Hyaluronic acid (HA) seems to be in everything: serums and creams are available everywhere, from $10 to over $100. But are they the same quality? Will a Neutrogena HA work the same as a Skin Better Science HA? The short answer is no. Here’s why:
What is Hyaluronic Acid?
- Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in our body. We have it around our joints, our eyes and in the spaces between our skin cells. As far as our skin, HA provides moisture, plumpness, and suppleness to the skin.
- It is a powerful moisture binding ingredient and binds to 1,000 times its weight in water.
- Our ability to produce HA decreases with age
Injectable vs. Topical Hyaluronic Acid
As our own HA degrades, we see our skin appear more crepey, more lined, and less supple. This is when we start searching for something to bring back that fuller, more hydrated, youthful appearance. You can replenish your HA with injectable fillers like Restylane, or with topical products. With injectable filler, you know your HA filler will be effective – no worries about the product not making it through the skin. But with topical skincare products, it’s more difficult to get the product to penetrate the skin barrier, and it must be modified to be effective. This is the main feature that makes medical-grade skincare the most effective for the results you want.
Drugstore vs. Medical-Grade Hyaluronic Acid
What qualities make brands like Skin Better more effective than less expensive ones?
- Molecule size
- Supporting ingredients
- Clinical studies
- Product concentration
Size
Physician-dispensed products like Skin Better alter hyaluronic acid so that it is a smaller molecule (sodium hyaluronate), that can pass through the skin barrier and penetrate into deeper layers of the skin to attract and bind with water. Many drugstore-type HA products have a larger size molecule and as mentioned, this makes it harder to pass through the skin, and thus much less effective.
Concentration
Efficacy also depends not just on the ingredient but the concentration of it. Many brands do not show HA concentration. 1% or higher is best.
Studies
Physician-dispensed products have gone through clinical testing and publish study results: the product’s efficacy is tested by a third party and measurements of change are taken over time to show actual efficacy.
Supporting Ingredients
Also, better quality products have other ingredients in them that work synergistically with HA to provide superior results, like amino acids, peptides and even vitamin C.
Products we carry with quality, effective HA:
Skin Better: Trio Rebalancing, Trio Luxe, Interfuse Eye, Eyemax, Hydration Boosting Cream, Even Tone
