You’ve heard of it and it’s in a ton of skin care products that boast all kinds of claims about wrinkles and anti-aging but you aren’t sure you want to put something called ‘acid’ on your face! I completely understand! It’s scary not knowing what all those ingredients are on the package labels and if they will really do what they say. What about when the box says “noticeable results in ___ days or weeks?” Do you notice that your face, neck or hands look different a few weeks later than when you started? Did you remember to use the product every day? The big question is always “how much does it cost?”
These are all valid thoughts that went through my mind as well when I started studying formulation. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt they do what the claims are – however…. I’ve found in formulating my own skincare and haircare is that the amount I put into a product is under my control and while I don’t ever even have to use the maximum result, I feel the differences in active ingredients when I change up my formulas!
After completing the last two assignments in the serum course – one gel serum with hyaluronic acid – I decided to do a little deep dive to let you in on some education and secrets that you may not know about this wonderful ingredient and the beauty industry.
Let’s start off with what it is. Hyaluronic acid is classified as a ‘Humectant’ and you will see on my products that I list the ingredients and what they do for your benefit. All a humectant does is attract moisture to the skin for hydration! Living in the desert with crazy temperature fluctuations and wind about 95% of the time – I LOVE a lot of Humectants in all my products! This humectant also adds a plumping to the top layer of your skin called your epidermis. This helps us ‘mature’ ladies have a more hydrated look which in a sense “irons out the wrinkles”! We all like that!
Typically, hyaluronic acid comes as a powder in two forms – low molecular weight and high molecular weight. Why are they different molecular weights and why can’t we just have one medium or one-size-fits-all product you ask? You can think of it like this – the high molecular weight one sits on top of your skin (high outer levels) to grab the moisture from the air and pull it into your skin while the low molecular weight one sinks lower into the deeper layers of your skin to attract the moisture from the inside!
When I formulate the products, the hyaluronic acid is first combined with an ingredient to dissolve it before being added into the final product. The most common is glycerin and I use a pure vegetable glycerin which is also a humectant! Depending on the product, it may be heated slightly for extra help in dissolving or refrigerated for a few hours. It can also be mixed with Honeyquat (a conditioning agent made from 🐝 honey!). When this is done first before making a formula, it gives the hyaluronic acid time to blossom into the wonderful ingredient it’s meant to be. After it’s had time to open up, it can be added to the product and mixed in to create an intensive gel, serum, toner or cream that will lock in moisture all day long.
In the gel serum I just made, the high molecular weight hyaluronic acid also acted as a thickener! That’s a dual purpose ingredient and the consistency of it really knocked my socks off as a final product!
If you are interested in seeing the final product, it’s a clear gel under the Moisture Gel Serum. I can also incorporate it into any other type of product you may like to try – just ask!
I hope you enjoyed the education and as always, I’m happy to answer questions about this wonderful ingredient!
Michelle 🐝