Has the blistering sun or cold, dry winter air affected your skin?
Are you battling premature aging, fine lines, or wrinkles?
Or perhaps you’re just looking for a product to smooth and hydrate rough and uneven skin texture?
Fortunately, hyaluronic acid serums are here to save the day!
Hyaluronic acid is excellent for addressing all the aforementioned issues as it helps your skin retain moisture by binding up to 1000x its weight in water molecules for softer, dewy-looking skin (Healthline).
So grab your favorite skin-thirst quencher and check out our 7 best hyaluronic acid serums for endless waves of hydration!
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What Is The Best Hyaluronic Acid Serum?
Here are my top recommendations:
- Editor's Choice: Vichy Laboratories Mineral 89
- Best Drugstore Pick: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum
- Most Splurge Worthy: SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator
- Highest Rated: PCA Skin Hyaluronic Boosting Serum
- Derm Approved: NassifMD Hydro-Screen Hydrating Serum
- Most Popular Pick: Cosmedica Skincare Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum
- Best Capsule: RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Serum Capsules
According to a company study of 1,600 participants, 9 out of 10 women noticed more luminous and plump skin after a month of use.
The product is lightweight and produces a cool sensation upon application.
It’s immediately absorbed after a few pats without any sticky feeling. This makes it great as a primer, although I’d still recommend applying a moisturizer after this serum.
With just 11 ingredients, Vichy is safe for sensitive skin and contains no parabens, alcohol, fragrances, or oils. But if you’re unsure and want to test it out, you can try the 0.33 oz first.
Our Verdict: Leading the pack of best hyaluronic acid serums, Vichy Laboratories Mineral 89 uses tried-and-tested hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and volcanic water to consistently boost hydration and skin moisture.
With hyaluronic acid and thermal spring water, La-Roche Posay is pretty similar to Vichy, but the main difference lies in its anti-aging benefits. The company claims it “locks in moisture, helps repair, and replumps skin in 4 hours.”
Regardless, while this serum works best to address tired, rough, and aged skin, it’s also great for those seeking regular hydration and soothing.
The product claims to be suitable for sensitive skin but it contains fragrance and citric acid. Both can be irritating for some skin types. On the plus side, it is allergy-tested and proven safe for those who are sensitive to nickel.
Our Verdict: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Serum proves its worth with an anti-aging mix of sodium hyaluronate, hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, madecassoside, vitamin B5, thermal spring water, and vitamin E.
This mix is already enough to address various aging concerns as it covers different skin layers. But SkinMedica takes it further by using its VITISENSCE Technology for even better skin health. This technology is exclusive to SkinMedica, and it harnesses:
- Vitis Flower Stem Cells Extract: a great source of antioxidants that neutralize free radicals (Miastowska & Sikora, 2018)
- Peptide Complex: promotes collagen and elastin production
- Polysaccharides from French Polynesia: restores the natural hydration process
Just note that there are complaints about the packaging, like a difficult pump, the inability to see the contents, and a fading bottle.
Our Verdict: Formulated by a premium and professional dermatology brand, SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator ups its hydrating game by using FIVE different types of hyaluronic acid. That’s the most for any hyaluronic acid serum on this list. It even utilizes its unique VITISENSCE Technology, which banks on stem cell technology to address aging skin.
To better understand how it works, let’s take a look at the ingredient list:
- Hyaluronic Acid & Sodium Hyaluronate: holds onto water particles to keep skin smooth and hydrated
- Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid: easily absorbed by the pores, resulting in plumper skin
- Ceramides: forms a protective layer over the skin
- Niacinamide: lightens dark spots and increases ceramide synthesis
- Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract: stimulates the skin’s natural production of hyaluronic acid (Incidecoder)
- Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate: a bio-engineered skin building block that synthesizes skin-identical humectants and increases hyaluronic acid synthesis by 282% (Incidecoder)
It even has cholesterol, which (surprisingly) helps maintain the moisture barrier. On the other hand, this formulation unsurprisingly costs a pretty penny.
Given that there are complaints about receiving a used or empty product, it would be best if you could purchase this from a certified distributor.
Our Verdict: Can be used as a primer or a serum, fast-absorbing PCA Skin Hyaluronic Boosting Serum increases the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels by using various types of HA, ceramides, niacinamide, hydrolyzed yeast extract, and disodium acetyl glucosamine phosphate.
It’s also formulated with hyaluronic micro-spheres, basically smaller-sized hyaluronic acid molecules that go deeper into the skin and improve deeper lines and wrinkles. Ceramide molecular film then supports the restoration of the skin’s natural elasticity while lipochroman preserves tissues to counter signs of skin aging.
Accompanied by hyaluronic acid, these ingredients work together to retain moisture and reduce the appearance of fine lines. It’s a powerhouse in one lightweight formula.
Although it only has a few hundred reviews, customers loved this product and it’s much more affordable compared to its counterparts.
NassifMD is cruelty, gluten, paraben, and mineral oil free.
Our Verdict: Well in the running for being the best hyaluronic acid serum, NassifMD Hydro-Screen Hydrating Serum uses hyaluronic acid, sytenol A, retinol, and hyaluronic hydro-spheres to address fine lines and wrinkles.
In this case, a no-nonsense skin hydrating and anti-aging serum like Cosmedica may just be what you need. And because of its simplicity, it’s excellent for all skin types, even sensitive skin.
On the other hand, some reviewers complained that this serum may be too simple and feel it didn’t provide enough benefits for their skin. Some go as far as to say that its texture feels like plain old water.
Our Verdict: Experience the raw wonder and power of pure hyaluronic acid by using Cosmedica Skincare Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum. Affordable, accessible, and simple, it’s a great entry point for those trying out hyaluronic acid serums for the first time.
Some users say that the content of each capsule is good for 2-3 applications.
The serum costs a little more than a quarter for each day of use. If you purchase the product through Amazon, you even get a free 7-capsule retinol gift!
Don’t worry; these are 100% biodegradable capsules, so you don’t have to worry about adding to plastic pollution by using RoC serum capsules.
According to a clinical study conducted by the company, users reported the following results:
- 1 night: 100% had plumper skin
- 1 week: 100% had visibly reduced fine lines and wrinkles and 2x boost in skin hydration levels
- 4 weeks: 91% had firmer skin, and 90% said this product delivered better results than they had expected from skincare
Just note that several emollients are high up on the ingredient list. Although their effects are primarily superficial and will fade once you stop using the product, they make the skin feel soft and smooth for a short period.
Also, be aware that coconut oil is highly comedogenic, which could lead to clogged pores and breakouts.
Our Verdict: 2021 winner of People Beauty Awards for Best Night Serum, RoC Multi Correxion Hydrate + Plump Serum Capsules gives you younger-looking and more hydrated skin with 3% hyaluronic acid, glucomannan, jojoba oil, and coconut oil.