What is hyaluronic acid, how does it work against ageing of skin?

New Delhi: Hyaluronic acid has recently become such a hyped ingredient, but the popularity is acceptable because the ingredient provides what it claims to -- anti ageing.

What exactly is hyaluronic acid (HA)? It is simply a sugar that already exists in our skin tissues and with time and age, the content of it keeps on decreasing. It is that part of the skin which helps maintain and retain the moisture and keeps our skin hydrated. It is an extraordinary ingredient and a boon to skincare, says Rajat Mathur, Senior Education Manager at Kiehl's India.

What does Hyaluronic acid do?

The skin requires a certain amount of water for it to be healthy and look hydrated and radiant, but the skin tissues lose ability to retain the water with time and age resulting in the skin looking dehydrated and dull. Dehydrated skin, then results in wrinkles and fine lines which automatically make your skin look old, and it loses its firmness too. This is where hyaluronic acid steps in and works its magic. It is basically an anti-ageing ingredient which does wonders for your skin. It revitalizes not only the outside layer of your skin but the tissues as well increasing the skin immunity, he says.

The damage that even the sun does to your skin can be tackled with hyaluronic. Fine lines are such a common effect of exposure to sunlight but using a product with HA in the morning can reduce the appearance of these fine lines and make your skin smoother and help you look younger all day. Similarly, using it at night will cause it to work it magic all night resulting a radiant skin when you wake up in the morning.

Mathur says: "Hyaluronic acid has become so trendy this past year and that is such wonderful news because it is an ingredient that is so important for the skin. People tend to put back the product on the shelf after reading the word 'acid' and that stigma shouldn't be around skincare. Awareness regarding this ingredient is so important and products with hyaluronic acid should be made a part of your skincare routine to maintain the glow and avoid dullness. It is an ingredient we have included in quite a few of our products here at Kiehl's too because we want our consumers to fall in love with their skin every single day and HA will only make your skin look younger."

Hyaluronic is a very important skincare ingredient which should be used in your routine regularly to keep the wrinkles and fine lines at bay and your skin glowing and radiant. The basic logic is that if your skin has enough hyaluronic, it will stay moisturized and look healthy but with age, it is necessary that we incorporate products that include this acid in particular to help you keep your skin youthful, glowing and healthy.