Hydrated skin looks plump, healthy, and youthful. Dehydrated skin on the other hand exaggerates the look of fine lines and wrinkles and makes the skin appear dull and flaky. Although drinking water is great for your overall health and keeps your body performing at an optimal level, it does not directly hydrate the skin. So, you unfortunately cannot drink your way to hydrated skin. The best way to hydrate the skin is by using moisturizers with ingredients that help attract and lock in moisture.
The best hydrating ingredients are humectants, and they hydrate the skin by attracting water molecules and humidity from the air. Some humectants do more by storing these water molecules in the deeper levels of the skin from where it is pulled to replenish moisture lost from the skin’s surface. The best humectants to have in your skincare formulations are those that attract, absorb, retain and replenish moisture.
Hyaluronic Acid/Sodium Hyaluronate
The well-deserved popularity of this humectant is based on its ability to attract 1000x its weight in water. Sodium hyaluronate is the salt form of hyaluronic acid that is more stable and easier to work with. You are also more likely to see sodium hyaluronate in your skincare because of its ability to penetrate the skin more deeply relative to hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid. Check out our Bolden Brightening Toner and GLOW Hydrating Mask for this ingredient.
Sodium PCA
Similar in function to hyaluronic acid and often used in conjunction, this humectant can hold up to 250x its weight in water and increases the permeability of certain ingredients. Check out our Bolden Brightening Toner for this ingredient.
Glycerin
Another popular humectant because of its ability to penetrate into the lower layer of skin, helping it retain hydration. This ingredient is prominent in most of our formulations: Brightening Moisturizer SPF 30, Brightening Toner, Clarifying Cleanser, Glow Hydrating Mask, Nighttime Repair Serum and Clear Skin Clay Mask.
Panthenol
This is a provitamin that the body quickly converts to vitamin B5- Pantothenic Acid. It performs double duty as both humectant and as a wound healing emollient, repairing and softening the skin. It is an ingredient in our Brightening Toner.
Trehalose
This is an antioxidant sugar molecule that has water-binding properties. We love it because it helps cells retain its shape in times of low hydration so that they bounce back once hydrated - just genius! It’s in our Brightening Moisturizer SPF 30.
There are several other humectants that work in combination with other ingredients to deliver hydration to the skin, and all skin types stand to benefit from hydration.
Just in case we you are not yet convinced of the benefits of having a well hydrated skin, a dehydrated skin usually produces more oil to compensate for a lack of moisture, so if you are trying to control oily skin, make sure your skin is well hydrated.
