Whether you are someone who loves to bundle up cozy and warm or someone who loves to brave the cold, skin dryness is obviously something that is evident as the weather turns colder. During the winter, humidity levels go down and encourages the air around you to soak up the water from your body. This leads to dry and flaky skin that is easily irritated. One superstar ingredient that helps you a lot is hyaluronic acid. It’s a molecule that helps you absorb moisture up to a thousand times of its weight in water. Therefore, hyaluronic acid is a popular ingredient that is in many of your favourite skincare products.
Hyaluronic acid is a molecule that is multi-functioning and actually occurs in your body. Because it has the ability to hold nearly a thousand times its weight in water, it can help moisturise and plump your skin. When you put it on your skin, it doesn’t enter into your cells, instead it stays on the surface of your skin and binds water and regulates the transport of water in your skin. Studies have shown that hyaluronic acid has the potential to increase hydration by 30%.
However, there is a concern regarding whether the skin can absorb hyaluronic acid when it is applied topically. Larger hyaluronic acid molecules aren’t able to penetrate your skin, it’ll only sit on top of your skin and offer hydration on the very top surface. Whereas smaller hyaluronic acid molecules can penetrate deeper but will bind less water.
Regardless, hyaluronic acid still have many benefits. This ingredient is mild and generally won’t cause irritation or allergic reaction on sensitive skin. It also is beneficial for your skin during winter to help moisturise you. Just make sure you know that topical hyaluronic acid will usually only provide hydration on surface and not the deeper parts of your skin.