We Tested Hundreds of Hyaluronic Acid Serums—These Are the Best

When it comes to achieving a dewy, hydrated complexion, nothing delivers the way the best hyaluronic acid serums do. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it has “acid” in its name—unlike its exfoliating counterparts, hyaluronic acid is a hydrating skin-care ingredient that works for everyone, even if you have sensitive skin.

Naturally produced by our bodies, hyaluronic acid promotes elasticity and skin hydration by holding up to 1,000 times its weight in water. And while it’s a godsend in the winter, it can also be a game-changer in the summer—for when typical moisturizers can feel heavy and oppressive. Incorporate one of our favorite, dermatologist-approved HA serums below into your routine and lock in the hydrating, barrier-restoring goodness with a moisturizing face cream. Then, say hello to your plumpest, dewiest complexion yet.

Our Top Hyaluronic Acid Serums

Best Overall: SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier Multi-Glycan

Why it’s worth it: The Best of Beauty Award-winning SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier Multi-Glycan is intended for surface hydration, so it lessens the look of fine lines and folds. This updated rendition of the brand’s original humectant-forward serum contains the same ingredient lineup as its predecessor—hydrating hyaluronic acid, tone-brightening licorice root, vitamin E-rich purple rice extract—with the addition of proxylane, SkinCeuticals’s proprietary post-biotic ferment extract. This ingredient increases your skin’s levels of glycan, complex sugars that are naturally present in your skin, giving skin a plumper look and supple feel. This skin-plumping serum is a good option to enhance the volumizing effects both after and between injectables, like hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers.

Best for Plumping: SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator

Why it’s worth it: SkinMedica HA5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum may seem like it’s just showing off with its five different types of hyaluronic acid—sodium hyaluronate, time-release, nano, cross-linked, and uncross-linked—but they’re all put to very good use in this skin-smoothing formula. The HA quintet is accompanied by peptides, antioxidant-packed grape flower extract, and polysaccharides that help support yet another hyaluronic acid: the kind your own body makes. Think of it as a team of personal trainers spotting your skin as it gets better at maintaining its moisture.

Best for Fine Lines: Alastin HA Immerse Serum

Why it’s worth it: Alastin’s HA Immerse Serum doesn’t just supply skin with hyaluronic acid from the outside-in. Rather, this strategic formula also contains a peptide that encourages the skin to produce its own hyaluronic acid for long-lasting hydration. And, as if that weren’t good enough, this overachiever contains yet another peptide that stymies the breakdown of your skin’s natural hyaluronic acid, keeping its levels high over time. Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Westport, Connecticut, previously called Alastin one of her go-to’s for “replenishing fine lines and lost volume,” making it a good choice for those with mature skin types.

Best Drugstore: La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Why it’s worth it: La Roche-Posay’s Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum contains not one, but two types of pure hyaluronic acid alongside vitamin B5; they work together to hydrate skin both immediately and over time. We love that this relatively affordable serum is safe for all skin types, even those prone to sensitivity (since it’s been allergy-tested).If your skin can handle retinoids, try pairing this hydrating formula with a retinol cream if you want to address (and/or help prevent) signs of aging while minimizing any retinoid-induced irritation.

Best for Dry Skin: Angela Caglia Cell Forté Serum

Why it’s worth it: Angela Caglia saw your go-to hyaluronic acid serum and was like, “Hold my beer.” Yes, Cell Forté Serum contains hyaluronic acid, but it really outdoes itself with the inclusion of snow mushroom, which is arguably an even more effective humectant. While you’ve got these moisture magnets working in tandem, wildly advanced stem cell, growth factor, and exosome technologies address skin’s texture and tone with remarkable speed.

Best Custom: Prose Custom Serum

Why it’s worth it: If you want a formulation truly tailored to your skin’s specific needs (like dryness), take the bespoke approach with Prose’s Custom Serum. Based on your virtual consultation results—which takes into consideration factors such as age, sun exposure, stress, sleep, and diet, as well as the state of your skin and your skin-care goals—your formula will feature a slew of skin-enhancing ingredients, like vitamin C for a brightening boost or niacinamide for hyperpigmentation reduction.

Best for Redness: Saint Jane Star Flower Serum

Why it’s worth it: Saint Jane’s Star Flower Serum took home a 2024 Allure Best of Beauty Award for its combination of soothing ingredients, which make it a winner for more reactive skin types. The tiny pearls suspended in this serum burst upon skin contact, treating skin to hyaluronic acid and sensitive skin-friendly niacinamide in the process. Its namesake ingredient, starflower extract, has anti-inflammatory properties to neutralize redness and irritation.

Best Korean: Wellage Real Hyaluronic Blue Ampoule

Why it’s worth it: Starting at a mere $14, you can’t afford not to try the Wellage Real Hyaluronic Blue Ampoule. Housed under the same manufacturer behind some of the most popular injectables in South Korea, this no-frills approach to HA is ideal for anyone who really wants to lock into the hydration-increasing ingredient, especially considering it offers nine different molecular weights of it. (Glass skin, here we come.) With a texture that feels more or less like water, it’s a fragrance-free K-beauty find that’s easy to squeeze into an especially thirsty skincare routine, whether it has three steps or 13.

