Hyaluronic Acid: Everything You Need to Know
Reviewed by a physician from Aleph’s Medical Team
Confidence is Beauty.
Hyaluronic acid. You’ve almost definitely heard of it. But do you know why it’s such an all-star ingredient in skincare? In this blog post we’ll go over what hyaluronic acid is from a scientific standpoint and what benefits it has for your skin.
What is hyaluronic acid?
Scientifically, hyaluronic acid is a polysaccharide- a fancy word for a group of sugar molecules. These molecules have two primary functions in our skin: to lubricate the skin and to help provide the skin’s cushion. (Fun fact: hyaluronic acid is so good at increasing water content in the skin that it can absorb more than 1,000 times its weight in water!)
Your body’s stores of hyaluronic acid decline from both aging and environmental toxins. Thankfully, hyaluronic acid products, especially serums, can help replenish your stores.
5 Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid
- Hydration- Have you ever been out on a hot day and felt absolutely parched? When you finally get a huge bottle of cold water to quench your thirst, it’s one of the best feelings in the world. Think of hyaluronic acid as your skin’s huge water bottle on a sunny, hot day. It’s important to remember that hydration is different than moisture (we’ll cover this in an upcoming blog post!).
- Smoother Texture- Hyaluronic acid not only makes your skin tighter, but it gives your skin a silky smooth texture (you can feel and see this)
- Wrinkles & Fine Lines- By hydrating the skin and acting as a powerful water retainer, hyaluronic acid reduces the visibility of wrinkles and fine lines. Furthermore, because of the increased hydration of the skin, your skin is able to more rapidly make new skin cells.
- Skin Barrier (Lipid Barrier) Strengthening- Our skin is made up of a protective barrier consisting of lipids. This is important because our skin’s job is to protect our body from toxins from the outside world. Through its moisture and hydration capabilities, hyaluronic acid strengthens this protective barrier, thus protecting us even more from environmental toxins.
- Clearer Skin- When our skin is too dry, our bodies produce more oil to increase lubrication. More oil can cause acne and clogged pores. Because hyaluronic acid improves hydration of the skin, less oil is needed to compensate for dry skin. This can reduce the incidence of acne and clogged pores, providing you with clear skin!
As you can see, hyaluronic acid is a Super Ingredient for your skin. If you’d like to see your skin transform, try Aleph’s Advanced Hyaluronic Acid Serum.
And remember, Confidence is Beauty.