PRODUCT REVIEW: GLOSSIER SUPER BOUNCE HYALURONIC ACID + VITAMIN B5 SERUM - BEST HYALURONIC ACID SERUM, BEST HYDRATING SERUM FOR FACE
GLOSSIER | SUPER BOUNCE HYALURONIC ACID + VITAMIN B5 SERUM
This product review was originally part of my blog article titled, New Hyaluronic Acid Serums I Love from Farmacy Beauty, Herbivore, Glossier and More - Best Hyaluronic Acid Serums, Best Hydrating Serums For Face. You can catch the full piece here.
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One of the most absurd experiences of every New Yorker is riding the subway train on a hot, humid summer day. It can literally be 90 degrees on the subway platform. I’ve taken the subway in Moscow, Hong Kong and Tokyo and believe that all of those cities have air conditioning in their subway stations. Why wouldn’t they? It’s just common sense. There are probably bathrooms in their stations, too. But New York? Nope. Feeling comfortable or somehow cared for in the New York City subway wouldn’t be very New York now would it?
So, I sweat like a marathon runner on the train. Long ago, I began to carry what old-school New Yorkers refer to as a guinea rag in my backpack. “Guinea” being a derogatory term for an Italian-American, a guinea rag is basically a small, gym towel or kitchen rag a guy uses to soak up the sweat on his head.
On those hot days, and we had a few of them this past week, I feel like I sweat out all my body’s water content in an otherwise innocuous 40-minute train ride from Brooklyn to the Bronx.
But there’s a simple remedy for keeping skin hydrated on a hot summer day: a humectant serum.
And I love a good humectant serum! My most recent piece on humectants was right at the beginning of the year in a blog article titled, My Favorite Humectant Serums from Paula's Choice, The Inkey List, Ghost Democracy and More.
MY FAVORITE HUMECTANT SERUMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE INKEY LIST AND MORE - BEST HYALURONIC ACID SERUMS
Among my favorites featured were the The Ordinary’s Marine Hyaluronics and the Derma-E Ultra Hydrating Alkaline Gel Booster (it’s a mouthful, but worth the experience!). Notably, the Marine Hyaluronics serum from The Ordinary is one of the first two skincare products I use in my day — only minutes after Orpheus and I waken.
A good humectant serum is essential for maintaining skin health on both a hot summer day and during the harsh cold weeks of winter. Among the most effective hydrators (or re-hydrators!) is a well-formulated Hyaluronic Acid serum.
While Hyaluronic Acid is far and away the most popular and most sought-after of humectants, it is by no means the only one. Humectant ingredients that are equally effective at preventing trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and subsequent dehydration include: Beta Glucan, Butylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica, Polyglutamic Acid, Glycerin, Aloe Vera, Snow Mushroom and even common seaweed, or algae.
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What Is Trans-epidermal Water Loss?
There’s an excellent article on the health website Skin Better titled, What Is Transepidermal Water Loss and Why Is it Important? available here. In the piece, the author defines TEWL as follows:
“The skin is comprised of three primary layers: the epidermis, the outermost layer; the dermis or middle layer; and the hypodermis, the undermost layer. When water passes from the dermis through the epidermis and evaporates from the skin’s surface, this is known as transepidermal water loss (International Journal of Pharmaceutics).
While TEWL is a process that your skin naturally regulates, certain factors that can damage the skin’s barrier function can also affect TEWL levels. Circumstances such as injury, low-humidity weather conditions and topically applied products that dry out the skin can impact TEWL.
To achieve this, combine humectant and occlusive skincare ingredients.
Transepidermal water loss can contribute to a variety of dry skin conditions, and although it is a natural process, there are ways that you can help your skin stay moisturized and hydrated. Hydration refers to the water content of the skin, whereas moisturization is the skin’s ability to retain those water molecules. Therefore, your skin needs both elements to maintain desirable levels of TEWL.
To achieve this, combine humectant and occlusive skincare ingredients. Humectants help to draw moisture to the epidermis, either from the air if it is humid enough, or from the underlying dermis in low-humidity conditions. Because water content that is drawn from the dermis can be lost through TEWL, it’s important to combine the use of humectants with occlusives. Together, these ingredients create a reservoir of moisture in the epidermis and act as a barrier on the skin to help prevent TEWL by sealing in that moisture. The occlusive agents simultaneously keep pollutants, toxins and harmful bacteria out (Skin Therapy Letter).”
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Maintaining proper hydration levels year-round is essential if skin is going to function at its peak. Healthy functioning skin is better able to defend against external aggressors like pollution, UV, and free radical attacks. And healthy skin is better fortified against aging. So while it may seem slick to say that a humectant serum that helps keep skin hydrated is an effective anti-aging product, it’s not really a stretch at all. It’s simple common sense.
With that, let’s take a look at one of my new humectant serum discoveries for keeping skin optimally hydrated day after day (and especially the really hot ones!).
Glossier | Super Bounce Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin B5 Serum
One of my favorite brand discoveries of 2021 has been cult favorite Glossier. Until this year, I’d been admiring Glossier from afar and I made it my mission over the last several weeks to really take the plunge. As suspected, I like everything I’ve experienced. In particular, the Glossier Solution Exfoliating Skin Perfector has become one of my favorite exfoliating acid toners. That’s even though it can sometimes be too harsh for my sensitive-ish skin.
