Hyaluronic acid is a substance with a gel-like consistency, which our bodies produce in order to help cells retain moisture, keeping your tissues healthy and hydrated. Hyaluronic plays an important role in maintaining healthy and youthful skin, but our bodies produce less and less of it as we get older, leading to decreased elasticity and moisture retention. In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of hyaluronic acid for skin, and recommend some natural skin care products that contain this important ingredient.
Benefits of hyaluronic acid
1. Moisture retention: Hyaluronic acid helps to keep your skin tissue moisturized, which in turn can make it look more supple, plump, and healthy. Because of its moisture retaining properties, hyaluronic acid can help to make the skin look smoother, minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It can also reduce redness and dermatitis, and improve the overall texture of the skin.
2. Healing: Hyaluronic acid can also help to speed up your skin’s healing process, both by helping to ease inflammation throughout the skin tissue and by promoting the formation of blood vessels around the affected area of your skin. This is great news for anyone with acne, as hyaluronic acid could help your skin to recover from previous breakouts while easing inflammation and encouraging overall skin health.
3. Antibacterial properties: Hyaluronic acid also has antibacterial properties–more great news for anyone with acne-prone skin. By reducing the population of acne-causing bacteria in your skin tissue, hyaluronic acid could help to prevent (or at least reduce the severity of) future breakouts, and to prevent existing spots from developing into serious skin infections.
4. Anti-aging properties: Hyaluronic acid also promotes collagen production, leading to more youthful and elastic skin. (While collagen supplements are all the rage today, there’s no scientific evidence that proves that directly taking collagen will make your body increase more of this important substance; in fact, it may be much more important to make use of the ingredients that your body uses to make collagen.) Meanwhile, hyaluronic acid helps to combat free radicals in your skin tissue, targeting the cause of skin damage.
Best hyaluronic acid serums
While oral hyaluronic acid supplements may lead to positive results for certain people (we recommend consulting a doctor before using one), a hyaluronic acid serum is another great way to incorporate this ingredient into your skincare routine.
1. Dermalogica’s Skin Hydrating Booster: This serum delivers intense hydration to your skin in order to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and improve the overall texture of your skin. In addition to hyaluronic acid, it contains lavender, algae, and mineral-rich seawater. This serum is a great option for aging skin!
2. Kiehl’s’ Daily Reviving Concentrate: If you have a dull complexion that could use a boost, this reviving serum might be the perfect product for you. Along with hyaluronic acid (to make your skin look supple, plump, and smooth), it contains revitalizing ginger and citrus oils. We recommend this serum for dry, dull skin that needs some extra love.
3. Herbivore Botanicals’ Prism Natural Fruit Acids 5% Exfoliating Glow Potion: This multitasking concoction contains glycolic acid and lactic acid to gently resurface your skin while nourishing hyaluronic acid helps to heal damage and elevate your skin’s appearance. It’s a great serum for anyone suffering from acne due to its resurfacing and repairing properties.
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