How NOT To Use Hyaluronic Acid: Should We Apply HA Serums To Wet/Damp or Dry Face?

What is the right way to use Hyaluronic Acid serum? Should we use it on the wet face or on the dry face? Should we apply moisturizer on top or should we use it on its own?

First of all, what is Hyaluronic Acid? Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is just a sugar that is naturally found in our skin and has a huge capacity to hold water. It can hold up to a thousand times its weight in water. Although we have it naturally in our bodies, with age, the amount of Hyaluronic Acid in our skin decreases. That’s why Hyaluronic Acid is a very frequently used ingredient in skincare.

There are different molecular weights of HA; the low, medium, and high molecular Hyaluronic Acid. The question is, which one is the best?

The high molecular acid can’t penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin, so it will just sit on top and hydrate it, but the low molecular HA has bigger chances of penetrating deeper into your skin and may reduce your wrinkles.

Unfortunately, this will not give you any long-term results. The results are temporary until the HA is degraded. The bottom line is that HA is the ingredient that binds water really well and it’s used to hydrate your skin!

Now, who can actually use HA? Well, pretty much anyone can use it, all skin types even the acne-prone, because Hyaluronic Acid is non-comedogenic. But there are some people who report sensitivity to Hyaluronic Acid, so just to be sure you can do a patch test first.

And the most important question is: How to use it?

Companies write the instructions of use on the packaging and say “just apply a few drops in the evening and in the morning and you’ll be good to go” and that’s it.

Dermatologists, on the other hand, say that you should apply it to a wet face and seal it with moisturizer right away to prevent that water from evaporating.

So who should we listen to?

It depends. The application of Hyaluronic Acid depends on two things:

How humid your environment is, and
What skin type you have

ENVIRONMENT

Let’s start with how humid your environment is. Hyaluronic acid binds water. We already went through that. And you do get a serum that has water in it. So you’re not just applying Hyaluronic Acid to your face, you’re applying Hyaluronic Acid dissolved in water. Usually, in Hyaluronic Acid serums, the first ingredient listed is water. So, you are already applying water to your skin. If we take that into consideration, I can understand why companies write these instructions for use because you are already applying water to your skin.

But that’s where the environment comes into place. If you live in a dry environment, that water is not going to stay there forever. It will evaporate, leaving your skin dry. And if there is no water to pull from the environment, then hyaluronic acid is going to pull even more water from your skin, leading to your skin being dry in the end.

But then, on the other hand, if you live in a humid environment, in an environment where humidity is more than 50%, then Hyaluronic Acid is going to pull even more water from the air into your skin. And in a humid environment, it might not be necessary to wear an occlusive moisturizer on top. So that is something that companies do not take into consideration when writing these instructions for use. They do not take into consideration which environment you live in and what your skin type is.

SKIN TYPE

That brings me to the next factor that can influence the application, and that is your skin type. If your skin is naturally producing enough sebum and enough natural oils, those natural oils on your face are going to act as an occlusive moisturizer, and you won’t need to apply even more moisturizer on top. That’s another factor to take into consideration.

So, if your skin produces enough serum naturally and you live in a humid environment, you should be able to use Hyaluronic Acid Serum on its own.

And if not, if you live in a dry environment and you have dry skin, then you should use it this way.

Wash your face and, before drying your skin, apply the HA serum straight to your wet face. Wait a little for the serum to become tacky and apply an occlusive moisturizer on top to lock all that moisture in place. This way, water won’t evaporate from your skin, and your skin will be left hydrated and soft.

So just for reference, I did test out both ways of application. I have naturally dry skin, so I always use moisturizer because my skin doesn’t produce enough oils, but for you guys, I tried using it both ways. On one side of my face, I was using The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid Serum with 2% Hyaluronic Acid. I was applying it to wet skin and locking it in with an occlusive moisturizer right away on top (I was using the 5% Dexpanthenol Cream as a moisturizer). And on the other side of my face, I was applying just the serum to my dry face.

You can watch the whole demo application in this video.

When I performed the touching test, I could definitely tell that the dermatologist’s way of use (application on wet skin followed by a moisturizer on top) was way better for me because I do have dry skin. But the instructions of use way wasn’t that bad either. And that’s probably because I do have a humidifier in my house. But still, I find that the dermatologist’s method of use is more suited for my skin type.

FINAL VERDICT

To conclude, if you live in a humid environment and you have oily skin, you might be able to use the Hyaluronic Acid Serum on its own, without a moisturizer on top, the way companies state on the packaging.

But if you live in a dry environment and if you have dry skin, and your skin is naturally not producing enough sebum and oil, then you will benefit more if you apply HA serum to your wet face and lock it in with moisturizer right away.

Another important question is whether the companies should change the instructions of use on the packaging because it might be a little bit misleading?

Well, maybe that would be a good idea because HA serums are cosmeceuticals, and that means that anyone can go and purchase a HA serum without a prescription, over the counter, and chances are that when you are buying it in a drugstore, there won’t be a dermatologist next to you advising you on how to use it, and how to adjust the application process according to your environment and skin type. So just because of that, maybe it would be useful if the companies added just a couple of more lines in the instructions of use so that people would know how to use it.

But are the companies wrong? Well, technically, no. Because in a humid environment, and if you have oily skin, you could be able to use a HA serum on its own.

Do I recommend using it that way? No, because I like applying a moisturizer on top. I find it works better for me that way. But as I always say, take into consideration everything that I have said so far and figure out which way of application would work out the best for you.

Hope this was helpful, thank you for reading!

Text Adapted from Pharmacy&Makeup’s Youtube Channel by Milena Mitić