If you've been looking for or using skincare products for some time, you've probably taken a gander at the ingredient lists on the backs of all kinds of serums, creams, and lotions. Chances are you've also probably seen hyaluronic acid everywhere.

Indeed, hyaluronic acid is one of the most common skincare product ingredients in the world, particularly for those that prioritize natural ingredients like we do here at Suki Skincare. 

So, what makes hyaluronic acid such a powerful ingredient that it’s now a staple skincare necessity?

Let’s break down exactly what hyaluronic acid and how you should use it to bolster your skincare routine. You probably already are! 

What is Hyaluronic Acid?

Hyaluronic acid is actually a naturally occurring compound in your body. In fact, you can find most of your body’s hyaluronic acid in your eyes and joints, as these places require a lot of moisturization and sponginess: two properties that hyaluronic acid is more than capable of providing.

But in terms of skincare, hyaluronic acid is valuable because it can help your skin retain water. The more hyaluronic acid your body has to work with, the less dry your skin will be by proxy.

As a result, hyaluronic acid is one of the most common natural ingredients in all types of skincare products, ranging from moisturizers to makeup products to face serums and more. 

Plus, hyaluronic acid is also used in all kinds of filler products, like lip injection mixtures, and as a surgery injection ingredient. The FDA allows certain doctors to use hyaluronic acid during eye surgeries to help replace natural fluids. Other people utilize it for joint disorders and for urinary tract infections.

This wonder-ingredient does it all!

Where is Hyaluronic Acid Found? 

It’s found in the human body in great quantities, with about a 50-50 split between hyaluronic acid in your skin and in other areas like your eyes and joints. But for hyaluronic acid products, the acid is harvested from different sources.

For instance, many plant species have hyaluronic acid as a moisturizing agent, just like we humans do. Manufacturers can harvest hyaluronic acid from various plants and certain types of animal tissues.

Here at Suki, we source our hyaluronic acid from salt, sugar, and yeast!

Alternatively, you can get hyaluronic acid in all kinds of foods. This is one way to increase your body's natural stockpile of the acid without directly rubbing it on your skin! Example foods include bone broth, certain soy-based foods, starchy root vegetables, leafy greens, and citrus fruits.

Make a few meals with these foods included as the major ingredients and you’ll give your body a little extra hyaluronic acid to work with!

However, hyaluronic acid in food usually isn’t in high enough concentrations that you’d see the same high-quality effects just from eating those foods as you would by using a natural skincare product. 

How Does Hyaluronic Acid Benefit Your Skin? 

In a nutshell, hyaluronic acid is beneficial to your skin since, when properly absorbed by your pores, it attracts and retains water in the skin. Thus, by rubbing moisturizers and other compounds into your skin that contain hyaluronic acid, your skin will be less likely to give up water it already possesses and appear more supple and firm. 

In this way, hyaluronic acid doesn’t bring more moisture into your skin but instead makes it more difficult for your skin to lose existing moisture. It’s a perfect natural ingredient if you have naturally dry skin for this reason alone.

However, hyaluronic acid throughout your body can also help your skin become better at retaining moisture over time. Those who use hyaluronic acid-boosted skincare products often have better results when it comes to moisture retention over the long-term, not just immediately after using a hyaluronic acid moisturizer or facial serum.

Other Hyaluronic Acid Benefits

In addition to the above skincare benefits, hyaluronic acid offers multiple other advantages that help to explain why it’s so popular:

• For starters, there’s some evidence to suggest that having more hydrated skin will reduce the appearance of wrinkles across your body, not just your face. More hyaluronic acid to go around means your skin will be less wrinkly and will be less likely to develop new wrinkles. This may explain why hyaluronic acid products usually make one’s skin feel a little smoother as a whole. 
• There’s also some evidence to suggest that hyaluronic acid can reduce redness. This is particularly advantageous for people with irritated or easily inflamed skin. Adding a hyaluronic acid facial serum and moisturizer to your skincare mix could provide more benefits than what’s on the bottle.. 
• As mentioned, hyaluronic acid is naturally found in your joints. So some doctors will prescribe hyaluronic acid tablets or injections in order to add more acid to the spaces between your bones. This helps keep your joints more lubricated than they are regularly, making it less likely that they will experience pain from grinding against one another.
• Remember how hyaluronic acid is found in the eyes? Lots of older adults often experience dry eyes or other discomfort in the orbital area. Eyedrops that contain hyaluronic acid can help reduce some of the symptoms and even improve eye health across the board. As a result, hyaluronic acid is one of the most commonly prescribed dry eye ingredients in the world.

How to Use Hyaluronic Acid

Most commonly, hyaluronic acid is a part of a skincare formula designed for hydration, and is commonly found in many types of products at every stage of your skincare routine. However, there are also hyaluronic acid-focused formulas that focus on its benefits, adding other ingredients to enhance the hydrating effects of the powerful ingredient. 

Suki Skincare’s Hyaluronic Acid Milk Serum is one example that is specifically formulated with a water-soluble hyaluronic acid for deeper penetration into the skin compared to traditional hyaluronic acid. This concentration of ulta hydration works to amplify skin hydration, brighten skin, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and stimulate collagen production, all thanks to the serum’s focus on hyaluronic acid as a main ingredient versus having it play a supporting role. 

Similarly, Suki Skincare’s other facial serums utilize hyaluronic acid and similar ingredients to excellent effects. Facial serums are far from an optional part of a holistic skincare routine. In fact, they’re crucial capstones to a routine that give your skin the vitamins and nutrients it needs to regenerate from more intensive skincare treatments, like certain types of exfoliation.

Used correctly, face serums and moisturizers will help your skin look and feel a lot younger and healthier, plus prevent it from drying out or experiencing side effects.

But hyaluronic acid can also be utilized in ways other than through absorption through the skin. In fact, there are hyaluronic acid supplements that are sometimes offered in capsules with as much as 120 to 240 mg per day. A doctor may prescribe some of these capsules to fix joint pain, relieve dry eye, or help with other conditions.

You may also get hyaluronic acid through an injection, although this will only occur out of doctor or dermatologist’s office. The sensitive nature of such a procedure means that the hyaluronic acid will also be pure, rather than mixed with additional ingredients like with most skincare products.

All in all, it almost doesn’t matter how you take or use hyaluronic acid. It’s a fantastic natural ingredient that provides a plethora of benefits and can help make your skin as smooth and radiant as it deserves to be!

Are There Side Effects? 

Not really. This is just another way in which hyaluronic acid shows how valuable it is! But while most people don’t need to worry about any side effects, there are a couple of exceptions to be aware of:

• Some pregnant and breast-feeding women shouldn’t take hyaluronic acid by mouth. Building up excess hyaluronic acid in the body could translate more hyaluronic acid to a baby than intended, which may cause side effects that are not anticipated
• If you have a rare skin condition called scleroderma, you shouldn’t take hyaluronic acid by applying it to your skin. This might exacerbate the ulcers that are associated with the condition. Again, however, a dermatologist or doctor is likely to point this out before prescribing any hyaluronic acid product

Summary

In the end, we’re glad that hyaluronic acid is so versatile and so beneficial for so many parts of our lives. It’s easy to use, can be found in all kinds of top-tier natural skincare products, and doesn’t come with very many side effects. What’s not to like?

You can see our naturally-sourced hyaluronic acid in action in our Eye Lift Renewal Cream as well as our Radical Results Youth Serum.

If you have any other questions about hyaluronic acid or how we utilize it in our skincare products, don’t hesitate to give us a shout!

Sources

https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1062/hyaluronic-acid

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/hyaluronic-acid-benefits#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26978861/