Restore humidity to the skin, making it look plumper and more radiant, all while reducing fine lines by using a DIY hyaluronic acid serum that is super simple to make and is great for every skin type.
This is one of those recipes that I wish I had started making years ago.
Ironically, I already had the ingredients for making it, having bought some hyaluronic acid without really knowing what to do with it, but I kept putting it off. I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s like making soap for the first time, it seemed more intimidating than what it really should have been.
I knew what hyaluronic acid was, or kind of, I guess. I just didn’t know what it would do for me, nor did I know if it would be difficult to make a serum with it.
Once I made this hyaluronic acid serum, though, I was hooked. I doubt I’ll ever be without it again!
What is hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a gel-like substance that is naturally found in the body in places like our cartilage or our synovial fluid. It is also a component of our skin that helps with tissue repair.
Why use hyaluronic acid serum?
Used externally, hyaluronic acid works in a number of ways.
First, it’s a humectant, meaning that it binds to moisture in the air and then holds onto it. This helps bring that moisture into your skin, hydrating it. Hydrated skin is normally plumper and smoother, so any wrinkles present are less noticeable.
Hyaluronic acid applied topically may also reduce redness and dermatitis.
So, basically, long story short, when you apply hyaluronic acid externally, you can help keep it hydrated and make it look smoother. It may also help fight some skin conditions.
Is hyaluronic acid comedogenic?
Luckily, for those with problems with acne, hyaluronic acid is not comedogenic. That said, some people may find that they get a bit of a breakout when they first start using it.
When I began using this homemade hyaluronic acid serum, I found that some areas of my skin started to clear up immediately. Other areas that were covered with small blemishes began to show larger, redder pimples surfacing with its use. I was worried that my skin wasn’t reacting well to the serum, so I looked it up online and found that other people had similar reactions when they used hyaluronic acid: they got more red pimples. Some chose to stop using it for that reason.
Because I had some areas that were actually improving (even during the part of my menstrual cycle when my skin is usually getting worse), I decided to stick with it and see what would happen. Everything I read pointed to hyaluronic acid being non-comedogenic. I was hoping that maybe things needed to get worse before they got better.
As luck would have it, with time, the areas with the red pimples cleared up, and I found that the smaller, less noticeable pimples that had been in those areas actually disappeared, leaving me with clearer skin than before! It seems to me that the serum helped bring those smaller pimples to a head, and eventually helped them disappear completely.
Now that I’m using the serum daily, I can’t claim to have perfect skin, but my skin is much, much clearer than it was a few months ago before I started.
Does hyaluronic acid dry out your skin?
Because it is a product that is meant to help hydrate your skin, some people are surprised to find that hyaluronic acid serums may make their skin feel drier.
This is usually due to the way that it is applied.
Hyaluronic acid, as a humectant, can absorb more than 1,000 times its weight in water!
If you apply this serum to dry skin, especially in a dry environment, the hyaluronic acid can start to draw some of the moisture from your skin and pull it into itself. That leaves you with the sensation of drier skin rather than more hydrated skin.
To prevent this from happening, you can either apply this to wet skin, right after having washed your face or right after spritzing on a toner. Another option is to apply it in combination with a lotion like a homemade facial moisturizer. (You can either apply this underneath the moisturizer or mix them together and apply as a lotion.)
When should you use this hyaluronic acid serum?
I’ve been using this serum twice daily for the last few months. I put it on right after washing my face at night and then again right after washing my face again, first thing in the morning. To keep it from drying out my skin, I apply it while my skin is still damp.
Low molecular weight vs. high molecular weight hyaluronic acid
When buying hyaluronic acid for your homemade serum, you’ll likely find that there are several types available. Most commonly, you’ll see these types referred to as low molecular weight vs. high molecular weight hyaluronic acid. This is based on the size of the molecules within that particular product.
In formulating my homemade serum, I chose to use both types of hyaluronic acid to benefit from the best properties of each of them. Each type will act on a different layer of our skin, and only one of them allows us to easily make a serum-like consistency.
