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If you’re on the prowl for hydrated, supple, and dewy skin, chances are you’ve looked into hyaluronic acid skincare products.

Hyaluronic acid is the beauty buzzword for quenching parched skin. The ingredient attracts and binds to water so that you can welcome plump skin that stays comfy and hydrated all day – and bid a dry, flakey complexion goodbye.

Found in almost every hydrating skincare product including toners, serums, moisturisers, and even oral supplements, hyaluronic acid has been dubbed the powerhouse active to put you on track to achieving the dewy skin of your dreams.

If you’re already stacking hyaluronic acid products onto your complexion day after day, yet your skin just won’t stay hydrated, there’s a good chance that you’re using this hero ingredient wrong.

Here, we share the most common mistakes you might be making with hyaluronic acid in your skincare as well as a hack on how to achieve a truly hydrated complexion!

What is hyaluronic acid?

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means that it attracts water from the environment (from the air or the skin) and binds to it. What’s really impressive is that hyaluronic acid can hold up to 6,000 times its weight in water. This means, just one gram of hyaluronic acid can bind up to six litres of water.

Most of us recognise hyaluronic acid as a hydrating ingredient only because our favourite skincare products have spotlighted it in recent years, but the truth is that our bodies have been familiar with hyaluronic acid for a long time now.

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid (4)

That’s right, naturally occurring in our bodies, hyaluronic acid is produced by our skin cells to preserve moisture levels. Due to age and environmental stressors, the hyaluronic levels in our skin can dip over time, causing our skin to become drier, less plump, and with more fine lines.

By using skincare products that contain moisture-pulling hyaluronic acid, you replenish your skin’s hydration levels so that you enjoy a complexion that looks and feels dewier, quickly.

Why your hyaluronic acid skincare products aren’t working

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid (3)

After being applied to the skin, hyaluronic acid is supposed to do its moisturising magic quickly, drawing water to your skin for an instant moisture boost.

So, if you’re not seeing the results of your HA skincare products even after consistent use, it’s likely that you’re making a mistake in your routine.

Your skin barrier is already damaged

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid (2)

Did you know that a damaged skin barrier prevents your skin from retaining the moisture pulled by hyaluronic acid skincare products?

Since over-exfoliation and harsh products are two of the factors that contribute to a weak skin barrier, if you suspect that your skin barrier isn’t holding up, it’s important to hit the pause button on scrubs, cut out harsh products from your skincare, and include gentler products with barrier-building ingredients.

What we really mean is this: prioritise protecting and building up your skin’s natural barrier even as you focus on hydrating your skin. Without a strong skin barrier, even the best hydrating products won’t work their best on your complexion.

Some barrier-strengthening ingredients include amino acids, ceramides, niacinamide, and fatty acids.

You’re not using products that add moisture

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid

Hyaluronic acid is hailed as hydrating, and how it hydrates is by pulling water from its surroundings.

It follows that the best way to use hyaluronic acid would be to apply your, say, serum onto damp skin (lock in that moisture just after a shower!) and then layer over it with a moisturiser.

The hyaluronic acid, sandwiched between damp skin and a moisturiser, should have more water to pull and bind to for optimal hydration.

Your moisturiser doesn’t contain ingredients that lock in hydration

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid (1)

If you’re already pairing your hyaluronic acid with a moisturiser and your skin still feels dry and scratchy at the end of the day, consider swapping your moisturiser for one that’s moisture-retaining.

We’ve already established that hyaluronic acid works by pulling and binding to water. But you also should note that HA molecules, whether large or small, penetrate at best the epidermis, which is the topmost layer of the skin.

Translation? Hyaluronic acid attracts water to the skin’s uppermost layer, where it can easily evaporate.

To seal in all the skin-loving hydration, ensure you’re using a moisturiser that contains ingredients to lock in hydration. Moisture-retaining ingredients like beeswax and shea butter create a protective barrier over the surface, thus preventing water from being lost to the environment.

Best yet, opt for a moisture-retaining product that’s also infused with hyaluronic acid!

Best hyaluronic acid moisturisers to use

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid water gel

A moisturiser that works to seal in hydration doesn’t always have to feel greasy or sticky on your skin. Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel is the brand’s improved formula, and it’s the ultimate lightweight, refreshing gel moisturiser that feels almost like water on the complexion.

If it’s a serious moisture boost you’re looking for, you’re in the right place.
Formulated with 20% more hyaluronic acid than Neutrogena’s previous formula, the water gel seriously plumps and hydrates, giving your skin an oh-so-dewy glow.

Infused with barrier-building amino acids, this moisturiser also works to strengthen and support the skin’s natural barrier, as well as help to further lock in moisture for a longer time.

Since the formula is so lightweight, you can apply Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel multiple times during the day – no need to worry about it being too heavy on your skin.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel retails for S$25.90 at FairPrice, Guardian, Watsons. You can also find it at Johnson & Johnson’s official stores on Shopee, Lazada, and Amazon.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Nourishing Cream

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid nourishing cream

Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Nourishing Cream is a new and improved formula with ingredients that mimic skin’s natural hydration.

Skin-friendly ingredients in this moisturiser strengthen the skin’s natural barrier function, allowing your complexion to better retain moisture and protect against environmental aggressors.

Hyaluronic acids in this moisturiser give your skin an intense moisture boost, and the lightweight formula seals hydration in for up to 72 hours.

By plumping up the skin, hydration plays a huge role in bringing tired skin back to life. It fills in dry lines, smoothes out an uneven skin texture, and gives skin a healthy glow.

Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Nourishing Cream lets the skin reap these radiant skin benefits in as quickly as two weeks, based on a clinical study with 27 participants.

Pssst! This moisturiser is also fragrance- and colouring-free, making it suitable for all skin types, including dry and sensitive skin.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Nourishing Cream retails for S$30.90 at FairPrice, Guardian, Watsons. You can also find it at Johnson & Johnson’s official stores on Shopee, Lazada, and Amazon.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream

Neutrogena hyaluronic acid night cream

To make your beauty sleep work harder for you, firm and hydrate your skin overnight with Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream!

Another from Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost series, this night-time moisturiser is supercharged with a special Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) complex, which mimics skin’s natural hydration for visibly plump, supple, and glowing skin.

The ingredients build up your skin’s natural barrier and deliver five times more hydration as you sleep; you’ll wake up in the morning with a visibly healthy glow to face the day.

Besides our hero humectant, hyaluronic acid, Neutrogena’s night cream is also uniquely formulated with peptides, which help improve skin firmness and elasticity.

Since the new Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream uses 100% recyclable packaging, you’ll be taking care not just of your skin but the environment too.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream retails for S$30.90 at FairPrice, Guardian, Watsons. You can also find it at Johnson & Johnson’s official stores on Shopee, Lazada, and Amazon.

Where to buy Neutrogena skincare products in Singapore

Neutrogena is a dermatologist-recommended skincare brand in the US that’s suitable even for sensitive skin. You can buy Neutrogena products, including the ones recommended above, from these stores in Singapore:

Promo alert! Get the Neutrogena 5 Steps Hydrating Regimen Bundle for just S$86.13 instead of S$139.60 on Shopee, while stocks last.

The bundle features five items in the Neutrogena Hydro Boost collection: the Activating Essence Lotion, Capsule in Serum, Mask (five sheets), Nourishing Gel Cream, and Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Lightweight Water Gel.

Snag the Neutrogena 5 Steps Hydrating Regimen Bundle at a 38% discount, while you can!

Shop here

This article is brought to you by Neutrogena.