"I heard that both Water Glow Injection and Revive are made of hyaluronic acid. What is the difference?"
This is a question I hear very often during consultations.
That is correct. Both contain hyaluronic acid.
however If you look closely at the ingredient list, it is different from what you might expect.
Hello. I am Seo Min-ho, the representative director of EPISODE CLINIC .
Today, I'm getting a water glow injection and Revive. Based on detailed ingredients I will compare them.
What ingredients, in what form, and in what amount are contained.
And I will summarize how that difference leads to differences in the skin.
0. To start with the conclusion
Water-glow injectionmoisture "Attracting" It is a procedure, and
Revivemoisture "Pulling and holding" It is a procedure.
There are two things that make this difference.
Form of hyaluronic acid - non-crosslinked or crosslinked
Glycerol - whether it is present or not
Let's look at them one by one.
1. "Water Glow Injection" is not a product name.
Aqua Injection - A procedure to inject hyaluronic acid directly into the skin.
There is something I need to address first.
"Water Glow Injection" is not an official product name.
It is named that because the skin looks as if it is holding water after the procedure.
Generally, when we talk about water-glow injections... A procedure involving the wide injection of small amounts of non-crosslinked hyaluronic acid into the shallow dermis.It refers to.
Therefore, the concentration and volume vary slightly depending on the product used.
On the other hand, Revive is Belotero Revive This is an official product.
It is manufactured by Merz in Germany, and the ingredients and content are fixed.
Belotero Revive (Merz, Germany)
Cross-linked sodium hyaluronate 20 mg/mL
Glycerol 17.5 mg/mL
It is no exaggeration to say that these two lines are the entirety of today's story.
2. Same Hyaluronic Acid, Different Forms - Cross-linked
Hyaluronic acid is a component naturally found in the dermis of our skin.
There are spots throughout the chain that hold water, allowing it to embrace water hundreds of times its own weight.
The problem is The fact that it decomposes quickly if you put it in as is.no see.
This is because our bodies have enzymes that break down hyaluronic acid.
So the method that came out is Crosslinking no see.
It is a process of bridging hyaluronic acid chains to weave them together like a net.
If they are intertwined, it takes longer for the enzymes to break them down, and they remain on the skin for that long.
Non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid (water-glow injection)
Since the chains are not bound, it is thin and spreads well.
It causes minimal bulging immediately after injection and is effective for filling a wide area of shallow layers with moisture.
Instead, it decomposes quickly. The duration is about 1-2 months. That is about right.
Cross-linked hyaluronic acid (filler)
The chains are tightly woven, resulting in high viscosity.
It stays in the injected area, creates volume, and lasts a long time.
However, it is not suitable for spreading widely over a shallow layer.
Then, where does Revive fit in?
3. Revive's Hyaluronic Acid - CPM Structure
Revive is cross-linked hyaluronic acid.
However, it is not woven uniformly like filler.
CPM(Cohesive Polydensified Matrix) It is built with a structure called...
Through Merz's proprietary two-stage cross-linking process (DCLT, Dynamic Cross-Linking Technology),
A structure in which dense and sparse sections are mixed together within the gelIt becomes.
CPM Structure - Rather than clumping in one place, it spreads and settles among the tissues.
Thanks to this structure
Rather than leaving a lump at the injection site It takes root by spreading and mixing among the tissues.
To summarize, Revive's hyaluronic acid is
It is cross-linked, so it stays longer than a water-glow injection,
Because of its CPM structure, it does not clump like fillers and spreads evenly in shallow layers.
So Revive's The duration is approximately 3-6 months. (Based on completing the initial 3 times)
4. Ingredient found only in Revive - Glycerol
Now the second line, Glycerol 17.5 mg/mL no see.
Personally, I think this is the biggest difference between the two procedures.
You have probably often seen glycerol on the ingredient lists of cosmetics or moisturizers.
It is a representative humectant that combines well with water, and it is a component that naturally exists in our skin.
If we break down the work of the two components, it is as follows.
Hyaluronic acid - Water in the surroundings in the dermis It attracts.
Glycerol - Combines with water and that It holds the moisture in place so that it does not escape.
Skin that remains dry for a long time is actually not lacking water
When the water drains quicklyThere are many.
So, adding moisture and keeping the added moisture in place are two different things.
In a study that actually verified Revive in Koreans for 24 weeks
Not only moisture indicators A result of reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and sebum secretion.It has been reported.
(Park JY et al., Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025)
TEWL is the amount of moisture that evaporates through the skin.
The fact that this value has decreased means that not only has the moisture level increased, but Skin barrier in a more stable stateIt means that it became.
5. Compare at a glance
As you can see in the table, the difference ultimately starts with the ingredients.
Aqua injections use non-cross-linked hyaluronic acid alone to attract moisture and replenish inner dryness and dullness.
Revive adds 17.5 mg/mL of glycerol to 20 mg/mL of CPM cross-linked hyaluronic acid to attract and retain moisture.
As a result, Revive has a longer duration, and the expected effects extend to the skin barrier, sebum, and redness.
6. So, what would be right for me?
The two procedures are It is not a replacement relationship.
Rather than saying one is better than the other, there is one that is more suitable for your current skin condition.
Cases where water glow injections are more suitable
For those whose main concern is inner tightness and dryness after washing their face
For those who want to manage their hydration in short cycles
Cases where Revive is a better fit
For those whose inner dryness persists for a long time even after applying moisturizer
People who are sensitive to irritation and frequently experience redness
For those who want long-lasting moisturizing effects after just one treatment
The procedure is also slightly different.
Water-glow injections allow hyaluronic acid particles to pass through easily 33G micro needlesecond(34G is difficult for water-glow injection particles to pass through.)
Revive is used to densely insert into the shallow layer. 2mm long 34G ultra-fine needleIt uses
And as any procedure is performed over multiple sessions,
Record the products used, quantities, and skin changes for each session to refer to during the next treatment.
7. In conclusion..
The statement "They are both hyaluronic acid" is half right and half wrong.
Even with the same hyaluronic acid, the time it stays in the body varies depending on whether or not it is cross-linked, and
Its function on the skin varies depending on whether glycerol is included.
If you look at the ingredient list before the name of the procedure,
What my skin needs is "moisture"Cognition, "Moisture + BarrierThe options vary depending on whether this is more important.
I hope this article will be of some help to you when choosing a skin booster for moisturizing effects.
This has been Seo Min-ho. Thank you for reading.