Hyaluronic Acid Serum by Reviva Labs is an affordable skin care product that promises to “gain and retain skin moisture.” Used alone, or under other moisturizers or face creams, it’s supposed to instantly plump up skin and temporarily fill in wrinkles. Does it work? Do I suddenly look ten years younger? Read on for my review…
A few months ago a friend of mine raved to me about a pricey $150 serum that instantly made her look like she got her face injected with a syringe of Restylane. She claimed an annoying wrinkle that bothered her magically disappeared a few days after using this expensive serum. I was intrigued, yet skeptical. I looked at the ingredients of the product and noticed hyaluronic acid was the main ingredient, so I sought out a much cheaper alternative that also received positive reviews – Reviva Labs Hyaluroinc Acid.
- What Is Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic Acid (HA, and it’s also called Sodium Hyaluronate) is a substance that is naturally found in your body – it cushions and lubricates the body’s connective tissues, and it helps with tissue repair. But as you age, and as your skin is exposed to damaging UV rays, hyaluronic acid gets depleted. In cosmetics, plant-derived, skin-identical hyaluronic acid is sometimes touted as a “fountain of youth,” but that’s a highly exaggerated claim. HA does have the capability of mimicking healthy skin and protecting its structure. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means it has a high water-absorption capability, and it can draw water into the skin from the environment. - Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum Review
HA sounds like an exciting anti-wrinkle ingredient, and while I’ve used lots of products with it before, the Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum has the highest concentration of hyaluronic acid I’ve tried (hyaluronic acid is the product’s third ingredient, after water and glycerine). About the serum, Reviva Labs says it’s ”our highest-potency daily moisture booster! Now compounded with a higher level of premium Hyaluronic Acid into a precious fluid that can help raise skin’s moisture level to fill-in furrows, plump up tissues and tone-down lines.” The product is meant to be applied under creams at night, or you can use it alone to hydrate your skin.
I bought Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum on Amazon for about $12. Yep it’s super cheap! I’ve been using it for a few months and have tried it in a variety of ways – under my sunscreen and makeup in the mornings, at night by itself, and at night under cream moisturizers, or mixed with other moisturizers. I am always on the lookout for products that really plump up my skin and give the illusion of a more hydrated, well-rested, less wrinkly me. I was expecting this hyaluronic acid serum to provide that, but I’ve been slightly disappointed. By itself, it’s not very moisturizing on my dry skin, so I can’t use it alone as a moisturizer. It has a lightweight consistency and sinks into my skin quickly. I’ve experimented with putting it on one side of my face, and then layering on moisturizer on my whole face, and I can’t tell the difference. So it’s not much of a moisturizer booster to me. Maybe if you have normal or oily skin the product would work better as a light moisturizer.
I read in Leslie Baumann, MD’s book The Skin Type Solution that if you live in a dry climate (like I do), hyaluronic acid may actually make your skin even more dry. What?? Remember when I said the ingredient is a humectant and it can draw water from the environment into your skin? In dry climates it can do the reverse and actually pull water out of your skin, increasing dryness! I haven’t noticed my skin becoming more dry from the serum – it just seems the same – not more or less moisturized. Reviva Labs even addresses the humectant issue and says: “unlike products that depend on moisture in the air, HA can help hydrate skin even in dry climates or heated rooms that rob skin of moisture.” So I’m not sure what to believe. A few weeks ago I was excited because Las Vegas had one of its rare humid days, and I eagerly wore the HA serum all day and night, but I didn’t notice any sudden temporary plumping of my face – it looked the same as always. Oh well.
In Leslie Baumann’s book, for the best hydrating results, she suggests pairing humectant ingredients like hyaluronic acid with occlusive ingredients (to hold the water in) such as mineral oil, petrolatum, dimethicone, jojoba oil, ceramides, etc. She uses the word occlusive, but that doesn’t mean those ingredients cause acne (they don’t usually). Today I tried mixing the Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum with jojoba oil, and that seemed to slightly increase the hydrating properties of the jojoba oil. I will keep experimenting with the HA serum by layering it under different moisturizers.
The serum should be safe for acne-prone skin, and I personally haven’t experienced any breakouts from it. The online reviews of the serum are fairly good, with a lot of people reporting a temporary plumping of their skin, and a temporary reduction in fine lines. Other people are like me, and don’t notice much of a benefit.
- An alternative to dermal fillers like Restylane, Juvederm, and Hylaform?
Remember my friend that told me about her expensive “fountain of youth serum?” She also told me the serum was a topical alternative to having to get expensive, painful fillers like Restylane. This isn’t true. It’s true that Restylane, Juvederm, and Hylaform are made of hyaluronic acid, but topical serums do not have the capability of penetrating the skin like fillers injected by a doctor. Serums can only work superficially, and topically hyaluronic acid is only a temporary way of plumping up skin – it doesn’t help to reduce wrinkles in the long-term like retinol products, for example. It just helps the skin appear more hydrated and line-free while you’re wearing it, and to some degree it could help keep your skin in better condition. - Bottom Line
Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum is the first skin care product I’ve used that contains a high level of hyaluronic acid, and I haven’t yet compared it to similar serums. I wasn’t expecting a miracle, but I was expecting a noticeable temporary plumping up of my skin, and a temporary softening of my wrinkles. I will continue experimenting with the serum by layering it under other moisturizers to see if I can come up with an effective combo. There aren’t really any side effects, and due to the mostly positive online reviews of the product, and the fact that it’s only $12, I would still recommend people try the Hyaluronic Acid Serum for themselves.
Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum Ingredients: Demineralized spring water, glycerine (vegetable), hyaluronic acid, polysorbate 20, hydrolyzed mucopolysaccharides, green tea extract, hydroxyethylcellulose, simethicone, carmelized sugar, methylparaben, propylparaben.
Have you tried Reviva Labs Hyaluronic Acid Serum or a similar product? Did it benefit your skin? Do you have a favorite hyaluronic skincare product?
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