How to Use Hyaluronic Acid in Your Skincare Routine for an Ultra-Hydrated Complexion

Dry skin can be a pesky thing to manage. Whether it’s caused by your natural skin type or the environment, it can leave your complexion feeling parched and looking lackluster. And, while nourishing creams can help do the trick in the short term, it’s important to consider the types of hydrating ingredients found in skincare formulas that tackle dry skin. Up ahead, we explore hyaluronic acid in more depth, plus how to incorporate it into your skincare routine.

Enter: Hyaluronic acid, which is commonly known in the beauty world as the abbreviation “HA”. “Hyaluronic acid is a humectant capable of absorbing 1,000 times its weight in water,” Dr. Loretta Ciraldo MD FAAD, a Miami-based board-certified dermatologist explains. According to Dr. Ciraldo, this powerhouse ingredient is found in abundance in young, healthy skin and is responsible for consistent hydration, elasticity, and firmness. However, as we start to age, our skin experiences some moisture loss, requiring supplementation of hyaluronic acid through skincare products. “When we apply it to the skin within a formulation, this ingredient stays in the upper levels of the skin, where it provides hydration and some limited degree of skin firming,” Dr. Ciraldo says.

How to Incorporate HA Into Your Skincare Routine

Thanks to its increasing popularity, there are many options for incorporating hyaluronic acid into your routine. First, you can add it completely on its own through a potent hyaluronic acid serum. But, the superstar skincare ingredient is frequently blended into a whole spectrum of formulas, including cleansers, toners, serum blends, moisturizers, body wash, lip balms, lotions, and face masks — even some sunscreen formulas include HA. Customer favorites at Dermstore include Skinmedica’s HA5 Rejuvanating Hydrator and Vichy’s Mineral 89 Serum.

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How Often to Use HA and How to Get the Most Out of It

When incorporating hyaluronic acid into your skincare regimen through a product, Dr. Ciraldo says its best to use it as directed in the product’s instructions. That being said, hyaluronic acid is safe to use every day. “In the case of HA, it is best to use it daily and, depending on some of the other actives in the individual product, it may be recommended once or twice daily,” says Dr. Ciraldo.

How to get the most out of hyaluronic acid depends on where it shows up in your skincare routine. “Hyaluronic acid is best applied to damp skin, so putting it on shortly after cleansing or after a spray-on essence or toner will give you the most benefit from it,” says Dr. Ciraldo. If other skincare products include hyaluronic acid, you’ll want to incorporate them based on the steps of your skincare routine. For example, if you use a moisturizer with HA, be sure to apply it after a serum.

What Results to Expect from HA

Because of its ability to attract and hold water instantly, hyaluronic acid will quench dry skin upon application, leaving it feeling soft and supple. In addition, Dr Ciraldo says “you should get increased skin smoothness,” adding that this result can also help reduce the appearance of fine lines. The effects of HA will last for as long as the product is in contact with your skin.

What Can You Mix HA With?

The great thing about hyaluronic acid is that it can be mixed with pretty much any other skincare ingredient, thanks to its neutral pH. “Although you might expect a hyaluronic acid product to have a low pH like most acids, final hyaluronic formulations are close to pH balance,” says Dr. Ciraldo, adding that the high concentration of water gives HA products a pH between 5-8. “This means that you do not have to be concerned that your skin will get irritated if you use HA products with L-ascorbic acids, retinoids, or alpha-hydroxy acids,” she adds. “Because the best formulations are multi-tasking, you will often see HA combined with antioxidants and peptides to get maximum benefit from a single HA serum or cream.”