Hyaluronic acid: the essential active ingredient to include in your skincare routine
What is hyaluronic acid?
A flagship active ingredient in cosmetics and aesthetic medicine thanks to its many virtues for the skin, hyaluronic acid is a molecule derived from the carbohydrate family, accounting for up to 70% of skin volume. Its role is to form the skin's support structure, along with collagen and elastin.
Why moisturize your skin?
All skin types need to be moisturized on a daily basis (and, contrary to popular belief, even combination, oily or acne-prone skin!)
Hyaluronic acid's extraordinary moisturizing properties make it a key active ingredient. Hyaluronic acid makes skin texture even and smooth. Its action strengthens the cutaneous barrier, whose role is to protect the skin from external aggression, leading to premature aging, loss of radiance and the appearance of redness.
Finally, hyaluronic acid's antioxidant properties help protect the skin against UV rays, which are themselves responsible for skin damage such as wrinkles, fine lines and brown spots.
Hyaluronic acid exists in different molecular weights: depending on the size of its molecule, it penetrates the skin to a greater or lesser extent, and has benefits for different skin layers.
Outstanding moisturizing properties
The extraordinary moisturizing properties of this molecule enable it to deeply hydrate the skin, plumping it and smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. In addition to these properties, it is a humectant agent capable of attracting and retaining large quantities of water at the heart of the skin.
Good to know: hyaluronic acid can retain 1,000 times its weight in water in our tissues, like a sponge.
While the skin naturally produces hyaluronic acid, its production declines as we age, ultimately leading to a loss of firmness and elasticity, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid production declines by 6% with each decade: by the age of 50, the amount of hyaluronic acid in the skin is halved.
What are the benefits of hyaluronic acid for different skin types?
Dry skin
Hyaluronic acid deeply moisturizes the skin, down to the deepest layers of the epidermis, to improve texture. The skin's barrier is strengthened, making it better able to retain water, thus avoiding dehydration and dryness, which tend to accelerate with age.
Against skin ageing
Hyaluronic acid stimulates collagen production and the fibroblasts in the skin that contribute to its firmness. As a result, cutaneous aging is delayed and signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles, are minimized. Those already present are smoothed out. Finally, the antioxidant action of hyaluronic acid protects the skin from the damaging effects of the external environment, UV rays and pollution, which are responsible for accelerating skin ageing.
Skin around the eyes
To care for the area around the eyes, it is necessary to use a specific cream, as the skin is thinner and more fragile. Hyaluronic acid is an ideal active ingredient for the eye contour area: it moisturizes and plumps fine lines, while combating the appearance of new wrinkles.
Our Eye Contour Repair Cream contains hyaluronic acid to intensely moisturize and reduce the appearance of dark circles in this often highly vascularized area.
Oily, blemished or combination skin
Lack of water, pollution and exposure to the sun's rays are all factors that dry out younger skin: it therefore needs hydration to prevent the skin from forming excess sebum, which is supposed to protect it from these external factors. Well-moisturized skin thanks to hyaluronic acid guarantees regulated sebum production and reduced shine.
Dull skin
Poorly hydrated skin is less able to fight the oxidative stress that dulls the complexion. Hyaluronic acid strengthens the cutaneous barrier, enabling the skin to defend itself against UV rays, pollution and particles that alter its radiance.