The Best Hydrating Serums To Help Your Skin
Whatever your skin type, the best hydrating serums are a really important part of your skincare routine. Dehydration can occur in all skin types, whether your complexion is naturally dry, oily, combination or normal.
What is a hydrating serum?
A hydrating serum is a serum that’s focused on adding water and moisture to the skin. They contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin and polyglutamic acid which work to flood the skin with hydration. Some hydrating serums will go above and beyond this and also include ingredients like squalane and ceramides that seal this newly-acquired moisture into the skin.
Skin needs water to function properly. When it’s dehydrated it can look dull and tired, and feel tight and uncomfortable. Using a hydrating serum will prevent this from happening, and help to keep your complexion at its dewy, bouncy best.
Do I really need a hydrating serum?
In my 20 years of teaching skincare, what I’ve learnt is that hydration is probably the most essential element of your regime. The most vital thing that every single cell needs is water, especially the fibroblast cells, which are responsible for making collagen and elastin. These critical proteins provide support and structure to the skin and keep our complexions firm, smooth and plump. Both are created by the star-shaped fibroblast cells and when these cells become parched, they become stressed. Then, a bit like how our productivity dips when we’ve got too much on our plate, the fibroblasts become less able to make these proteins. With less collagen and elastin to hold it up, our skin suffers and becomes slackened with fine lines and making our wrinkles more pronounced. This is just one downside of dehydration in the skin, and it can also impact cell renewal, trigger inflammation, drive redness, cause sensitivity, compromise the skin barrier and block pores.
Are hydrating serums suitable for all skin types?
The good thing about hydrating serums is that anyone can use them. If you have dry skin, your skin is naturally low in oil, which means it’s less able to hold onto moisture. It’s important therefore to be using a hydrating serum to top up these water levels as it escapes through the cracks. If your skin is oily, then the skin is better at holding onto moisture, but can still become dehydrated by things like pollution, UV exposure and harsh skincare. Combination skin, which is oily on the t-zone and drier on the cheeks, experiences the symptoms of dry and oily skin, and normal skin can also experience dehydration. As hydrating serums aren’t increasing cell turnover or changing the way the skin works, they tend to be very gentle, which makes them suitable for all skin types and easy to add to your routine.
Best hydrating serums – according to a skin expert
Cleansing and exfoliating properly will help to hold hydration in your skin, but the product that can make the biggest difference is a hydrating serum. These are my favourite, highly recommended and tried-and-tested best hydrating serums:
Kate Somerville HydraKate Recharging Serum, £67
The moment you use this superbly formulated serum you know your skin will love it. It uses technology inspired by the Nobel Prize winner who discovered aquaporins, which are water channels found in between the cells in your skin that deplete with age and limit the amount of water circulating around the skin. If you ever have wondered why you are dehydrated on the cheeks and not on the forehead, then this is a big reason why. This serum also combines peptides, hyaluronic acid, and blue light-activated algae extract to quench the thirst of your skin almost immediately. Your skin will appear plumper, smoother, and softer, and no tight or taut cheeks by mid-afternoon or early evening. There is a HydraKate moisturiser in the range too, and they work seamlessly together for the ultimate hydration.
Tatcha The Dewy Serum, £86
Tatcha has done it again and created the most beautiful, hydrating serum to fast-track you to glass skin. Not only is The Dewy Serum super hydrating thanks to a high concentration of hyaluronic acid, (the famous moisture magnet which holds 1000 times its own weight in moisture) it’s also perfectly partnered with squalane to help seal in that moisture. It also contains one of my all-time favourite exfoliating acids, lactic acid, which exfoliates and hydrates the skin at the same time. There are also Japanese superfoods in the formula to brighten skin. With continued use, skin texture will appear smoother and softer thanks to an increase in cell renewal and the removal of dead skin cells. I recommend you use this in the evening and refrain from doubling up with any retinoids (retinol, retinal or tretinoin) and AHAs, BHAs and PHAs to avoid overwhelming the skin.
Byoma Hydrating Serum, £12.99
This is such a clever hydrating serum formulated based on the principles and understanding of how the skin loses moisture and hydration. The science behind it focuses on the skin barrier and the idea that if this is strong then the skin can’t misplace water. So in every drop, it helps to both boost the barrier and hydrate the skin. Ceramides are a key barrier-strengthening ingredient which and one that I strongly recommend you add to your routine if you’re struggling with dehydration – this serum is packed with them. Alongside Byoma’s unique Tri-Ceramide Complex are hero hydration agents glycerin and squalane too. I can’t recommend this highly enough and the price is amazing too.
Ren Everhydrate Serum, £12.99
Clinically proven to increase the hydrational levels deep within the skin within 72hrs and reduce water loss which is equally as important in gorging the skin hydration. Thanks to the formula including Wild Rosella osmolytes, which are low-weight compounds that can influence the skin and maintain the integrity of the cells whilst it faces stresses such as dehydration, this serum is perfect when you are facing the constant battle of your skin feeling starved and thirsty. This serum intelligently replenishes the skin's hydration reserves and protects them.
Is hyaluronic acid serum the same as hydrating serum?
Once it has drawn water into the skin it helps to hold it there, and a single molecule of hyaluronic acid can hold up to a thousand times its own weight in moisture. If you’re not sure what your serum does or are overwhelmed by the amount of choice in store, seeing whether or not it contains hyaluronic acid is a good indication of whether it will hydrate your skin. If you want to know what the best hyaluronic acid serums are for you, see my blog here
Where does a hydrating serum go in my routine?
If you are using a cleanser, exfoliant and moisturiser in your routine then a hydrating serum will slot in between your exfoliant and moisturiser. If you’re only cleansing and moisturising, then it sandwiches between the two. You might be using more than one serum, and in this case, you need to layer them by texture.
Watery serums (like hydrating ones) come first, followed by oil-based serums (like vitamin C ones). The logic is that if you apply serums with a heavier texture first, then the lighter ones won’t be able to penetrate and make their way into your skin. If your hydrating one goes on first, it will be able to work even harder when all that lovely moisture is sealed into the skin by an oily serum.
Thank You For Reading
I hope you have enjoyed this blog, please let me know if you need any help with your skin.
Stay tuned for more blogs and follow me on social media for latest launches and more Skin School blogs!
Bye for now,
Fiona x
Links may be affiliated links which means that if you make a purchase though one of our links we receive a small commission which helps support and run this website.