The way you want to use hyaluronic acid in a skincare routine is to start by cleansing your face with a nice simple cleanser. And then, with slightly damp skin or even slightly wet skin, apply the hyaluronic acid serum to your face followed by a moisturizer and sunscreen (during the day).
Using a moisturizer is an essential step after applying hyaluronic acid. The moisturizer will help seal hydration into the skin and help hyaluronic acid absorb correctly if the air around you is dry.
However, if your chosen acid product doesn't explicitly state how long it should be left for, Dr Mansouri says it's better to be safe than sorry. “I recommend waiting 20-30 minutes to ensure the skin is dry and to minimise inadvertent interactions,” she says.
Apply hyaluronic serums after cleansing (and toning, if you use a toner). Moisturizers go over the top. During the day, your SPF will be your last skincare step. Most people notice a difference in how their skin feels immediately after applying a hyaluronic acid product.
Yup! And you can even use it twice a day as long as you're applying it to clean, damp skin, then locking it in with a moisturizer and face oil. “If you put hyaluronic acid on top of a sunscreen or a moisturizer, it's not going to work,” Dr.
“Hyaluronic acid plays well with most ingredients, while caution must be taken when using retinol in combination with alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, benzoyl peroxide, and some types of vitamin C.”
“Hyaluronic acid is neither good nor bad for acne,” she says. “However, it can be used incorrectly, or it can be mixed with other ingredients that may not agree with a person's skin and therefore cause a breakout.”
Wait, then Moisturize Serums are not moisturizers.
To allow serums to fully absorb, apply and wait 5 minutes before moisturizing. Take note: Well-formulated serums absorb quickly and disappear into your skin. If they leave an oily or sticky residue, they're not doing their job well.
Use a moisturizer infused with hyaluronic acid at the time when you'd usually moisturize. Ideally, this would be 2 times a day and always after cleansing, exfoliating, or applying serums.
First, introduce one product at a time. This way, you'll be able to see what each product is doing for skin. Isolate each new addition by waiting a month between introducing anything else. Also, before you use a product all over your face or body, make sure to patch test it first to identify if your skin is compatible.
Generally we follow the cleanse, tone, and moisturize series of steps. When we add in a hyaluronic acid serum, it should come after a toner and before the moisturizer in order to optimize the absorption of weights of hyaluronic acid. Repeat after me: after a toner, before a moisturizer.
Hyaluronic acid can dry out the skin as it draws moisture from its surroundings and leaves skin exposed if the moisture is not sealed in. The background: The moisture that hyaluronic acid products attract comes from our external environment.
With all the fancy HA formulations on the market now (serums, pills, masks, and so much more), it can be tempting to adopt a “more the merrier” mentality. However, some research has shown that overuse of hyaluronic acid can result in redness and inflammation.
Hyaluronic acid is well known for its skin benefits, especially alleviating dry skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and speeding up wound healing. It can also help relieve joint pain in people with osteoarthritis.
The general rule of thumb is that your products should be applied in order of thinnest to thickest in their consistency, says Dr. Lian Mack, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and rep for Catrice Cosmetics. Serums go before your moisturizer because they're normally lighter than a face cream, balm, oil, or lotion.
In most cases, it makes sense to apply serum before moisturizer. This is because serum is usually more lightweight, whereas moisturizer tends to be thicker. Applying serum first can also give the skin more opportunity to absorb the active ingredients. In many skin care routines, moisturizer is the last step.
If your skin's happy with serum alone, you can skip moisturizer. But only a lucky few with normal and super oily skin can get away with this, in my experience. So, don't be too disappointed if your skin needs both.
No matter which form you choose to incorporate your hyaluronic acid, it should be close to the final step in your routine. If you are using it in serum form, you'll apply it immediately after your retinol. If it is part of your moisturizer, it will be your last step.
A thick moisturizer with hyaluronic acid would be applied after a vitamin C serum, but a hyaluronic acid serum will come before a face cream with vitamin C in its formula. In the case that you have two separate serums, it still comes down to thickness. Apply whichever is thinner first.
Hyaluronic acid can help you reduce pigmentation and blemishes associated with age when used in combination with brighteners. A common cause of hyperpigmentation is when damage to the skin caused by excessive sun exposure occurs. Vitamin C is one antioxidant that combats dark spots caused by sun exposure.
Use an oil-free moisturizer, preferably including hyaluronic acid, to deeply hydrate the skin, says Bratschi. This is an essential step to getting rid of blackheads, because overly dry skin can start to produce excess blackhead-causing oils.
Hyaluronic acid promotes the regeneration of skin cells through its barrier protection and added hydration. You get a vibrant complexion with reduced fine lines. Hyaluronic acid can also minimize age spots and prevent any dark spots in the future on your skin.