What exactly is hyaluronic acid?
In Salt & Stone Squalane Facial Cream, Holi (Water) Pearl and Rose Hyaluronic Toner by Agent Nateur and in Hynt Beauty Skin Prep Serum: you will find hyaluronic acid in a large number of our clean beauty products. What exactly is this substance and why are we so fond of it? In this blog post, we dive into the world of sodium hyaluronate and hyaluronic acid.
What is hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a substance that occurs naturally in your body and in your skin. So yes, it's 100% natural. In your skin, hyaluronic acid can be found in the connective tissue. Here, it is responsible for keeping your skin supple and for rapid recovery from wounds, for example. But most of all, hyaluronic acid is known for its moisture-binding properties. A small quantity of hyaluronic acid (1 gram) can hold approximately six litres of water! The more hyaluronic acid present in the skin, the better your skin is able to retain moisture. As a result, your skin does not dry out. To put it simply, hyaluronic acid is responsible for the moisture level of your skin.
Decrease of hyaluronic acid
Whether we like it or not, as the years go by, our skin becomes less firm and wrinkles appear. One of the causes is the decrease of hyaluronic acid in the skin. The less hyaluronic acid, the more moisture escapes from the skin. True story: dry skin ages faster. You can compensate for the decrease of hyaluronic acid in the skin by applying serums and moisturisers that contain hyaluronic acid. In this way, you allow your skin to hold on tightly and benefit from a fresh, smooth skin for longer.
What does hyaluronic acid do?
When it comes to moisturising, there is no better substance in cosmetics than hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid or sodium hyaluronate is a true hydration hero. In addition to binding moisture, hyaluronic acid is good at:
- protecting the natural barrier layer of your skin, thus better retaining moisture
- softening lines and wrinkles
- giving your skin a plumping effect
- keeping inflammations at bay, through the anti-inflammatory effect of hyaluronic acid
Sodium hyaluronate vs. hyaluronic acid
In skincare, you will sometimes find hyaluronic acid and sometimes sodium hyaluronate. They look similar, but are different. The main difference between the two hydrators is that sodium hyaluronate consists of much smaller molecules than hyaluronic acid. This allows the skincare ingredient to penetrate the skin much better. In addition, sodium hyaluronate never comes in pure form, but in a composition, often consisting of 98% water. And that is just ideal, because a sodium hyaluronate formulation with 2% hyaluronic acid is great for your skin. If you go as far as 4%, you achieve the opposite: your skin dries out.
Our favorite clean beauty products containing hyaluronic acid
At BEAUTSY we have long been convinced of the power of hyaluronic acid. By applying hyaluronic acid you are guaranteed to keep your skin better hydrated. One of our all time favourites with hyaluronic acid is Merme Berin Facial Hydration Serum. This super-hydrating serum contains both hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate, a combo not often seen in skincare. If you then combine the Merme Berlin serum with Salt & Stone Squalane Facial Cream, you are doing your skin a favour when it comes to hydration. At Agent Nateur you'll find a great toner containing lots of hyaluronic acid: Holi (Water) Pearl and Rose Hyaluronic Toner. Finally, we cannot live without the Hynt Beauty Skin Prep Serum, also packed with hyaluronic acid.
