Chances are if you have looked at a list of the best ingredients in skincare you have probably seen one of these two somewhere near the top: sodium hyaluronate or hyaluronic acid. Your initial reaction to seeing these atop the list might have been “Acid?! I don’t want that on my face.” Maybe you are a foodie so you saw sodium, which means salt, which makes you think French fries, and now you are hungry. To be honest, there is a hint of truth in each of those threads of thought. However, we promise, hyaluronic acid will not cause burns to your skin. Nor will adding copious amounts of sodium hyaluronate to your kale chips make them taste any better. What these ingredients will do is draw the moisture necessary to keep your skin looking young and healthy. And that is something we all want!
Is there a difference?
The first thing you need to know about these two power ingredients is, they are not the same. Well, they sort of are, but they aren’t at the same time. Sodium hyaluronate is the water-soluble salt form of the hyaluronic acid that occurs naturally in every tissue of our body. One key difference is that sodium hyaluronate has a much lower molecular size, which allows it to more easily penetrate the skin. That makes it great for topical applications such as gels, creams, and serums. Either way if you find one of the two forms in your skincare product, it’s a good thing.
Why is sodium hyaluronate good for the skin?
One of the many impediments to healthy skin is a lack of moisture. Dehydrated skin loses firmness and becomes less pliable. Ultimately, that means more fine lines and wrinkles. As we age, we lose the ability to produce hyaluronic acid, our best defense for skin dehydration.
Enter sodium hyaluronate. When applied topically to the skin, this ingredient helps rehydrate the skin. Since it can hold about a thousand times its own weight in water sodium hyaluronate retains moisture at an incredible rate. Well-hydrated skin appears firmer, brighter, and younger. Sodium hyaluronate helps bring back glowing skin lost in the battle of hydration. One side effect of well-hydrated skin is an increased tolerance of sun exposure and other negative environmental influences. Who knew side effects could be a good thing? We feel great about adding this incredible ingredient to our products because it supports natural skin healing. And that’s what we are all about!
Where might you find this essential ingredient?
Because it is such a great moisturizer, sodium hyaluronate, is found in a number of skincare products. Obviously it is a very popular ingredient for face and body moisturizers because there is really no substitute for this naturally occurring compound. You can also find sodium hyaluronate in many age-defying facial serums and eye creams. The moisture retention properties of sodium hyaluronate help keep skin looking young and fresh. We use sodium hyaluronate in our scar cream to help support overall skin health while reducing the appearance of scars. No matter where you might find it one thing stays the same, sodium hyaluronate is great for your skin!