Wake Me Up Hyaluronic Acid Undereye Serum
In this post we’re going to be making an under eye serum featuring hyaluronic acid, caffeine extract & bakuchiol liquid extract which works as a natural replacement for Retinol!
Wake Me Up Undereye Serum
This post may contain links but they are not affiliate links. I am not in any sort of affiliate program at this time. They are links to things I actually use. All formulations shared on this blog have been formulated for personal use only, not for resale.
Today we’re going to talk about an amazing skin loving ingredient, hyaluronic acid. The formulation I’m going to be sharing does use a combination of 2 different weights of hyaluronic acid, but you don’t have to have different weights if you don’t want to. I’ve successfully made this with low molecular weight HA & high molecular weight HA but I’ve noticed this combination works best for my skin.
You see this particular ingredient works sort of differently depending on the weight of the molecule itself & how deeply it can penetrate the skin.
Image of High Molecular Weight & Low Molecular Weight HA showing where they sit on the skin
Weights of Hyaluronic Acid
We need to talk about a unit of measurement called a Dalton. Daltons are very small units of mass, about the mass of a hydrogen atom.
Hyaluronic acid using the kilodalton, written kDa as its unit of measurement. There are 1000 dalton in a kilodalton or 1/16th the mass of an oxygen atom
The smaller the molecule the deeper it can penetrate into the skin with the larger molecules making a sort of protective barrier on the skin
I would like you to keep in mind these measurements are somewhat approximate. Meaning I’ve found conflicting numbers on different sources. Let’s just use this information as a starting point that we can build off of, not the be all end all of all things HA!
Starting at the smallest end & working up, these first 2-3 weights are the controversial ones. There is conflicting information regarding these weights as one source says they can reach the dermis but may also cause irritation & inflammation, while another states it helps to heal inflammation. I would leave these weights to the professionals, such as under the care of a dermatologist
Ultra low molecular weight: Below 10 kDa
Name: Sodium Hyaluronate which is the salt derivative of Hyaluronic acid
Function: By reaching the deeper levels of the skin it can stimulate the repair mechanism, reduce inflammation & damage on a cellular level
Benefit: Unknown
Drawback: Can cause irritation & carry irritants deeper into the skin
Super low molecular weight: 10-80 kDa
Name: Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans. Glycosaminoglycans are already naturally occurring in the skin. Hydrolyzation breaks them down into smaller components
Function: binds to water enhancing hydration, promote elasticity & modulate collagen production
Benefits: longer lasting hydration
Drawback: Can cause irritation
Extra low molecular weight: 80-500 kDa
Name: Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
Function: penetrates deeper into the skin providing long lasting hydration & addressed inflammation & anti aging benefits
Benefits: Hydrates better, more anti aging effects, improves skin texture, longer lasting effects
I haven’t been able to find the raw ingredient of the first 3 weights, but I thought the information was still interesting. This leads me to believe that these particular weights just aren’t available to purchase on a small, make it at home type scale.
These next 3 are very popular & somewhat easy to find
Low molecular weight: 500-1200 kDa
Name: Sodium hyaluronate
Function: penetrates deeper into the skin providing long lasting hydration & addressed inflammation & anti aging benefits
Benefits: hydrates, improves fine lines, reduces redness, helps wound healing
Drawback: difficult to reach the dermis
Medium molecular weight: 200- 1000 kDa
Name: Tremella Fuciformis Polysaccharide which is a gelatinous fungus known as the snow mushroom
Function: retains moisture slightly below the skin’s barrier while providing short & long term benefits
Benefits: sits in the middle layers of the skin working as a sponge to help retain moisture while simultaneously aiding the skins natural defense & repair
Drawback: provides less hydration than high molecular wight & can’t reach the deeper levels of the skin
High molecular weight: 3,600-10,000 kDa
Name: Pure hyaluronic acid
Function: forms a thin barrier to protect the skin & prevent moisture loss.
Benefits: hydrates, reduces TEWL (trans epidermal water loss)
Drawback: Temporary, works on epidermis
There is such a product available in the states from a supplier called Lotioncrafter that is a combination of 4 different weights all in one product called Hyaluronic Acid 4D. I would certainly consider using that in the formulation but someone is feeling too cheap to order out of the states currently. Perhaps once I’m done paying for my schooling, but that’s ok we can make an awesome serum without that ingredient.
Be sure to check out the accompanying video where I talk about some of the other ingredients that are going in this serum
An easy way to remember what the different wights do
Low molecular weight = Deep hydration
Medium molecular weight = Firming & lifting
High molecular weight = Barrier protection
Before we move on I do want to briefly touch on a few of the other ingredients in this formulation, our gelling agent, Sepimax Zen.
There will be suggested alternatives in the notes & substitutions portion of this post.
The main thing to consider is whether you want your serum to be clear or not. Sepimax Zen will create clear gels, where as xanthan gum will create a slightly yellowish final product. I’ve used both and they each work wonderfully. I did notice that the one made with gum was slightly stickier than the one made with Sepimax Zen, but that stickiness went away shortly after application.
Image of gel made with xanthan gum vs sepimax zen
As the name of this serum is Wake Me Up undereye serum, we do have a few other ingredients that can help combat tired eyes
Caffeine Liquid Extract:
INCI: Aqua (and) Glycerin (and) Coffee Arabica Seed Extract, Phenoxyethanol
Recommended usage rate: 0.5-5%
What does it do?
Helps to constrict blood vessels while reducing puffiness & inflammation
Tightens & brightens the skin while reducing wrinkles
Bakuchiol Liquid Extract:
INCI: Propanediol (and) Psoralea Corylifolia Seed Extract
Recommended usage rate: 1-3%
What does it do?
