We live in a time when high pollution levels rein the streets, and our food has been invaded by junk that can contain anything from a duck’s liver to an infant’s body parts. No matter how degrading it sounds, our standard of living may have increased, but the way we treat our bodies has stooped to new lows. So now people are obviously losing a lot of things that our previous generations took for granted, for example, our skin’s quality. The wrinkles that start appearing in your early twenties should not even touch you before late thirties. And the dullness in the teenagers’ skin today is just plain depressing. Our elders recommend healthy eating, but even our fruits are so full of chemicals, that it does more harm than good.
In such deteriorating times, the makeup gurus we see everywhere on the internet these days, as the beauty bloggers, vloggers, makeup and skin care channels on YouTube have come up with a new remedy that most of them have started to swear by. Hyaluronic acid or HA as they are more preferably called are used not just for injections, but also in cosmetics that are used as a base, like primers, foundations, blush, and even in lipsticks. However, they are the real stars of lotions, masks, topical serums, and beauty creams.
Most creams, especially the fairness creams that we come across, burn away the first layer of our skin, to reveal a brighter second layer of the skin. However, Hyaluronic acid in beauty creams performs a different function. Hyaluronic acid is naturally present in our body, mainly in joints, eyes, nerves and skin. It acts as a cushioning and lubricating agent, and our skin produces about half of the entire quantity present in our body. As with everything else, time and age take its toll and the skin’s ability to produce Hyaluronic acid declines. Anti-aging cream companies capitalize on this state of affairs and sell hyaluronic acid beauty creams that they state have Hyaluronic acid in them.
However, the most that Hyaluronic acid beauty creams can do is make the fine lines somewhat less prominent by hydrating them. The molecules of HA are too big to penetrate the skin. When injected, they may be capable of performing their function, but through simply applying it through creams on the face, no particular purpose can be expected to be solved except moisturization. They are used in beauty creams simply because the name has become so popular among the masses.
They have a very simple technique, where they know exactly what they need to say in order to sell their products. So, they throw in words like ‘reconstruct your skin’, ‘replenish’, and ‘take back what you lost in your summer at Goa’. They claim to make moisturizers more effective and give you skin glow like that of the celebrities. This is a staple, where the many men and women who are deceived due to the magazine covers and other edited pictures spend money relentlessly in order to look like them. Somewhere in the back of their minds, they probably know that the images they are looking at are not original and that the celebrities have teams of people working day and night to make them as good as they look, but they choose to ignore it because these companies tell them it is possible.
But even as a moisturizer, it locks the water in your skin (which is what moisturizers do) and nothing else. There are much better moisturizers in the market for a much better and economical price. However, one quality that Hyaluronic acid cannot be denied is that one gram of Hyaluronic acid can hold almost six liters of water, which is good if there is that much water around you.
In fact, doctors state that when in exceedingly dry climates, there is next to nil moisture for Hyaluronic acid to draw into your skin, but it nevertheless performs it functions. It draws moisture from the deep layers of your skin, making it drier and tighter, rather than that dewy effect you were looking for. And just because the chemical is already present in your skin, does not mean it will not react. There have been many reports of beauty creams whose active agent in Hyaluronic acid reacting and causing harmful reactions. Like all other cosmetics and moisturizers, a patch test for these beauty creams is also vital.
It cannot be denied that it is useful, if you have the money, and perhaps a skin concentration that falls on the oily side, Hyaluronic acid can be useful as a serum, as the beginning of your beauty routine.
The list given below contains a few products that contain Hyaluronic acid as its base and are believed to be at the top of their game:
• L'Oreal Paris Hydrafresh All Day Hydration Supreme Emulsion
• Cerave Moisturizing Lotion
• Sebamed Anti-Stretch Mark Cream
• Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer - Night
• Clarins - Extra-Firming Night Rejuvenating Cream
• Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II
• Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Booster
• Astalift Day Protector SPF 35
• Eucerin Anti-Ageing Hyaluron Filler Night Cream
• Rodial Dragon's Blood Hyaluronic Mask
• Eucerin Anti-Ageing Hyaluron Filler Eye Treatment