My understanding is that hyaluronic acid is supposed to be put on damp skin and Vitamin C is supposed to be used on dry skin, so how do these ingredients work together? Am I believing a myth about these ingredients? Or is L-Ascorbic different?

Question

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The theory behind applying hyaluronic acid to damp skin is that the added moisture will help “course correct” the ingredient. This means it discourages the humectant from drawing moisture out of the skin and into the environment and instead allows hyaluronic acid to draw the moisture that the dampened skin provides into deeper layers of the skin, providing ultimate hydration.

Except it doesn’t work that way. Hyaluronic acid is hygroscopic (water-loving); it can hold 1,000 times its weight in water so any that you add to skin’s surface will be taken up by the hyaluronic acid like a magnet, helping to hydrate skin’s uppermost layers. The water does not aid the transport of hyaluronic acid deeper into the skin—this is where lower molecular weights of hyaluronic acid shine. - Paula’s Choice ingredient website (this was a thing before she had products to sell).