

If you feel that this ingredient does not work for your current needs, there are plenty of alternative ways to provide your skin with moisture. If you’d still like to incorporate hyaluronic acid into your routine, try layering emollient and occlusive moisturisers over your hyaluronic acid product to prevent the evaporation of water from your skin. Read this for the best emollient face oils.

All the benefits

Hyaluronic acid has additional benefits that go beyond attracting moisture to skin.

• It provides potent antioxidant activity and reduces oxidative damage from free radicals. Read this for why your skin needs antioxidants and more on free radicals.
• Ageing caused by intrinsic and extrinsic factors result in the breakdown of collagen protein. Hyaluronic acid helps to slow down this process of collagen loss.
• It is a not a commonly allergenic ingredient so works well even on sensitive skin.
• Strengthens the skin barrier so skin is more resilient and protected.
• Increases skin ceramide production.
• Improves skin elasticity.
• It has anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is the number one cause of ageing. This means we want to mitigate its effects on the body as much as possible.
• Beneficial for use on sunburned, UV-damaged skin, wounds and other inflammatory skin issues. Read this post on how UV rays damage skin.

Molecular size matters

Hyaluronic acid forms a film over the skin to reduce trans epidermal water loss. Incorporating a well formulated hyaluronic acid product can help to diminish the effects of the skin’s natural loss of hyaluronan over time. One caveat of the topical application of hyaluronic acid is that it is a larger molecule so does not easily penetrate into the skin’s deeper layers.

Lower molecular weight alternatives can be used to enhance the ingredient’s penetration. Sodium hyaluronate is a salt of hyaluronic acid with a smaller size molecule. It can therefore be more easily absorbed into skin rather than sit on the surface as a larger molecule would. Other ingredients you may come across on an INCI list include hydrolysed hyaluronic acid and sodium acetylated hyaluronate.

Shop This Post

What about supplements?

I am a big fan of improving yourself from the inside out. I maintain that the best way to get any nutrient is by nutrition first of all. And I do question how mandatory certain supplements are, or whether they truly have an effect. However, as it would turn out, hyaluronan supplements may actually have some benefit. According to a randomised double blind, placebo controlled study (aka the best type of study) published in a 2017 paper, oral hyaluronan was shown to improve the look of wrinkles and overall skin condition.

I have looked at other studies using different molecular weight HA and, whether it was 2k, 300k or 800k molecular weight HA, there were notable skin improvements. The higher molecular weight of 300k did show sooner significant improvements than 2k however. This has been repeated in various other studies and the results look promising. There will be a notable improvement around 8 to 12 weeks, so it might be a supplement worth experimenting with.

You might want to try

Hyaluronic Acid 300mg 90 capsules by Nu U Nutrition – This supplement is vegetarian/vegan friendly. It is free of wheat, lactose, gluten and GMO. I have family members who are both lactose and gluten intolerant, so I like to take that into consideration when opting for a supplement. I hope it will be helpful for those of you who also struggle with intolerances. It does contain soy for its source of HA though, for those who are sensitive to soy.

Hyaluronic Acid 300mg Triple Strength Hyaluronic Acid – A hyaluronic acid is derived from fermentable bacteria and not soy. The dose of HA given in the studies was 120mg daily, which means there may not be a spectacular improvement below this. Both supplements I have listed contain a good 300mg dose of HA for a noticeable difference. They also contain a 3 month supply which is in line with the study conducted over 12 weeks.

We all have different gut flora, enzymes, genetic dispositions, DNA, and our cellular processes all run differently. Therefore I can’t guarantee these will be a good fit for everyone. But I do hope some of you find benefit from taking HA orally. Please keep me updated if you try it!

Best hyaluronic acid products

Some underrated stars 

Pestle and Mortar Pure Hyaluronic Serum – This serum is one of my new favourite finds. The ingredients are quite minimal with nothing overly harsh or fragrant. There are a few additional soothing ingredients and vitamin E. It is incredibly lightweight and works well under makeup. A few drops is all you need and it leaves your face feeling deeply hydrated. 

Dermadoctor Hyaluronic Serum – Dermadoctor is an excellent, under the radar brand. I’m not sure why because their products are very well formulated. This particular serum contains various size HA and sodium hyaluronate along with antioxidants. The one thing that irks me about dropper bottles, as used in many of the HA products I will mention, is their tendency to be easily knocked over. Just make sure when you are spending money on a good product, you are careful with the packaging as I have knocked mine over time and time again. 