And I reviewed the brand’s Super Glow Vitamin C + Magnesium Serum just two weeks ago in my collaboration with Antonio Jefferson Studio. For just $28, Glossier’s Super Glow is a pretty solid Vitamin C option, ideal for sensitive or acne prone skin.
Photo credit: ©2021 Antonio Jefferson, Antonio Jefferson Studios
But perhaps the product that’s brought me the most satisfaction is Glossier’s Super Pure Niacinamide + Zinc Serum. In the grand scheme of things Niacinamide, it’s not the most potent, the most effective, or the best Niacinamide serum available.
Super Pure is quite a simple formulation — with an INCI that’s just 10 ingredients deep. But it’s a solid formula, a moderate Niacinamide treatment — especially effective if you’re oily or acne prone. And, like the Glossier Super Glow, it’s just $28.
PRODUCT REVIEW: GLOSSIER SUPER PURE NIACINAMIDE + ZINC SERUM - BEST NIACINAMIDE SERUM FOR OILY SKIN
So with my experiences with Super Glow and Super Pure in the proverbial bag, it was time to test drive the Glossier Super Bounce Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin B5 Serum. Also priced at $28, the brand’s Hyaluronic Acid serum is a viable option if you’re in the market for a well-formulated hydrating serum.
With a milky, silky texture reminiscent of Herbivore’s Cloud Jelly Plumping Hydration Serum, the Super Bounce HA serum is a relatively simple formula with an INCI that’s just about a dozen ingredients deep.
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Included in the Super Bounce formula is what Glossier terms a 2% Hyaluronic Acid Complex, compromising three molecular weights of Hyaluronic Acid for more even, dispersed hydration throughout the skin’s upper layers.
It’s funny though, I can only find one form of Hyaluronic Acid listed: Sodium Hyaluronate.
In addition, there’s Panthenol, or Vitamin B5 — an effective moisturizer and humectant. It’s an unsexy ingredient as old as time and was popular in the tried-and-true formulas of my earlier years as a cosmetic department manager. I feel like every brand had a panthenol cream in the 70s and 80s. I know Kiehl’s did!
What Is Panthenol and What Is Panthenol in Skincare?
Just because it’s not sexy doesn’t mean it’s not effective — or should be overlooked. Panthenol has a broad range of benefits for the skin. In addition to its moisture retention abilities, it can even help to calm redness and irritation.
According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team,
Panthenol (sometimes referred to as pro-vitamin B5) is a popular humectant in personal care products due to its ability to attract and hold moisture. When topically applied, it converts to pantothenic acid, which is a naturally occurring substance within the body.
Studies show that 1% panthenol quickly increase skin’s hydration, while decreasing transepidermal water loss (the amount of water that evaporates through skin). The overall result is an improvement in the way skin feels and looks, including a more supple appearance.
Research also shows promise for panthenol’s ability to reduce sensitivity-induced redness in skin.
Topically applied panthenol in amounts between 1–5% has been reported to aid in healing and barrier repair.
Glossier’s Super Bounce Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin B5 Serum is super refreshing, super hydrating and super lightweight — ideal for humid summer weather. If your skin is combination, oily or very oily, Super Bounce makes a perfectly legitimate moisturizer, too.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Glossier Super Bounce Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin B5 Serum for $38 here.
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The Ingredient List of the Farmacy Beauty Filling Good:
Water/Aqua/Eau, Isoamyl Laurate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Isopentyldiol, Inositol, Glycerin, Inulin, Arginine, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract, Honey Extract, Propolis Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Sh-Polypeptide-123, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Diisostearyl Malate, Maltooligosyl Glucoside, Propanediol, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-1, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Glycogen, Ceratonia Siliqua (Carob) Gum, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Phytate, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Cellulose, Fructose, Glucose, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Ormenis Multicaulis Oil, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Flavor/Aroma, Arachidyl Alcohol, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Flower Extract, Behenyl Alcohol, Sclerotium Gum, Arachidyl Glucoside, Cellulose Gum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Limonene, Linalool, Xanthan Gum.
The Ingredient List of the Herbivore Cloud Jelly Plumping Hydration Serum:
so|h, Glycerin 
sii|h 0 0, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch Hydroxyethyl Ether h|vc, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Water, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract aox|h, Vegetable Collagen h, Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit Extract, Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract abrasive/scrub|h, Hibiscus Sabdariffa (Hibiscus) Flower Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate amic|pres, Microcrystalline Cellulose vc, Sodium Phytate chel, Cellulose Gum vc 0 0, Gluconolactone exf|chel, Glyceryl Caprylate emo|emu, Arginine sii, Caprylhydroxamic Acid chel, Eclipta Prostrata (False Daisy) Extract, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Leaf Extract, Moringa Oleifera (Moringa) Seed Oil emoThe Ingredient List of the Glossier Super Bounce Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin B5 Serum:
, Ethylhexyl Palmitate emo|perf 0 2-4, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Propanediol solv|h, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Panthenol so|h 0 0, Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate emo|emu, Hexylene Glycol solv|emu|perf|surf 0-1 0-2, Xanthan Gum vc, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer vc, Disodium EDTA chel|vc, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Chlorphenesin pres|amic, Sodium Hydroxide buff
