Hyaluronic Acid: The Secret to Hydrated Skin

Like a carousel that won’t stop turning, we are on a perpetual quest to uncover the secret to youthful skin. The beauty world is crowded with products all claiming to be the answer to your skincare woes, but navigating this sea of products can be overwhelming, so it's important to look at the power ingredients within them. Hyaluronic acid is one of those ingredients you may have heard of, but what you may not know is that it also occurs naturally in the human body.

Found in both the deep underlying dermal areas of the skin as well as the visible epidermal top layers, hyaluronic acid (HA), also known as Hyaluronan or Hyaluronate, is a naturally-occurring substance found in our own connective tissue throughout the body. Young skin is smooth and elastic and contains large amounts of HA that helps to keep it looking youthful and healthy. With age, the ability of the skin to produce HA decreases and we begin to see changes in our skin. We paid a visit to Pure + Simple to find out more about this buzz-worthy super ingredient from owner Kristen Ma and how our skin can benefit from it.

What does it do?

By incorporating HA into your skincare routine, you can reap the benefits of this water-loving molecule, which works to provide continuous moisture to the skin. Ma points out that HA is “excellent for anti-aging as it has been said to be able to retain up to a thousand times its own weight in water, making it uber-hydrating.” HA also has excellent antioxidant properties and “helps to stimulate collagen synthesis and promote cell reproduction,” according to Ma. She goes on to explain that damaged skin needs rejuvenation through hydration and that “skin damage heals best and most quickly in moisture-rich environments.”

Looking holistically, there are also some dietary things we can do to support HA in our bodies. “Firstly, zinc deficiency has been linked to low HA, so eating zinc-rich foods like pumpkin seeds, brown rice and other whole grains can help,” says Ma. “Magnesium is needed in HA synthesis and estrogen and HA increase and decrease in relation to each other,” comments Ma, “therefore it is important to examine hormonal balance in HA levels and holistic beauty.”