Introducing Polyglutamic Acid: The Skincare Ingredient You’re Sure To Love

There are few things worse than your skin feeling dehydrated. You know, that pulling, tight feeling? You’d probably presume this is because your skin is dry, but what’s actually wrong with your skin is that it’s dehydrated. Most of us will have dehydrated skin without even realising it. Even if your skin is as oily as a chip pan, you could still be suffering from dehydration.

That’s where polyglutamic acid comes in. It’s a pity we don’t have Eva Longoria to sound it out for us, so we’re gonna have to power through it ourselves. But long story short, it’s the new hyaluronic acid (that we all know and love) but even better. Yep, even better.

According to skin expert and facialist, Debbie Thomas, who recently spoke to Refinery29, “Everything from pollution and sun exposure to wind, air-con and central heating can sap the much-needed water in our skin.” But just drinking your quota of water a day won’t cut it, unfortunately. “The key to well hydrated skin is a combination of drinking enough water and boosting the water content of your skin cells,” explains Debbie. “This also means minimising water loss through your skin.”

Usually, we would reach for our trusty hyaluronic acid to give our skin some well-needed hydration. But it’s time for hyaluronic to step to the side, because now it’s all about polyglutamic acid (PGA). With the ability to hold a whopping ten times more moisture than hyaluronic acid, it sounds like a serious game changer. PGA reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, helps with your skin’s natural exfoliation process, minimises pigmentation, boosts elasticity, and stimulates the skin’s natural moisturising processes. Sound divine? Yep, thought so.

“Polyglutamic acid is an exciting new ingredient that will leave skin smooth, plump and radiant,” reveals cofounder of Be For Beauty and CEO of the The Inkey List, Mark Curry. “What makes it different to hyaluronic acid is that it forms a film on the skin that stops water from evaporating, so not only is it a humectant that draws more water into the cells, it holds it there too.”

But if you’ve pulled out all the stops when it comes to hyaluronic acid, don’t panic. Your fave products don’t have to just lay there gathering dust, because hyaluronic and polyglutamic are a dream team when used together. According to Mark, “Hyaluronic acid can still be used as it will hydrate the lower levels of the skin. This has the added benefit of helping the skincare that follows to penetrate deeper. By adding PGA into the mix, you’re hydrating and plumping the top layer of skin and creating a seal that ensures maximum hydration.”

If you want to give PGA a go, check out The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid. Not to ‘spenny and promises to pack a punch. Get ready to be the most hydrated gal in all the land.

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• Hyaluronic Acid
• Polyglutamic Acid
• skincare