Don’t let the name fool you. Hyaluronic acid isn’t an acid in the way you might think. Unlike salicylic, glycolic and lactic acids, hyaluronic acid doesn’t remove dead cells from your skin. On the contrary, it adds something vital to optimal skin health: water.

Nature’s most powerful water magnet.
HA’s super power? It can hold 1,000 times its own weight in water. (So the equivalent of you carrying a whale.) Hyaluronic acid is naturally present within your entire body and has the consistency of a viscous gel. It acts as a lubricant to help your joints, muscles, and nerves function smoothly—think of it like the oil in a car engine.

So what specifically does it do for your skin? This supreme humectant not only draws vital water in to your skin, but also holds on to it and prevents moisture loss. This provides both immediate and long-term hydration benefits, so your skin can maintain a plump, hydrated, radiant, and smooth appearance. “Hyaluronic acid is a dermatologist favourite ingredient because it plumps up your skin with hydration, giving it a youthful, dewy look. It also makes fine dry lines and wrinkles appear less obvious,” explains Clinique Derm Pro Dr. Michelle Henry, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City.

The sealant in the leaky roof.
Hyaluronic acid also serves another key function: It strengthens your moisture barrier, which is the outermost layer of your skin and your first line of defense against environmental aggressors. Think of your moisture barrier as the roof of a house: When it’s intact, it protects everything inside, but when it’s leaky, damage occurs. When your moisture barrier is intact, your skin appears and feels smooth, soft, and plump. If your moisture barrier is damaged, your skin looks dry and rough. And the more damaged your moisture barrier, the harder it is to reverse issues like dehydration, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and breakouts. Hyaluronic acid fills in the spaces between skin’s essential support structures, keeping your moisture barrier strong and cushioned. 

Who needs hyaluronic acid?
"Hyaluronic acid is a must-have in your moisturiser, regardless of your skin type, because it’s the ultimate hydrator,” say Dr. Henry. Every skin type would look its most youthful, plump, and radiant with an optimised moisture barrier. Your moisture barrier can be compromised daily by environmental factors like indoor heating, sun exposure, dehydration, pollution, and dirt. Additionally, your body naturally loses about one pint of water a day, which can affect your skin’s level of hydration. Also keep in mind that your ability to retain water and naturally produce hyaluronic acid declines as you age, which can exacerbate increased dryness, fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging.

Bottom line: Make sure hyaluronic acid is part of your skin care regime.
Hyaluronic acid is a key ingredient in many moisturisers and serums and should be used day and night.  But don’t be scared that this type of intense hydration has to come in a thick cream. Case in point: Moisture Surge 72-Hour Auto-Replenishing Hydrator, which has a lightweight gel texture and actually contains two types of hyaluronic acid—one that works immediately on the uppermost layers of your skin, and another variant that penetrates deeper. Use it daily for immediate and long-lasting hydration, or tap it over makeup for a midday shot of extra moisture. Another hyaluronic acid superstar: Clinique Smart Custom SPF 15 Moisturizer, which also helps to reduce the four major signs of ageing with its powerful blend of peptides, proteins, and antioxidants.

Images: Darrin Haddad