How to choose my Hyaluronic Acid Serum?

You’ve tested 2, 3, or even dozens of hyaluronic acid serums, creams, or masks but don’t really understand the difference between two hyaluronic acids, or why, for example, one serum sells for 5 times more than another…

You are reading the right article.

At Novexpert, our goal is to give you the keys so you can be in charge of your health, master your decisions, and free yourself from marketing traps.

With this article, which we hope will help you find your way through the cosmetic jungle to choose your hyaluronic acid serum, we affirm our role as knowledge sharers.

You know the game where in the end “there can be only one,” we won’t go that far. However, by the end of your reading, believe us, it will be much easier to choose a hyaluronic acid serum.

Tip: if you don’t have time to read but don’t want to make a mistake, discover our star hyaluronic acid serum. 

WHAT DOES HYALURONIC ACID LOOK LIKE?

Or how to easily avoid the first marketing trap.

Illustration: show two photos of the powder and the gel, with a big “OR” between them. Caption: Powder or gel, that is the question?

The first key to decoding a hyaluronic acid serum, especially the displayed percentage, is to know what it is truly hyaluronic acid. 

Really, at the very beginning.

Before it’s in a cream or serum, when our researchers receive it in the lab. 

It’s a powder, a white powder.

WHY ARE WE EXPLAINING THIS?

To impress your aunt at the next family lunch. 

Yes, but not only that.

When we talk about the percentage of pure hyaluronic acid, we mean the amount of powder added to the formula when creating the product. This is what we claim at Novexpert:

3.2% pure hyaluronic acid, in other words 3.2g of powder per 100g of product. 

Some brands sometimes give in to the temptation to display 8 or 10% hyaluronic acid, but in some cases, they are not talking about the powder, but the hyaluronic acid gel.

HYALURONIC ACID GEL = WATER (a lot) + HYALURONIC ACID (a little)

Communicating about 10% hyaluronic acid when you only add 0.1% or 0.5% pure material in the product is tempting if driven by a financial goal. Tempting but not really honest. It’s the fast-food trick of adding 10 ice cubes to your drink to make you think you have more. Your drink is simply diluted. So is the hyaluronic acid.

GO HIGHER

The one proudly showing the highest amount is not necessarily the best. 

In terms of hyaluronic acid serum, the one with the highest displayed percentage is not necessarily the best.

Firstly, because that it’s not just the quantity that matters, but especially the size – we explain everything in the next paragraph – but also because too high a percentage of hyaluronic acid brings its share of difficulties and discomforts.  

1^st OBSTACLE: FORMULATION. The more hyaluronic acid you add, the stickier it gets. It seems basic, but it’s true.

Note: this statement is not true if you only use very low molecular weight (< 20,000 Da), but then there are other issues (see paragraph THE SMALLER, THE CUTER).

2^th OBSTACLE: TOLERANCEA hyaluronic acid percentage higher than 5% is not compatible with full-face application for pregnant women, for example.

3^th OBSTACLE: MUSICAL CHAIRSThis means that if all the space (all the seats) in the formula is taken up by hyaluronic acid, no other active ingredient can be included in the formula. Its effectiveness will therefore be reduced.  

And there is a 4^th OBSTACLEthat no one talks about or only half mentions: the priceWe say it and write it: hyaluronic acid is one of the most expensive ingredients. Our daily goal is therefore to find the balance between effectiveness and a fair price that makes this effectiveness accessible to all. Easy to say, but hard to achieve.

Note #2: this obstacle disappears if you only use very low molecular weight from distant countries… Everyone makes their own choices.  

One of the Doctors we work with often explains, "Cooking is chemistry, but chemistry is not cooking." So remember, you can’t just add as much hyaluronic acid as you would chocolate to make the final result better. 

WHEN IT COMES TO HYALURONIC ACIDS, SIZE MATTERS.

Both the large and the small have their place in a hyaluronic acid serum. 

Within the family of hyaluronic acids, there are different members, each with its role. They are distinguished by their sizes, also called molecular weights. There are 4 groups of molecular weights (a unit measuring the size of a molecule). Like in a family, each has its role, and it is the balance of 2, 3, or 4 that predicts synergy and thus an effective treatment. It took the Novexpert Doctors over 18 months to find the balance – that is, the optimal percentage within 0.1% – between the 4 molecular weights in the Hyaluronic Acid Booster Serum.

COLLAGEN BOOSTER (ANTI-AGING)

The properties of hyaluronic acids are simply explained by their size. The largest stays on the skin surface because it cannot pass through the skin layers. It retains water and forms a protective film that limits dehydration.. 

Hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water.Figuratively speaking, 1g of hyaluronic acid can hold a 1L bottle. Yes, you’ll think of us while shopping too. 

The smallest one sneaks down to the dermis – the second layer of the skin – to stimulate collagen synthesis, the springs responsible for skin firmness and elasticity. Double anti-aging benefit for the hyaluronic acid serum that contains it!

BELIEVING ONLY WHAT YOU SEE HAS NEVER BEEN SO TRUE

As an anecdote, know that we had dozens of hyaluronic acids received from suppliers analyzed. Surprisingly: many hyaluronic acids (often the cheapest) were found to be non-compliant with the molecular weights indicated by the supplier.… These analyses allowed us to choose the right hyaluronic acids, namely those that respect the announced molecular weights. To our knowledge, few (if any...) brands conduct such tests. They are costly, not mandatory, and often lead you to choose the most expensive hyaluronic acid.... 