Skin penetration
Low molecular weight hyaluronic acid penetrates the skin better, meaning that it may hydrate the skin more deeply. High molecular weight HA tends to stay closer to the surface of the skin, locking water in those superficial layers.
Making a gel-like serum
High molecular weight hyaluronic acid is a fun product to work with. When you mix it with water, it forms a nice gel, one that is perfect for making a serum. When you use high molecular weight HA for making your serum, you don’t normally need to add any thickeners like xanthan gum to your mixture, which is great because those gums can leave your skin with a sticky feeling.
Low molecular weight hyaluronic acid is that which is below 800 kDa. will not gel like the high molecular weight one.
Do you need a preservative in a homemade hyaluronic acid serum?
Yes!
Because this is a water based product, it is very important that you use a preservative to protect it from microbial growth.
While it’s quite easy to see mold forming in a homemade product, bacterial growth is normally invisible to the eye. I have seen pictures of skin reactions to creams that have been contaminated with bacteria, and it is not a pretty sight.
These days you can easily find many natural preservatives that are acceptable for use in organic and natural skincare products and that will ensure that you are making a safe product. (I’ll be writing a post about choosing a natural preservative soon.)
If you don’t use a preservative, you will need to keep this in the refrigerator and toss any remaining serum after a few days (definitely no longer than a week). With a more expensive ingredient like hyaluronic acid, though, do you really want to be wasting the excess? Do you really have the extra time to be making all of your products every couple of days?
Are you really willing to risk microbial contamination?
How long will this keep?
When using a preservative, this will depend on the preservative you use and how likely your product is to be contaminated with bacteria when making and using it. This can also be affected by how clean you keep things when making and packaging your serum, and on how you store it. (I prefer using a pump bottle to a dropper for long-term storage to keep contamination to a minimum.)
Because this is a homemade product, and most of us aren’t willing to spend the money on doing microbial testing to see how long this product will truly keep free of undesirable microbial growth, I like to err on the side of caution and only make enough for up to 3 months. In most cases, the product will keep longer, but because we can’t actually see bacterial growth, I think it’s important to make smaller batches and make new product several times a year.
Watch how simple it is to make this serum
How to Make a Homemade Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Materials
- .3 g glycerin
- .02 g hyaluronic acid- low molecular weight (below 800 kDa)
- .02 g hyaluronic acid- high molecular weight
- .16 g d-panthenol
- .1 g sharomix or other natural preservative
- 1 g collagen
- 8.4 g distilled water
Instructions
- Weigh out the glycerin in a small glass beaker.
- Tare the scale and add the hyaluronic acid powders. Mix the powders into the glycerin.
Hyaluronic acid powders can take a while to incorporate into the water and other aqueous ingredients. By mixing it with glycerine first, it is much easier to combine all of the ingredients quickly.
If you don’t want to use glycerin (another humectant), you should allow the hyaluronic acid powders to slowly absorb the water overnight and then you can thoroughly mix together the ingredients. - Tare the scale between each addition of your other ingredients. I’ve used d-panthenol and collagen, but those are optional ingredients. They can be substituted for more water.
- To customize your serum, and add a lovely scent, you can also substitute floral water or a hydrosol for part of the distilled water in the recipe.
- Because this product has water-based ingredients, you will need to use some sort of preservative to prevent microbial growth. You should use it at an adequate amount for your particular preservative. (Most natural preservatives are used at around 1% of the product, but some, like Leucidal, need to be used at higher percentages to be effective. Leucidal, for example, is normally used at around 3-4% of most recipes.)
- If using a different preservative, you’ll want to check the pH of the serum to make sure the pH is in the effective range for your particular preservative!
- Thoroughly mix together all of your ingredients until you get a smooth serum. If you find that you have small clumps of HA powder in the serum, you’ll want to leave it alone and allow the powder to absorb more of the liquid. After several hours of resting, you should be able to easily blend together the ingredients to get a smooth serum. (Using a small electric mixer can also help.)
