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 of this technology and the long clinical trial phase, currently only ESMAY in Japan possesses this top-notch technology. Of course, research institutions 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:透明质酸 (Hyaluronic acid, abbreviated as HA), is a straight-chain polysaccharide composed of disaccharide units "glucuronic acid -N- acetylglucosamine". It is a substance naturally present in body tissues.
2. Important functions of hyaluronic acid:
1) Maintaining skin elasticity:
Hyaluronic acid is a gel-like substance that fills the space between skin tissue cells and collagen fibers, keeping elastic fibers and collagen proteins in a moist environment, enhancing the utilization rate of collagen proteins, and giving the skin elasticity.
2) Water retention and locking in moisture:
Hyaluronic acid can also lock in a large number of water molecules, not only maintaining the moisture within the skin but also capturing moisture from the external environment, allowing the skin to remain moist for a long time and enhancing the skin's water retention ability. Its moisturizing effect is 20 times that of collagen protein, earning it the title of "Moisture Queen" among skincare products.
3. Hyaluronic acid skincare:
However, with age, hyaluronic acid begins to deplete at the age of 18, accelerating after the age of 25. By the age of thirty, the hyaluronic acid content in the skin is only 65% of that of a baby, and by the age of sixty, it is only 25%. As hyaluronic acid depletes, the moisture in the skin also diminishes, causing the skin to become dehydrated, lose its luster and elasticity, and gradually develop 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 true factors affecting its water absorption performance.
1) Purity:
2) There are currently three main methods for producing hyaluronic acid: animal tissue extraction, microbial fermentation, and chemical synthesis. The advantage of microbial fermentation lies not only in the absence of heavy metals and allergens, eliminating allergy sources and preventing skin allergies, but most importantly, in its natural purity, which is much higher than that of tissue extraction and chemical synthesis.
3) Molecular weight:
4) Moisturizing and barrier function are the dual missions of hyaluronic acid in skincare. Truly high-quality hyaluronic acid must be an organic combination of large and small molecule hyaluronic acid. Large molecules form a breathable film on the surface of the skin, preventing water loss and blocking the invasion of bacteria and ultraviolet rays; small molecule hyaluronic acid penetrates the skin, absorbing a large number of water molecules, achieving the dual effects of hydration and water retention, and also having anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects.
5) 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 the high technical content and the long clinical trial phase, currently only ESMAY in Japan possesses this top-notch technology. Of course, research institutions 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