THE SMALLER IT IS, THE CUTER IT IS

Not really... and it’s not more effective either.

You probably noticed, in our previous paragraph, we do not talk about hyaluronic acid below 20,000 Da.

This is not an oversight.

We will never include very low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (<20,000 Da) in our products.The reason is simple: some scientific publications mention a pro-inflammatory effect of these hyaluronic acids. 

It’s no surprise because in the skin, aging hyaluronic acids of very low molecular weight are destroyed to preserve cells and the integrity of the skin barrier. This elimination is carried out by the famous hyaluronidases that some brands want to destroy even though they are essential for skin balance... 

HOW TO KNOW IF A BRAND ADDS A LOT OF VERY LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HYALURONIC ACID TO INFLATE THE DISPLAYED PERCENTAGE? 

You cannot know.

This is probably not the answer you expected, but it is true. 

Within the INCI list (ingredient list) of a hyaluronic acid serum, many molecular weights can be hidden behind the terms "SODIUM HYALURONATE" or "HYDROLYZED HYALURONIC ACID," ranging from very high to very low molecular weights...

As far as we are concerned, we assure you that we do not use hyaluronic acids below 20,000 Da. 

But then why do some brands still use them? Probably out of ignorance. Certainly to reduce the sticky feel of their hyaluronic acid serum. 

ALONE WE SOMETIMES GO FASTER, TOGETHER WE DEFINITELY GO FARTHER.

When teamwork is also reflected in formulation 

We had begun to mention it in the "GO HIGHER" section: a cream, serum, or treatment cannot be reduced to a single active ingredient, no matter how concentrated it is. To act in the short and long term, the hyaluronic acid serum must be considered as a whole and offer actives that work in synergy. 

Within the Novexpert hyaluronic acid serum booster for example, there is more than 25% active ingredients (by quantity, not number of ingredients of course). 3.2% pure hyaluronic acid combining 4 molecular weights but also other anti-aging and moisturizing actives such as:

• a polysaccharide booster of our own hyaluronic acid synthesis so that the skin is not tempted to be lazy and develops good habits even if the booster is not applied every day. In terms of performance, this active ingredient selected by the Novexpert Doctors increases the synthesis of hyaluronic acid in the epidermis and dermis, the two skin layers.

• several active ingredients with moisturizing properties helping to smooth the skin and fill dehydration fine lines. These ingredients notably stimulate aquaporins and claudins, two families of proteins involved in protection against dehydration.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TESTING EFFECTIVENESS WITH CLINICAL STUDIES

Last point but not least.

As you now know:

• not all hyaluronic acids are equal; size is particularly important. 
• we cannot trust the data provided by hyaluronic acid suppliers.
• the highest concentration is not necessarily the most beneficial.
• hyaluronic acid alone will always be less effective than if it is accompanied. 

For all these reasons, it is essential to test the effectiveness of the finished product, the hyaluronic acid serum as it is on the market, to ensure benefits. And again, there are great disparities, with several mindsets clashing.  

Those IN A HURRY, who want to launch as quickly as possible.

Strategy : not conducting any effectiveness test on the finished product. Bold but sometimes rewarding. This helps reduce the price, but in our opinion, an ineffective product will always be too expensive.

The SMART ONES, who use laboratory studies done by the active ingredient supplier.

Strategy : no new study to conduct, just recycle the data sent by the hyaluronic acid supplier, for example. To understand well, let’s take a culinary image. Choosing this approach means claiming that to make an excellent chocolate cake, it is enough only buying good chocolate. It would be far too simple. A combination of ingredients – in cooking as in cosmetics – requires trials and tests to confirm the real effectiveness of the whole.

The TRICKY ONES who settle for a satisfaction test but communicate it as an effectiveness test.

Strategy : giving products to customers and asking if they are satisfied after one or two months. No instrumental measurement or intervention by a doctor/dermatologist. It’s useful but not sufficient. This type of test must be complemented by a medically controlled study to be rigorous. 

The STRICT ONES, who test the effectiveness of the finished product.

Strategy : sending the hyaluronic acid serum to an independent laboratory to evaluate its effectiveness over several weeks or even months. Volunteers go to the lab, and measurements/evaluations are done by machines and dermatologists.

It is the highest level of proof of effectiveness.

This is the demanding approach chosen by Novexpert Laboratories.

IN SHORT

Even if you’ve understood, we prefer to be thorough. 

The next time you are in your pharmacy, your favorite organic store, or in front of your computer screen, and you have to choose a hyaluronic acid serum, remember this article but above all… 

Remember that yes, when it comes to hyaluronic acid, size matters, so dig, ask questions, and don’t leave room for unspoken details.

Remember that the highest concentration is not necessarily the one that will suit you best.

Remember that if the displayed price is strangely low, it is sometimes possible that you are compromising on quality or effectiveness.

Remember that behind a product, there is more than just one active ingredient. Other ingredients work behind the scenes, and in the best cases, rigorous (but costly) tests are conducted to validate the effectiveness and safety of the treatment.

Finally, remember a little… about our serum.