Hyaluronic acid and anti-aging products: is it always true that more is better?

Hyaluronic acid It undoubtedly represents one of the best-known substances in the skincare sector and thanks to its properties anti-aging It is often found in serums and face creams.

To better understand how and to what extent hyaluronic acid is important for skin care, preventing and controlling skin aging, we need to delve a little deeper into its knowledge.

Hyaluronic acid: why molecular weight makes a difference

First of all, calling it hyaluronic acid is like calling a person by their first name but without their last name, therefore difficult to distinguish and characterise. This makes it necessary to also associate the last name with the name, represented by its molecular weight, usually expressed in Daltons , but it would already be sufficient to specify whether it is low , medium or high weight .

To express its structure in a very simple way, we can imagine hyaluronic acid as a chain, shorter when the molecular weight is low and longer when the molecular weight is high, composed of many identical links, characterised by a strong affinity for water, so much so that they can attract and bind it.

When immersed in water, the links of these chains join together, forming a sort of network in which water is trapped, forming what appears to us as a gel. From what has been said, it is clear that the more links in the chain that are capable of attracting water, the lower the amount of hyaluronic acid required to form the gel. It goes without saying that, for a hyaluronic acid with a lower molecular weight, the amount of hyaluronic acid will need to be higher to obtain a gel with the same characteristics.

Anti-aging effect of hyaluronic acid

At this point, if we consider that one of the most important The anti-aging effects of hyaluronic acid are to have a mechanical tightening effect on the skin. It is essential to know how much and what type of hyaluronic acid we are talking about.

In fact, gels that are too viscous are unlikely to settle in micro wrinkles (the main targets for the anti-aging effect) and gels that are too fluid may not contain enough polymer to have a tightening effect.

The ideal solution would be to find the right compromise. This task in the field of dermocosmetics is performed by the formulator who, in order to optimize the product's performance, will use the so-called " optimal concentration " of hyaluronic acid, capable of meeting the above-mentioned needs.

Ultimately, to identify the properties of a formula, it is important not to limit oneself to considering only the quantity of hyaluronic acid (0.1%, 0.8%, 3%), but it is necessary to associate it first with its molecular weight and secondly with the target and purpose of the anti-aging product.

Conclusions

We believe it is appropriate to underline that the charm and potential of a good skincare product , with a target anti-aging and based on hyaluronic acid, is not due to the quantity of its components but to the right balance with which they are present within the formula, as a result of a technological-creative process developed by the formulator.