With summer slowly waning, our favorite skincare self-care season is
on the horizon. What better way to ease the transition between
blistering hot, long and sweaty days to chilly air and a lot less
sunshine? We’ll be too busy pampering ourselves with this new
superstar ingredient, perfect for skin hydration and a healthy,
youthful glow. Polyglutamic acid is a lesser known ingredient that
we’re predicting will start making waves this fall and winter.
Wondering if this could be the next big hit in your beauty arsenal?
Stay tuned to learn more about what this pint-sized powerhouse can do.
All About Polyglutamic Acid
We’re sure there’s one burning question that needs to be addressed,
and we aren’t going to keep anyone in suspense. Exactly what is
polyglutamic acid? Like some of our other favorite skincare
ingredients – niacinamide or propanediol, to name a few – this star
powered ingredient has a bit of an intimidating name, but what’s
hiding behind all the syllables has us shaking up our skincare
routines.
Polyglutamic acid is a humectant skincare ingredient. A humectant is
designed to address skin hydration by not only preserving the existing
moisture in the skin and diminishing escaping moisture, but also by
drawing moisture from the environment to keep the skin hydrated
longer. Skin hydration is one of the keys to smooth, supple, and
ageless skin. Quite similar to another well-loved skincare ingredient,
hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid is shown to be a slightly enhanced
version of this popular skincare ingredient.
Why Choose Polyglutamic Acid?
As we mentioned, skin hydration is super important; we might even
argue that it is the most important aspect of skin care. We know that
when the skin is struggling to achieve or maintain hydration, that
leaves us at risk for a host of skin irritation. Skin hydration is
really our first line of defense against anything – from the
environment to bacteria! Beyond breakouts and rashes, skin that isn’t
properly hydrated is more sensitive to any potential irritant, and
much more likely to show signs of aging like fine lines and dullness.
Still, why go with a product that features polyglutamic acid? First
and foremost, it’s one of the best options when it comes to safety and
stability for all skin types, but especially sensitive skin. Those
with sensitive skin shouldn’t have to compromise on skin hydration
just to properly care for the skin and with this ingredient, we’re
able to have it all.
Polyglutamic acid is shown to be anti-aging, aiding in diminishing the
appearance of enlarged pores, fine lines, and general skin texture. As
this skin hydration acid is rejuvenating for the skin, it helps to
diminish breakouts, dry skin, flaking, dullness, and revive the skin’s
natural bounce and glow.
Beyond that, polyglutamic acid is gentle enough to be used both
morning and evening. It is a team player, and combines well with other
common skincare favorites, like vitamin C and even retinol. And one
thing that we all love – this ingredient is popular enough to find
rather easily, but not so in demand to be inaccessible. Affordable and
easy to find, polyglutamic acid might already be lurking in our
existing skincare regimen.
This or That
What makes polyglutamic acid a standout star among a host of other
skin hydration players? Many of us are comfortable turning to
hyaluronic acid when our skin needs a hydration boost, so how does
this ingredient differ?
One of the main reasons we’d vote for polyglutamic acid over another
common humectant like hyaluronic acid is simply that it is shown to be
even more hydrating. For those with naturally dry skin types, or
suffering side effects of skin and acne treatments, a product like
this could be a game changer.
Another reason polyglutamic acid makes such a difference with skincare
is the textural repair we can achieve with this ingredient. Like we
mentioned before, one of the main benefits of polyglutamic acid comes
from diminishing skin texture, like the appearance of pores and fine
lines. Polyglutamic acid helps to blur away that texture and restore
elasticity for smoother, more supple and juicy, bouncy skin.
Finally, and truly, the most critical differentiator between
polyglutamic acid and other humectants, is that while another skin
hydration option like hyaluronic acid is effective, it’s already
native to the skin and skin cell structure. Naturally occurring in the
body, it’s used in skincare from a supplementary standpoint, but when
we add polyglutamic acid to our skincare routine, we’re giving our
skin a benefit that it wouldn’t have access to naturally. Because it’s
got a greater capacity for hydration than HA, it simply takes first
place in our hydration arsenal.
Who Should Use It
We love finding skincare ingredients to support our sensitive skin
folks, and polyglutamic acid is an option that – for the most part –
works for everyone. We always recommend testing with a patch test but
even so, this mild and gentle ingredient is so hard at work helping to
instill mega hydration that the risk of irritation is practically
little to none.
We can’t see why anyone of any skin type would want to miss out on the
fun with this ingredient. In moderation, and with the right
combination of products, polyglutamic acid can work for everyone. That
said, very dry skin, recovering skin, mature skin, and acneic skin
types can truly benefit the most from this incredible ingredient.
Alone the skin hydration that polyglutamic acid helps us achieve is
key in addressing the variety of needs that these specific skin types
have. Furthermore, as polyglutamic acid helps with texture and
elasticity, regular use of this ingredient can help with restoring
hydration and diminishing fine lines or any unwanted texture on the
skin.
Building A Routine
Ready to learn how to incorporate this product into the dream team?
Here are some tips for working with this ingredient.
-
Polyglutamic acid is mild enough to be used morning, night, or
both morning and evening. For normal, combnation, and oily skin
types, this product may be best applied for overnight repair skin
hydration. -
Best applied in a serum, essence, or moisturizer, polyglutamic
acid is best delivered in between the serum and moisturizing steps
of any routine. -
While it pairs well with a host of other power players – such as
retinol, vitamin C, and niacinamide – it’s best to limit the
active ingredients on the skin to reduce the risk of irritation.