Introduction: After being absorbed by the skin, hyaluronic acid forms a unique three-dimensional structure, providing an excellent external environment for the synthesis of collagen and elastic fibers in the dermis. It can also absorb hundreds of times its volume in water molecules like a sponge. Due to the high technical content and long clinical trial phase, currently only ESMAY in Japan possesses this top-notch technology. Of course, certain research institutes in Shanghai and Jiangnan University in our country have also made significant progress in this field, and we look forward to further developments.
1. Introduction to Hyaluronic Acid:
Hyaluronic acid, scientific name: Hyaluronic acid (HA), is a straight-chain macromolecular polysaccharide composed of disaccharide units "glucuronic acid -N- acetylglucosamine", which is a substance naturally present in body tissues.
2. Important Functions of Hyaluronic Acid:
a) Maintaining Skin Elasticity:
Hyaluronic acid is a gel-like substance that fills the space between skin tissue cells and collagen fibers, keeping the elastic fibers and collagen proteins in a moist environment, improving the utilization rate of collagen proteins, and giving the skin elasticity.
b) Water Retention and Locking Ability:
Hyaluronic acid can lock in a large number of water molecules, not only maintaining moisture within the skin but also capturing moisture from the external environment, keeping the skin hydrated for a long time and enhancing its water retention ability. Its moisturizing effect is 20 times that of collagen protein, earning it the title of "Moisture Queen" in skincare products.
3. Hyaluronic Acid Skincare:
However, with age, hyaluronic acid begins to deplete at the age of 18, and accelerates after 25. By the age of thirty, the hyaluronic acid content in the skin is only 65% of that of a baby, and by sixty, it is only 25%. The loss of hyaluronic acid leads to the loss of moisture in the skin, resulting in dehydration, loss of luster and elasticity, and the gradual appearance of wrinkles, roughness, dullness, spots, and other signs of aging.
4. How to Distinguish Good Hyaluronic Acid?
The concentration of the product cannot be used as a reference for choosing hyaluronic acid products. Purity, molecular weight, and 3D structure are the real factors that affect its water absorption performance.
a) Purity:
Currently, there are three main methods for producing hyaluronic acid: animal tissue extraction, microbial fermentation, and chemical synthesis. Microbial fermentation not only avoids heavy metal and allergy hazards, eliminates allergens, and prevents skin allergies, but most importantly, its texture is natural and pure, with a much higher purity than tissue extraction and chemical synthesis.
b) Molecular Weight:
Moisturization and barrier function are the dual missions of hyaluronic acid skincare. High-quality hyaluronic acid must be an organic combination of high-molecular and low-molecular hyaluronic acid. High-molecular hyaluronic acid forms a breathable film on the surface of the skin, preventing water loss and blocking bacterial and ultraviolet invasion; low-molecular hyaluronic acid penetrates into the skin, absorbing a large amount of water molecules, achieving dual effects of hydration and water locking, and also having anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
c) 3D Structure:
After being absorbed by the skin, hyaluronic acid forms a unique three-dimensional structure, providing an excellent external environment for the synthesis of collagen and elastic fibers in the dermis. It can also absorb hundreds of times its volume in water molecules like a sponge. Due to its high technical content and long clinical trial phase, currently only ESMAY in Japan possesses this top-notch technology. Of course, certain research institutes in Shanghai and Jiangnan University in our country have also made significant progress in this field, and we look forward to further developments.
Source: The Magical Moisturizing Factor: Hyaluronic Acid