Hyaluronic Marine Hydration Booster – Dr Dennis Gross’ line is a fantastic option in general. If you want to treat yourself to a great HA product Dr Dennis Gross is great for more sophisticated formulations. This serum is non greasy and weightless. Not only does it contain HA in the form of sodium hyaluronate but does also offer additional free radical protection from antioxidant extracts. Read this post for more on why we need free radical protection. 

Classic Favourites

Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Serum – This is a classic staple of mine. Fragrance free, oil free, gentle and soothing. Does not cause breakouts or irritation. Perfect and lightweight for summer. Not as pricey as Dennis Gross but still quite moderately-high priced for Clinique. Although I will say you do tend to save a significant amount of money (over 20%) on this through the Everything Store (aka Amazon) than regular beauty retailers (seeing as I already buy everything from toothpaste to electronics from there).

Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster  – A well formulated HA from Paula’s Choice with an elegant texture. This is intended to go alongside your regular products for that extra ‘boost’ of hydration. You could also use it alone as a little goes a long way. It also includes ceramides, an ingredient I will be going in depth with in a future article, so stay tuned. *Spoiler* you want to be incorporating ceramides into your routine.

If you want to get really fancy

Of course the brands I have listed are moderately priced in comparison to a number of luxe brands. In fact, in my research I found a number of hyaluronic acid products listed in the hundreds of dollars territory! Dr Barbara Sturm has a hyaluronic acid serum priced at a cool £230! I have obviously not tried this particular product as I have all other recommendations  due to the fact that unfortunately I am not currently in possession of a spare £230 to spend on a mere 30ml of product. The product does contain probiotics which are proving more and more an interesting ingredient though. But I still cannot say I feel the hefty price tag is justified. 

Omorovicza carries a product they call Blue Diamond Concentrate, which is essentially Sodium Hyaluronate and some fragrance for £295. Okay, it throws in a few other ingredients too and I’m sure there’s someone out there who swears by it, so no judgement. It may be of interest to a few princesses of the world who happen to have a spare few hundred pounds lying around. I don’t personally believe more expensive equates to being better, but if you enjoy splurging and have the means to do so, that’s awesome too! For those who do have a budget, please don’t feel you need to spend an exorbitant amount of money on hyaluronic acid by any means. You can get great results with something affordable. 

If you just want pure HA

Hyaluronic Acid Serum 100% Pure  – This serum from Timeless Skincare is a natural, gentle formula of purely hyaluronic acid. Great for those who want to add the ingredient to boost your current routine. One container holds a generous amount product. 

100% Pure-Highest Quality, Anti-Aging Serum Intense Hydration + Moisture, Non-greasy, Paraben-free – Straight up pure HA. Fabulous to mix with other serums and feel like your own cosmetic chemist. Very thin texture. It won’t irritate your skin and will last a long while. 

If you want to hydrate and still beat the heat

Roche Posay Hyalu B5 Serum – You’re going to want to add this to your summer skincare routine. Keeps your skin radiant and hydrated without the heaviness.

Affordable but just as great

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel – Absorbs quickly while still providing excellent moisture that lasts. Oil free and non comedogenic, so dry skin can still benefit from the hydration without worrying it will clog pores.  

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5  – Don’t let the price of this affordable serum fool you; it is still extremely effective. The Ordinary’s sister brand NIOD has a great hyaluronic acid product too, if you want a formula that is a little more sophisticated.

I hope you found this post helpful and informative. Do you have a favourite hyaluronic acid product? What is your can’t-live-without HA skincare?

Remember to share this article, and Subscribe to the Blog for more for more daily blog posts covering all things skincare and wellness-related. 

Check out more great blog posts about Skin Science:

The Complete Guide to Salicylic Acid: Demystifying BHAs

All About Antioxidants and Free Radicals

Unravelling All Things UV Radiation and SPF 

Everything You Need To Know About Vitamin C For Brighter Skin

Wishing you boundless love, endless light, and life without limit,

Shannon xo

This post is not sponsored. All opinions are strictly my own.

Sources: Oe, M., Sakai, S., Yoshida, H., Okado, N., Kaneda, H., Masuda, Y. and Urushibata, O. (2018). Oral hyaluronan relieves wrinkles: a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study over a 12-week period.

Kawada, C., Yoshida, T., Yoshida, H., Sakamoto, W., Odanaka, W., Sato, T., Yamasaki, T., Kanemitsu, T., Masuda, Y. and Urushibata, O. (2018). Ingestion of hyaluronans (molecular weights 800 k and 300 k) improves dry skin conditions: a randomized, double blind, controlled study.

Follow