Natural replacement for Retinol without any irritation & dryness
Holds antioxidant, antibacterial, antiinflammatory properties which may help even out skin tone & provide a smoother complexion
Wake Me Up Undereye Serum
Now that we know a little bit about hyaluronic acid & the skin benefits it may provide, it’s time to mix up a 1% HA Solution. Check out the accompanying video tutorial to watch me mix this up!
It is important that when making your hyaluronic acid solutions, regardless of weight, you want to say around a concentration of 0.5-1% with a maximum of 2%.
Equipment:
Digital scale
Weigh boat
Beaker for mixing
Cling wrap
Whisk
Immersion blender with milk frother attachment
Ingredients:
Phase A
1% Hyaluronic acid of any weight
Phase B
0.5% Liquid Germall Plus
98.5 % Distilled water
Method:
Weigh phase A in a weigh boat & set aside
Put your beaker on the digital scale & weigh out phase B
Stir until combined
Sprinkle phase A over phase B. DO NOT STIR. Allow to fully hydrate until all the white powder has been absorbed & the water is a thickened gel
Using an immersion blender with milk frother attachment mix up the serum until it is a smooth, even consistency
Pour into package & label
You now have a 1% Hyaluronic acid solution that you can use in many of your personal body care formulations.
With our 1% HA solution in hand let’s make an undereye serum!
Equipment:
Digital scale
Weigh boat
Beaker for mixing
Cling wrap
Whisk
Storage tube
Ziplock or piping bag (optional but really helpful for filling the container)
The storage tube used in the accompanying video tutorial is no longer available. They came from Creationessentials.ca if you want to see if they’ve been restocked. Otherwise the non-affiliated link above from Amazon will work fine.
Ingredients:
Phase A
20% Sepimax Zen
Phase B
78.6% Distilled water
0.3% Allantoin powder
5% High Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid prepared 1% solution
5% Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid prepared 1% solution
1.1% TRIstat PCG90
Scaling the Formulation:
When made as written this formulation will make 100 g of serum, since this I only share formulations for personal use & not to sell this amount might be too much.
The first thing you will need to do is figure out exactly how much serum you want to make. My containers can fit 20 g so that is the amount I wanted to make.
Take each amount of ingredient & multiply it by the amount you want to make, in my case 20% or 0.2
For a 20g batch my amounts would look like this:
Phase A
0.4 g Sepimax Zen
Phase B
15.72 g Distilled water
0.4 g Bakuchiol liquid extract
0.8 g Caffeine extract
0.4 g Panthenol powder
0.06 g Allantoin powder
1 g HMW HA prepared 1% solution
1 g LMW HA prepared 1% solution
0.22 g TRIstat PCG90
Check the work: 0.4 + 15.72 + 0.4 + 0.8 + 0.4 + 0.06 + 1 + 1 + 0.22 = 20
If you wanted to make 40g batch your amounts would look like this:
Phase A
0.8 g Sepimax Zen
Phase B
31.44 g Distilled water
0.8 g Bakuchiol liquid extract
1.6 g Caffeine extract
0.8 g Panthenol powder
0.12 g Allantoin powder
2 g HMW HA prepared solution(1% solution)
2 g LMW HA prepared solution (1%)
0.44 g TRIstat PCG90
Check the work: 0.8 + 31.44 + 0.8 + 1.6 + 0.8 + 0.12 + 2 + 2 + 0.44 = 40
Once you’ve decided how much serum you want to make & how to scale this formulation to meet your needs let’s get mixing
Instructions:
Weigh phase A into a weigh boat & set aside
Weigh phase B into a small beaker & stir thoroughly
Sprinkle phase A over B. DO NOT STIR
Cover & allow to hydrate overnight (up to 24 hours)
Stir until combined with a whisk
Allow to sit for 24 hours to thicken up before packaging
To Use:
Place the desired amount under the eye & rub in with your ring finger.
The order in which I use this serum is as follows & add it wherever it will fit best in your skincare routine:
Cleanser → Toner → Undereye Serum → Facial Cream → Sunscreen
Notes & Substitutions:
Could use a different gelling agent such as Solagum AX or Xanthan gum at 0.9%. If you use either of these gums the gel will be more cloudy than with the sepimax zen. I’ve made it with both
Omit the allantoin & add more distilled water
Use the liquid version of panthenol at 4%. The panthenol I use is 50% concentration of DL- Panthenol powder in water. Adjust the distilled water portion
You could do up to 20% of a hydrosol & take that amount out of the distilled water portion.
I would refrain from adding any essential oils as it is going by the eye & we don’t want to run the risk of getting any E.O in the eye. If you wanted to add a scent I would suggest adding a hydrosol
If you don’t want to use a mixture of different weights of HA just keep the total at 10% of the total formulation
You could switch out the preservative for another water soluble preservative but be sure to stick within the recommended usage rate. If it is different than mine just take the difference out or add the difference back into the distilled water portion.
You could add a small amount of Vitamin E MT-50. Put MT-50 in Phase C at no more than 1% & take the amount out of the distilled water portion. We don’t want to add too much oil right under the eye, especially if you plan on using this serum under makeup as that may cause undesired results. Add phase C after whisking once the gel has formed. Keep whisking the Vitamin E as you slowly add it to your serum.
If you used the suggested ingredient from Lotioncrafter it does have a maximum recommended usage rate of 1-10% & the total amount of HA called for in this formulation is 10% so a straight switch would work just fine. If you wanted to add less, adjust the distilled water portion.
Until next time, may you find Peace wherever you are!
Watch the video & tutorial HERE
Image of linked YouTube thumbnail