- Pour the serum into bottles for storing and easy use. I often use small 10ml dropper bottles.
For larger amounts, I usually use a pump dispenser to avoid the bacterial contamination that can happen when using a dropper. (See the end of the video. I often touch the dropper to my skin.)
With very small quantities, you shouldn’t have issues when using a preservative, but it’s always best to err on the side of caution with homemade cosmetics. 😉
Julia
Hello lovely! Thank you for the great diy info! A few questions! When you say we should allow the hyaluronic acid powder to slowly mix with the water overnight do you mean that we should leave the powder sitting on top the water over night and then the next morning mix it together followed by adding the other ingredients and then mix these in as well Or can we mix the HA powder in with the water from the jumb and leave for 24hrs and then add the other good stuff?
Another question the lower the molecular weight the less gel like the mixture will turn out correct? Then this means that if I use a lower MW I can almost get a toner type mixture which is what I’m looking to achieve! I’m actually trying to make this hyaluronic acid toner to add to or use in conjunction with my other toners to make them more hydrating? Any thoughts or this ? Also Your blog is awesome! I’m so happy I found it!
Julie Leung
Hi Tracey
Love your recipes. I could not find Sharomix, if I use Leucidal, how many grams in your recipe. Thanks.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Julie,
Leucidal when used alone needs to be used at around 3-4% to be effective (vs. around 1% for sharomix). So, if this recipe calls for .1g sharomix, you’d need to use .3-.4g Leucidal.
andrea
hi,
could i add essential oils to the serum?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Andrea,
Sure, of course!
There are some, like frankincense, that are said to be good against wrinkles. ?
ruheen
can you please suggest some other preservative or link the one you have mentioned. im so excited to make this, just looking for a preservative. thank you for making long lasting simple product.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Ruheen,
I’m actually in the process of writing a post about natural preservatives but got sort of stopped in the middle because I need to fix up some older seasonal posts on my blog while I still can do so timely. 😉
Hopefully, I’ll be able to get it out soon.
Some that you can look into are Euxyl K903, preservative ECO, Cosgard/Geogard, etc.
I buy Sharomix 705 locally here in Spain, so I’m not sure of the best sources in the US.
I’ve used most of the ones listed above, and they have all worked well for me from what I can tell.
Petra W
This looks great! Two questions: do you find it works as well as serums from the store? Better? And second, where would you purchase these ingredients in the US?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Petra,
To be honest, I don’t notice any difference either way.
My skin isn’t very delicate, so I can use just about anything on my face without noticing much difference. I do like my skin better when using it than when not using it, though.
I bought my ingredients here in Spain, but I did find listings for a high molecular weight HA and a low molecular weight HA on Amazon. Unfortunately, it appears that they sell in large quantities (But at a very good price). I’m able to get very small bottles so it’s not as much of an investment, but mine are a lot more expensive in the long run.
If you were to buy those, you’d have enough to make serum for a LONG time! ?
Maybe you can get some friends to make some with you. You’d really be able to save a lot of money!
Sylvia K
Hi Tracy,
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m usually using a Spanish-manufactured preservative, the label says “Conservante Natural CH” (INCI: Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl alcohol, Aqua). Instructions advise using it at 0.8 to 1.7% of the total product weight. Adding it to my moisturizer (at 1%, as it is not acidic) renders it usable for up to 12 months. What persentage do you think I should for the hyaluronic acid serum? The maximum, given that the basis is an acid?
Thanks in advance!
P.S. I’ve got the same scale. Superb stuff. Cheers!
Tracy Ariza
Hi Sylvia,
I couldn’t find a lot of the technical information for your preservative (maybe your supplier gave you more information?), but I did see one place where it states that your preservative works in a range up to a pH of 6 so you should be fine with most lotions and serums you make. (You can always adjust any that are more alkaline down with some lactic acid. A pH of around 5-5.5 is a good target pH for skincare and haircare products anyway.)
