To achieve smooth, even, and brighter skin, you must keep your skin well-hydrated. Hydration floods your skin cells with water, swelling and plumping them up. This smooths out your skin and enhances its ability to reflect light. The result? Skin that radiates health from within.
Along with brightening a dull complexion, hydration also facilitates skin functions. Since water transports nutrients to and from cells, a lack of hydration disrupts normal skin processes. This impedes the skin’s natural restoration mechanisms, leading to premature skin aging. Your skin needs hydrators to look and function at its best.
What Are Skin Hydrators?
To learn how hyaluronic acid (HA) skincare products and Heparan Sulfate Analog (HSA) serums work, you must understand what skin hydrators are. Skin hydrators use humectants to deliver water to the skin. Humectants are like magnets that attract water. When applied to the skin, humectants pull moisture from deep layers of the skin and the environment to keep the outermost layer hydrated.
The terms “hydrator” and “moisturizer” are often used interchangeably, but these two are not the same. Although both work to increase your skin’s water content, they do so in different ways. While hydrators, like HA skincare products, directly add water to the skin, moisturizers rely on occlusives, like oils and silicones, to form a protective seal over your skin to prevent water loss.
Moisturizers work best on dry skin. But no matter what skin type you have, everyone needs a hydrator, since your skin can’t function without sufficient water. Look for these hydrating ingredients in skincare products to maintain healthy, supple skin:
Hyaluronic Acid
Before we mention ceramides and HSA serums, let’s begin our list with this popular skincare ingredient: hyaluronic acid (HA). HA is a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan that helps your joints and tissues stay moist. This clear, gooey substance can hold 1,000 times its own weight in water. In your skin, hyaluronic acid binds water to collagen fibers to keep it firm and hydrated.
Despite all the buzz around this ingredient, HA skincare products can dehydrate your skin if used in dry environments. To prevent this, look for solutions that combine hyaluronic acid with occlusive ingredients. Senté Ultralight Defense Moisturizer is formulated with hyaluronic acid and lipids to hydrate your skin and prevent dry air from sucking out that moisture.
Heparan Sulfate Analog
This ingredient may not be a household name, but it is renowned in the scientific community. Heparan sulfate analog (HSA) is a modified form of heparan sulfate. Just like hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate (HS) is a glycosaminoglycan that your body produces naturally. In addition to retaining moisture, HS minimizes inflammation to enhance your body’s natural restoration processes.
That is why HSA serums are a great option for hydrating and restoring your skin. Not only does HSA hold onto water, but it also helps your skin rebuild its protective barrier to minimize moisture loss. One study published by the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology showed that topical application of HSA improved skin hydration within eight weeks of use.
So why is HSA not as well-known as hyaluronic acid? Because this ingredient is rare to find. Senté is the first and only company in the world to develop a version of heparan sulfate that can be absorbed into the skin. Our HSA-infused Dermal Repair Cream is clinically proven to transform your skin in just four weeks.
Lactic Acid
Moving on from HA skincare and HSA serums, let’s now discuss why you should use lactic acid. Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that is a part of your skin’s natural moisturizing complex. In skincare formulations, the ingredient is commonly derived from sour milk products. Along with being a mild exfoliant, lactic acid is a humectant that helps keep the skin hydrated.
In high concentrations, lactic acid can irritate your skin. To enjoy its benefits without any side effects, look for a product that specifies lactic acid in the bottom half of the ingredients list. Senté Illuminé Eye Cream uses a low concentration of lactic acid to hydrate and renew the skin around your eyes. Our exclusive formulation produces smoother skin in under 12 weeks.
Panthenol
Panthenol is provitamin B5. It is commonly used in personal care products ⏤ including HA skincare and HSA serum formulations ⏤ to boost their hydrating capabilities. This is because panthenol has powerful water-attracting and water-retaining properties. One study found that using panthenol-based formulations keep skin hydrated even after washing with harsh soaps.
Along with being hydrating, panthenol is also an anti-irritant agent. That’s why we use this ingredient in our retinol serums. Formulated with slow-release retinoids and provitamin B5, Senté Bio Complete Serum increases cellular turnover while hydrating and soothing your skin. After eight weeks, your skin is left softer and more even-toned.
Ceramides
Unlike HA skincare ingredients, ceramides don’t fit into the standard definition of a “hydrator.” But they play a crucial role in keeping your skin hydrated. Ceramides are lipids that make up 40% of the skin’s protective barrier. They strengthen the integrity of the outermost dermal layer to prevent water from evaporating out of your skin. This helps keep more moisture in the skin.
Since it's an essential component of the skin barrier, anyone can benefit from including ceramides in their skincare routine. And what better ceramide product to use than the Senté Dermal Repair Ultra-Nourish cream. Our award-winning formulation is so hydrating that it can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles after only 12 weeks of use.
Hydrate Your Skin With Senté
Hydration is key to achieving smooth, even, and radiant skin. Besides its effect on your appearance, your skin needs water to heal and rebuild. Without sufficient hydration, your skin will turn crepey and age faster than it should. Shop Senté medical-grade HA skincare and HSA serums to keep your skin looking and functioning at its best.
