A little while back I asked Instagram for their recommendations on good quality yet affordable hyaluronic acid serums. This all came about because a few days prior I’d had a virtual consultation with the wonderful REN Skincare – which I would highly recommend by the way – and the wonderful Maria encouraged me to look at incorporating hyaluronic acid into my skincare routine to boost and maintain hydration. As expected, she recommended the REN option, which was a tad – a lot – outside my price range; so I turned to old faithful Google for hyaluronic acid under £30. Please explain why I’m getting recommendations for £50-200!? Thankfully, I surprisingly got a lot of responses on Instagram; definitely thought I was gonna get aired, so thank you everyone! I’ve chosen one now, but thought I would share the recommendations so read on to see the most popular ones that came up and for the one I settled on.
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2%, £5.90
This was by far the most popular, with like 50% of the responses, and at only £5.90 (or less at some retailers) I’m not surprised. However, whilst the price is attractive, I was slightly hesitant to get this for a two main reasons. A couple of people said its super sticky and not a nice consistency; plus I believe I heard on 2 Queen in a Pod episode with Dr Ewoma, Iman mentioned she broke out after using The Ordinary and I’ve heard mumblings of similar experiences. As I could afford to splurge above £6 (who even am I?!), I decided to say no to this one; but could be a good shout for anyone already well versed with The Ordinary skincare, less sensitive skin or sticking to a budget.
The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £5.99
Another popular choice but not as popular as The Ordinary. However this was one I was actually close to buying, but was out of stock pretty much everywhere! A very similar price point to The Ordinary at only £5.99 at most retailers, but with a few more positive reviews in regards to the consistency. Once I’ve finished my current HA serum, I think I’ll look into picking one of these up and try out. Update: I’ve since purchased this, will share my thoughts on this soon!
Hada Labo Tokyo Anti Ageing Super Hydrator, £17.45
Before this, I’d never heard of Hada Labo so I was surprised to see this one crop up a couple of times. Its a Japanese skincare brand that is exclusive to Superdrug and apparently the full range is centred around HA. Weirdly after the person told me about this I started noticing it on social a lot more, and found out Caroline Hirons and Lisa Potter Dixon is a fan. The person who recommended this said its super moisturising and feels like water in the best way. The price point is reasonable at £17.45 but I decided not to go for this one just because this was more of a lotion rather than a serum, which I prefer.
Boots Ingredients Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £5
This, along with the Boots Ingredients range, was on my radar for a little while because I’m so shocked at how everything (excluding the duos and bundles) is under £7?! How?! Again, great accessible price point but I can’t help but have the same question around The Ordinary and The Inkey List pop up again. Its also worth noting that there are just some brands wanting to make skincare more affordable and expensive doesn’t always equal high quality; sometimes you’re just paying for the brand name (and their profits). I digress. If this was in stock at the time, I was going to try alongside The Inkey List and maybe a slightly higher end one.
Vichy Mineral 89 Hyaluronic Acid Hydration Booster Serum, £25
I have to confess I had this in my basket whilst asking Instagram for suggestions to either confirm or convince me otherwise. The main dilemma prior was whether I was paying for the brand or if it was actually good. Although only 2 people actually suggested this to me, this was the one I actually ended up going for. Hear me out. Reason being was that I remembered I had a lot of samples of this product and the eye serum in this range, so I figured I’d road test both of them for a week or so (yes I had that many samples) before committing to spending £25. Really enjoyed this serum, due to its very minimal ingredient list and its mostly water based. I think I want to try a lower priced HA to see how it compares, and whether I can get the same benefits whilst saving some £s.
Indeed Labs™ hydraluron™ Moisture Serum, £20.83
I actually have this brands’ exfoliation powder in my drawers that I’m yet to try, but other than that I’d not really heard of Indeed Labs. The tube format made me initially assume it would be a lotion but actually its a lightweight clear serum rather than a lotion. It also boasts some great claims around anti-ageing and long lasting hydration. This was a contender and another I would consider trying out one day.
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £38
I have a lot of love for La Roche-Posay as a brand, big fan of their SPF (who isn’t), lip balm and their mists. So when this was recommended I was ready to buy….until I saw the price. £38?! My friend who suggested it said it is on the pricier side but you don’t need a lot and it tends to be on offer at Boots. So again, maybe another one to try in the future, when future me is ready to splash out. I do think it is expensive but my skin gets on with La Roche-Posay so I think it could be a worthwhile investment (just not now).
Evolve Organic Beauty Hyaluronic Serum 200, £30
I liked the look of this, the packaging gives me Neal’s Yard vibes. Again, on the top end of my budget at £42.50 for 50ml, but I’ve seen their 30ml is £30 for and they do a 10ml for £12 which isn’t a bad price to trial. I’d only had one recommendation for this brand, and I’d not not heard of them before but from what I’ve read up on it sounds good so far. They like to use naturally derived and/or organic ingredients, and I like the fact they say the microgrammage of HA contained too.
Really enjoyed doing the question box on IG as I had some great skincare chats with so many people which is always fun. A couple of other recommendations included the Beauty Pie HA, Inkey List Polyglutamic Acid, Bybi Mega Mist (a HA toner) and I was also intrigued by the Glossier Super Bounce Serum and most recently the Medik8 Hydr8 B5 Serum.
Did any of your favourites appear in the list or do you have any other suggestions? Also, let me know if you like these kind of posts, as I’m up for doing another IG question box – particularly if you enjoy reading the post to follow or find it useful.
Speak soon,
Esther xxx
Hebrews 10:24-25
EST. SINCE 94 