I always like to test the pH of my finished product and make sure that it’s in an effective range for the preservative I’m using. To me, that’s the main thing you need to worry about. I usually shoot for a mid-range (around 1%) like you because I figure we’ll always have a bit of error with our home scales. I don’t want to end up with too little (won’t preserve well) or too much preservative (can irritate skin).
I’d also like to make a recommendation. When I make my own products, I shoot towards making small batches that won’t last more than 3 months.
While it’s true that most of these preservatives should make products that will keep quite a bit longer than that, because we aren’t normally going to do any sort of microbial testing on our products, I think it’s best to err on the side of caution. (I also toss at the first signs of anything that looks a bit off.) 😉
Julia
Hello lovely! Thank you for the great diy info! A few questions! When you say we should allow the hyaluronic acid powder to slowly mix with the water overnight do you mean that we should leave the powder sitting on top the water over night and then the next morning mix it together followed by adding the other ingredients and then mix these in as well Or can we mix the HA powder in with the water from the jumb and leave for 24hrs and then add the other good stuff? Your blogs awesome! I’m so happy I found it!
Stephanie Myers
Hi – Thanks for this great article. A quick question about the final liquidity of my serum. I used a version of your recipe with the hyaluronic, distilled water and leucidal. It originally had a lovely gel-like state but later became very liquidy without any gel texture at all. Is this a standard outcome?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Stephanie.
That’s interesting. I haven’t had that happen. Mine begins and stays as a somewhat thin gel. You could try thickening it slightly with something like xanthan gum, but that might also make it feel strange when using it.
Bles
Hi Tracy,
Love your blog. I learned the hard way that coconut oil is not great for my face. Hence, why I found your recipe. I have combination skin, so would love to try it!
The scale you suggested on your recipe only goes to 1g. How do you measure to 0.01g please?
Thank you.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Bles,
Thank you so much!
I actually use 2 scales at home for most cosmetic recipes. I use a kitchen scale like the one you mention for the larger quantities. I then use a jewelers scale for smaller amounts. I tend to use the jeweler’s scale for the preservative and smaller quantity ingredients, even if the recipe calls for a gram or two. It just tends to be a lot more accurate for that sort of thing. 😉
Bles
Thank you! Will let you know how I go.
Tracy Ariza
Great! Yes, I hope it goes well for you.
I’m happy to help whenever I can.
I wanted to link to an example for you, but I was away from my computer when I answered you before.
You can use something like this jeweler’s scale.
There are better scales on the market that are accurate to smaller amounts, but they are very, very expensive.
For most of us, it’s easier and cheaper to have both a kitchen scale and a jeweler’s scale. 😉
Lorie
Buenos Dias Tracy! I am thrilled to have stumbled upon your site. It have been experimenting with DIY skin products due to a severe (anaphylactic level!) propylene glycol allergy I developed a few years ago. It is an ingredient in many products, and can be hard to avoid, so I have been doing a lot of research and experimenting…
One of my favorite DIY mixes is a spritz-on toner. I have been experiencing a lot of ingrown chin hairs, and am trying this for prevention. Unfortunately since using it, I developed facial folliculitis, and reading on your website I now realize that part of the cause may have been the fact that I haven’t been using any preservative! YIKES! (Thank you so much for your emphasis on safety when DIY-ing!)
I wonder if you could take a look at my toner recipe, and 1) recommend a type and amount of preservative; and 2) see if there are any other errors in my blend? OR perhaps I could convince you to publish your toner recipe, if you have one?
Here is my toner recipe:
– 15 ml chamomile or rosewater hydrosol
– 15 ml alcohol free witch hazel
– 15 ml aloe vera juice
– 1 ml glycerin
– 10 drops lavender EO
– 5 drops neroli EO
– 5 drops myrrh EO
– 5 drops frankincense EO
– 5 drops tea tree EO
Thank you Tracy!
