Best Hyaluronic Acids
I have been on the hunt for a while for a good Hyaluronic Acid (HA). I had bought into the hype that this is a “must” to add to your skincare routine. As I’m sure most of you have heard, the main benefit of adding a Hyaluronic Acid is to retain moisture. It can hold 1,000 times its weight in water. So the concept is that whatever you are putting on your skin, it’s going to help bond it to the skin, absorb better, and retain the moisture. It is best applied to damp skin due to its ability to hold water.
When I first heard of HA, someone was telling me about a product sold at Trader Joe’s. So I picked one up to give it a try. At some point, I thought to myself….. I spend a lot of money on quality products; is this even doing anything for me?? That led me to order about 10 products at varying prices to test out.
In my search for the perfect product, I started to research what HA is and what I should be looking for in the product. Was there a percentage of pure HA I needed in order for it to be effective?? Did it work best when paired with other things?? It turns out HA is an ingredient our bodies are already producing, and as we get older (like most things), we produce less of.
What I thought I would want to find was a 100% potency pure HA. Most dermatologists actually recommend using a product with just 1-2%. So, in this case, less is more.
Here are the products I tested out. I would also like to state I am in no way a professional in this realm, I am simply a consumer. These are my thoughts, do with them what you choose!
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Face Serum. I could not find the percentage on this product; I also reached out to Neutrogena with no response. It comes in a 1fl oz bottle for about $20. This was one of the first products I tried. I’m not going to lie; the tv ad was good, and I was 100% influenced to try it. I had also heard another person online talk about how much they loved it. So off to Target I went to give it a try. I was a little taken back by the price for an over-the-counter drug store product. My first reaction to using this product was the sticky/artificial texture of this product. I don’t like products that have a lot of added fragrance in them, and this product felt like it did. At the end, I can’t say I noticed much of a difference in the hydration of my skin.
Trader Joes Nourish Hyaluronic Moisture Boost Serum. This has 1% HA and comes in a 1 fl oz bottle for $14. This product is where it all began for me, the OG of HA. I like the consistency of this product; it has a nice gel like feel. I also like that it goes on smooth and will not leave my skin sticky. I can easily apply other creams or makeup on top of it. I noticed this made the biggest difference in my skin was when I upped my retinol potency. Increasing retinol would naturally dry me out; I noticed a difference in my skin using the Trader Joe's HA hence why I call it the OG.
The Ordinary has 2 % HA plus B5 for extra hydration. It’s a 1fl oz bottle and cost $6.80. Ok right off the bat, can we talk about the price of this bad boy??? For how much I spend on skincare, the cost of this was a refreshing change. The consistency of this is about the same as the trader Joe product. I really did like this product and felt like it gave me visibly more hydrated skin. It is most comparable to the Trader Joe's product.
The Inkey List has 2% HA and comes in a 1 fl oz bottle for $7.99. This is one of the products I loved. I felt like it was helping hydrate my skin and was a nice addition to my moisturizer. This product did have a more runny consistency than the Ordinary and Trader Joe's, so I felt like I used more product, and it did not last as long. I also had to order this online, and the shipping cost was definitely a drawback.
Vichy Minèral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Gel This Bottle oz 1.69 fl oz and cost $29.50. I really did like this product. I had seen several Dermatologists online talk about how much they loved this one. It has a great gel-like consistency, and I feel like it did what it suppose to do. The biggest drawback with this product is the price. It twice as much as the OG Trader Joe's product, and I still feel my results from using both products are similar. The upside is you can now buy this brand at Target for a much more convent pickup.
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench is $52.00 for 1.7 fl oz. This said it 30% HA complex (I have no idea what that means?? and their website did not give much insight). I had really high hopes for this product. I have always loved this brand and use many of their products regularly. First off, the consistency of this product felt like it has an excess of fragrance in it that makes it feel a little sticky. I also felt that after I put it on, and apply my makeup, my face still felt sticky and almost as if it has a bit of a film on it. So right off the bat, for a whopping $52 this was going to be a hard pass for me. But Peter, just know I truly do love your pumpkin enzyme mask, and we can still be friends!!
ALOA Skincare Hyaluronic Acid Serum 2 fl oz for $24.00. I had no luck in finding out how much HA this product contained. I don’t know where to begin with my utter disappointment in this product….. I saw it on TikTok, and so I for sure needed to try it (so easily influenced). I order it from Amazon, which was one major appeal to this product. This is where the disappointment began. Now I’m all for trying to save on packaging; I get it, it’s a huge problem, but this product came as is in the picture. It has zero safety seal. This leads me to not trust what was in this bottle and if it had been tampered with before it arrived to me. I’m not going to lie; my desire to put this on my face was zero. I’m not about to play a game of Russian roulette with this face I’m trying so hard to protect and preserve. So back to Amazon it went.
My overall review of these products made me realize that my OG Trader Joe’s HA really is a great product. I did like the Ordinary product and if I happen to be out and around a Sephora, I would pick it up. After all of this, I think I’ll stick to the Trader Joe's product because I truly believe it works the best, it a great price point, and it is very convenient to pick up, being that I'm usually at Trader Joe’s ones or twice a month.
Cheers Babes
XOXO
