Aisling on beauty: Get the most out of hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid is possibly the most-talked-about ingredient in skincare right now. You probably know of its ability to plump up skin, albeit temporarily. However, not all skincare containing hyaluronic acid works in the same way on every skin type.

Hyaluronic acid works best when injected directly into the skin. As it is a naturally occurring substance in the body anyway, it is usually well-tolerated.

When applied topically, hyaluronic acid needs water to work. If the air is dry or the radiators are cranked right up, there is not much moisture to pull from the air. This is why I’m often asked why raved-about hyaluronic acid serums from brands such as Indeed Labs or Pestle and Mortar don’t seem to work. They do work, but they’re better on oily, dehydrated skin. Also good for oily skin are pure hyaluronic preparations applied directly to damp skin.

Pure hyaluronic acid can actually make dry skin worse. If there isn’t enough moisture in the air, the ingredient can suck moisture up from deeper in the dermis, causing your skin to get even drier.

To combat this, you need to adopt a different strategy. Dry skin needs water and it also needs other water-binding ingredients to lock the moisture into skin. Read the ingredients list; if you see complementary ingredients such as glycerin, silicones and peptides, all of which moisturise, the product might be a good bet.

Apply your serum or essence to damp skin and add a water-based moisturiser on top within a minute or two. This gives the hyaluronic acid something to get moisture from. At the moment I like Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel, Reform Hyal Vitamin C+E, Boots No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum and Aldi Le Mara Hyaluronic Serum, which costs just €5.99.

• amcdermott@irishtimes.com 
• Twitter @aismcdermott