Con much aprecio,
~Lorie, Washington State
Tracy Ariza
Hi Laurie,
I’m sorry you had to deal with both the folliculitis and the allergy to propylene glycol!
I can definitely work on a toner recipe to share. I don’t really know why I haven’t done that earlier. 😉
For a preservative, there are a lot of them that you can use that are on the more natural side. I have started working on a post to talk more about them, but for now, I can list a few that you can look into. Some will be easier to find depending on where you live, and you can take a look at the ingredients in them to see if any cause you any problems.
I have used and like: Sharomix 705, Eukyl K903, Cosgard/Geogard, Rokonsal, and Preservative ECO.(I have also used Leucidal without issues, but I’m starting to have doubts on that one.)
These are all broad-spectrum preservatives that protect against both bacteria and molds. People assume that because they don’t see bacteria, they aren’t there or won’t be an issue.
I’m going through older posts now and updating them to make sure that safety is up to standards now that I have studied and learned a lot more than when I first started. There are still a few I need to fix, but I’m working as quickly as I can. 😉
For your toner, though, let me try to help you…
Preservatives are added by weight. Your recipe is made by volume, which isn’t really how precise recipes are usually written. So, to calculate how much preservative to use, I’d suggest you weigh out the ingredients next time you mix it up. You don’t really need to weigh out each ingredient, but you’ll need to know the final weight of all of the other ingredients.
Once you’ve figured that out, you can calculate how much preservative to use. Most are used in the 0.5%-1% range. So, for 100g of toner, you’d want 0.5-1g of most preservatives and 99g of the other ingredients.
You’ll also want to make sure the pH is in the right range for your preservative. (When you buy them, they should tell you the dosage and the effective pH range.)
Aloe juice is known to be difficult to preserve, so it could have contributed to the possible bacterial growth you may have experienced. Used in a small percentage of a recipe, it’s fine to use with a preservative, but you’d definitely need a preservative with this recipe (and I may lean towards using the higher percentage suggested when using something like aloe juice).
Lorie
Tracy, Thanks so much for the very helpful info… What a privilege to learn from a Pro. I will get out the scales, spbe way more careful with the aloe juice in the recipe, and get some preservatives… … I have subscribed and look forward to your posts, and continuing to absorb your wisdom! ~Lorie
Tracy Ariza
Hi Lorie,
Thank you! 🙂
I’m happy to help and I’ll try to work on a good toner soon. ?
Carolyn
Hi Tracy my name is Carolyn thank you for sharing your recipe. One of your ingredients in your recipe is collagen I’ve been looking for a cosmetic collagen to make face creams where did you find your collagen for your recipe thank you Carolyn
Tracy Ariza
Hi Carolyn,
I live in Spain, so I sourced it locally from a place called cremascaseras.es. They have a more naturally-focused shop with a lot of ingredients. I know they send internationally, but it may be easier to find something local to you.
Leesue
Hi, what is the difference of this HA recipe for skin and the kind one would use for injections, fillers?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Leesue,
That’s a good question.
I don’t know, really.
I’d assume that, at the very least, anything made for injections would have to be completely sterile, something that we can’t really accomplish at home.
I’m not sure what else they add to the HA for injections either. I’m not sure if they would use any time of preservative if it’s going to be absorbed by the body.
It may be similar, but I don’t really know.
sarah
Hello Tracy, here in my country I only get a 99% type of hyaluronic acid powder, should I always use 0.04gr? It says: 1% solution. Thanks
Tracy Ariza
Hi Sarah,
I think that’s probably a good starting point for a powder. (Mine is a 100% powder and they suggest dosing between ,01-,2%) Without knowing the molecular weight of it, it’s hard to know how thick your serum will be. You may want to play with the amount slightly to find something you like. I’d check on the suggestions for dosing from your supplier. If you still need to thicken it, but don’t want to use more HA (or are finding it doesn’t work with your product), you can also thicken with a small amount of xanthan gum or something like that.