As summer shifts to fall, bringing with it cooler temps and drier air, you might be noticing your skin feeling a bit dehydrated. To bring some much-needed moisture back to your skin, look to one of the most powerful and popular hydrators in skin care: hyaluronic acid. This polysaccharide molecule works by drawing and holding water in your skin, helping it feel and look plumper and more hydrated. Wondering how to use hyaluronic acid in your daily skin care routine? We’ll break down:

• Where to use hyaluronic acid
• When to use hyaluronic acid in your routine
• How to add hyaluronic acid to skin care

Where Should You Use Hyaluronic Acid?

Where you use hyaluronic acid depends on where you need hydration. Facial serums and moisturizers with hyaluronic acid will help hydrate your entire face, while specialty products such as eye cream or a lip treatment are meant to focus on a specific part of your face. There are also body lotions with hyaluronic acid to help hydrate the skin on the rest of your body.

When to Apply Hyaluronic Acid

If you’re using hyaluronic acid on your face in a serum, moisturizer or mask, board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger recommends applying it right after cleansing. “Because hyaluronic acid binds with water in your skin, applying it while your skin is still damp is most effective,” Dr. Schlessinger says. Likewise, a body lotion with hyaluronic acid is best used after a shower when your skin is damp. You can use hyaluronic acid products as part of your morning or evening skin care routine. “Hyaluronic acid plays well with other common skin care ingredients, so it’s okay to use it in tandem with products that contain anti-aging actives such as retinol and AHA, or acne treatments that contain salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.”

8 Ways to Add Hyaluronic Acid to Your Skin Care Routine

1. Add a stand-alone serum

A facial serum with hyaluronic acid is easy to incorporate into your routine because it’s as simple as adding one step. SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Hyaluronic Acid Gel Serum is a daily facial serum with a gel-like texture containing hyaluronic acid to bind moisture in your skin and vitamin B5 to help repair skin tissue.

“I’d recommend applying this in the morning after your vitamin C serum and before your daily sunscreen,” Dr. Schlessinger says.

2. Choose a sunscreen with hyaluronic acid

Another way to improve your skin’s hydration is to use a daily sunscreen that contains hyaluronic acid. EltaMD Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46 Sunscreen - Untinted combines zinc oxide and octinoxate to protect your skin against both UVA and UVB rays with a lineup of skin-improving ingredients, including hyaluronic acid to hydrate, niacinamide to calm redness and lactic acid to help smooth and soften skin.

3. Apply a hydrating eye cream

Hyaluronic acid is a favorite ingredient in eye creams for its plumping effects. LovelySkin LUXE Brightening Eye Cream harnesses the power of hyaluronic acid to bind moisture and help crow’s feet look less prominent while SNAP-8 peptides help smooth the appearance of fine lines. It also contains optical technology to help diffuse light, helping dark circles look lighter.

4. Switch up your daily moisturizer

If you’re looking for a new facial moisturizer to wear daily, you can choose one with hyaluronic acid to transition into fall and winter. Dermalogica BioLumin-C Gel Moisturizer is formulated with five forms of hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate skin, and squalane acts as an emollient to help lock in that moisture. It also contains phytic acid and pumpkin enzymes, which gently exfoliate your skin with each application, helping your skin tone look more even over time.

5. Add a weekly face mask

Treating your skin to a weekly face mask is a relaxing way to add hyaluronic acid to your routine. Eminence Organics Strawberry Rhubarb Masque contains salicylic acid to gently exfoliate skin and curb acne, along with hyaluronic acid to help skin look plumper. Strawberry and rhubarb juice act as natural astringents while shea butter and grape seed oil help maintain long-lasting moisture.

6. Revive lips with a plumping treatment

Lips are one of the first body parts to feel the drying effects of cooler weather, and when used in a lip treatment, hyaluronic acid can provide some much-needed moisture. We love Revision Skincare’s YouthFull Lip Replenisher, which helps add volume to lips to diminish lines and achieve a fuller look. It also contains an antioxidant complex to help fight the free radicals that can lead to future signs of aging.

7. Massage on a body lotion

You can reap the hydrating benefits of hyaluronic acid for dry arms and legs with the help of a therapeutic body lotion, such as PCA SKIN Body Therapy. This skin-smoothing cream helps diminish rough patches with lactic acid, hydrate parched skin with hyaluronic acid and lock in moisture with softening shea butter. We recommend massaging it onto your skin after a shower or bath for the most effective hydration.

8. Try an anti-aging product with hyaluronic acid

If you're starting to notice early signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles, it could be just the right time to add an anti-aging treatment with hyaluronic acid into your routine. LovelySkin LUXE Anti-Aging Peptide Serum. combines peptides, Persian silk tree extract and specialized apple cells to help support collagen production and minimize fine lines and wrinkles. It also lightly hydrates your skin with hyaluronic acid for a more plump, youthful look.

Did you know that hyaluronic acid also powers some of the most popular injectable dermal fillers? Learn more about why everyone needs a hyaluronic acid product.