Best Budget: Versed Water Rush Intensive Hydrating Serum

Why it’s worth it: Why settle for just one type of hyaluronic acid when you can enjoy the benefits of five? Versed Water Rush Intensive Hydrating Serum delivers a multi-layered surge of hydration thanks to five molecular weights of HA, plus skin-softening pro-vitamin B5. While most skin-care products take their sweet time to show results, this one wastes no time. We were genuinely impressed by how quickly it delivers plumper, dewier, more supple skin—like you actually hit your eight-glasses-a-day goal before your morning coffee. The lightweight, jelly-like texture absorbs in seconds, wears beautifully under makeup, and leaves zero tackiness behind.

Other hyaluronic acid serums to consider

• If you like the idea of adding (more) HA to your usual products, Paula’s Choice Boost Hyaluronic Acid Booster can be easily mixed with another serum, a moisturizer, or an eye cream. The gel-like formula can also be applied on its own to address dryness and dehydration.
• For a first-class ticket to Dewy Skin Land, there’s La Mer The Revitalizing Hydrating Serum. In addition to its HA, the brand’s proprietary antioxidant-rich algae complex protects against environmental aggressors, moisturizes, and brightens. “Marine extracts like seaweed are rich in vitamins and minerals and can provide hydration,” Martha Viera, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in private practice in Coral Gables, Florida, previously told Allure.
• A far less expensive but equally impressive option: CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum. Fragrance-free and full of ceramides, it features an unbeatable combo of HA and pro-vitamin B5 to help maintain skin’s moisture levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of hyaluronic acid?

Known as a humectant, hyaluronic acid is “great at holding water and giving skin resilience and firmness,” New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, MD, tells Allure. Even though we naturally produce hyaluronic acid in our bodies, as we age, those quantities decrease (similarly to collagen), so our skin becomes dehydrated more easily.

With consistent use of hyaluronic acid, you’ll likely notice an immediate improvement in the hydration of your skin, Jacquelyn Sink, MD, a Chicago-based board-certified dermatologist, tells Allure. “Long-term benefits are seen as early as two weeks with continued improvement through several months,” she adds. All year round, our skin craves moisture to counteract a rainbow of skin-care concerns, such as sun exposure, signs of aging (like fine lines), loss of elasticity, and dehydrated skin.

As with all ingredients, over-the-counter, topical products don’t have the same benefits as prescriptions or in-office treatments—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t incorporate them into your skin-care routine. “We can inject hyaluronic acid into the deeper layers of the skin to help restore lost volume, but when used in creams, lotions, and serums, it can also do wonders for rejuvenation and hydration.” You can quite literally get hyaluronic acid fillers at your board-certified dermatologist’s office.

Is hyaluronic acid safe for all skin types?

With their non-irritating nature, hyaluronic acid serums are generally usable across multiple skin types, including sensitive skin, according to Dr. Sink. To get the most benefits out of your serum experience, she shares her preferred application method. “Hyaluronic acid serums are best applied to slightly damp skin and before applying other products,” Dr. Sink explains. “Moisturizing with a thicker cream or serum afterward can help lock in hydration.”

As we previously mentioned, your skin’s level of hyaluronic acid decreases with age, so if you’re looking to maintain your moisture barrier and replenish hydration levels, you may want to consider incorporating hyaluronic acid-infused products into your daily skin-care routine. (You’ll also see HA commonly listed as sodium hyaluronate, a stabilized version of the ingredient.)

Is there a downside to hyaluronic acid?

Overall, hyaluronic acid is a gentle, non-active ingredient that’s suitable for most skin types. According to Dr. Garshick, there are no known side effects of utilizing hyaluronic acid—it’s produced in our bodies, after all—but if you’re prone to sensitivity, consult with your dermatologist before incorporating a new product into your routine. “Active ingredients, which tend to feel irritating on sensitive skin, and synthetics, like fragrance and dyes, could be the culprits of any irritation,” she says.

Meet the experts

• Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, a Westport, Connecticut-based board-certified dermatologist
• Martha Viera, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in private practice in Coral Gables, FL
• Marisa Garshick, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist
• Doris Day, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist
• Jacquelyn Sink, MD, a Chicago-based board-certified dermatologist
• Shari Marchbein, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist

How we test and review products

When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.

For our review of the best hyaluronic acid serums, we enlisted the help of multiple editors, writers, contributors, and dermatologists interviewed for the piece—who all have different skin concerns and types, desired outcome (i.e., want a brighter complexion), and whether one product was tested and suitable across multiple skin types. Testers considered performance across three primary categories: efficacy, ingredients, and value. For more on what’s involved in our reporting, check out our complete reviews process and methodology page.

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