You’re already doing the basics right: you cleanse, tone, and moisturise conscientiously. Now, you’re ready to upgrade your skincare routine with another important step: serum.
If you find yourself asking what a serum is, and wondering which step of your routine you should be inserting it in, here’s the deal:
Think of serums as a potent shot of ingredients targeted directly into your skin.
Serums fit in right before moisturising, and unlike a moisturiser, serums have a lipid-soluble base which allows the active ingredients to penetrate deep into the epidermis instead of just the surface.
These highly-concentrated doses can address a variety of needs such as wrinkles, brightness, acne or hydration.
Hydrating serums, in particular, are packed with a high concentration of active ingredients to boost your skin’s moisture levels – something most of us who are spending so much time in air-conditioned room are going to need!
If you’re about to run out and search for the best hydrating serum across skincare brands, hold your horses. Read our list of 23 best hydrating serums first to make it easy to pick one!
The Moisturizers Co. PURE+ Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Bottled in elegant rose gold, the PURE+ Hyaluronic Acid Serum has high-grade hyaluronic acid to give any compromised skin a boost by quickly increasing the skin’s moisture levels!
It also has five other barrier-restoring ingredients to strengthen your skin by binding water to collagen and keeping it within the skin. That means your skin will feel and look dewier, plumper, and most importantly, more hydrated.
The best part? It’s supercharged with proprietary skin-boosting technology to enhance the performance of moisturisers that follow. So you know that your skin will definitely absorb the maximum amount of goodness and that you’re not wasting any product!
This gentle, lightweight serum gel feels cool and refreshing on the skin and is suitable for all skin types including acne-prone skin.
For healthier and recharged skin, couple this serum with The Moisturizers Co.’s Glow Renew Moist Cleanser and Glow Renew Soothing Toner.
The Moisturizers Co. PURE+ Hyaluronic Acid Serum retails for S$85 at themoisturizers.co and Shopee.
Instanatural Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Jam-packed with antioxidants, this serum delivers intense hydration and moisture to the skin. It offers cooling nourishment and uses Jojoba Oil to soothe the skin while Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid brighten the skin and visibly reduce fine lines, wrinkles and discolouration.
Hyaluronic Acid Serum retails at S$4.81 and is available here.
DERMAdoctor Wrinkle Revenge Ultimate Hyaluronic Serum
No one really likes anything intensive unless it’s an intensive moisturiser right?
Hydration in a bottle, this promotes an exceptionally refreshed and supple appearance. Enhanced with pomegranate and white tea extracts, this serum helps quench parched, mature, or environmentally challenged skin. It rapidly infuses advanced moisture-binding ingredients to rescue skin from signs of ageing and replenishes radiance from the inside out.
Wrinkle Revenge Ultimate Hyaluronic Serum retails at S$57.80 and is available here.
Derma-E Vitamin C Concentrated Serum
The Vitamin C Concentrated Serum, Hyaluronic Acid renews your skin beautifully by using a stabilised form of vitamin C that is less likely to degrade than non-stabilised vitamin C. Along with the intensely moisturising Hyaluronic Acid, your skin will be protected from environmental stresses, which can help prevent the signs of ageing!
Vitamin C Concentrated Serum retails at S$27.26 and is available here.
Skinceuticals Hydrating B5 Gel
Winner of over 20 beauty awards, this serum works on replenishing nutrients the skin needs to feel smooth and appear younger. By providing optimal hydration without clogging the pores, it leaves the skin feeling smooth and supple. It’s also ideal for all types of skin, including acne-prone skin!
Hydrating B5 Gel retails at S$129.90 and is available here.
Skin Inc Ceramide Serum
Soothe dehydrated, rough, and eczema-prone skin with the four different types of ceramides featured in this one serum. The ceramides (fat molecules that help the skin retain moisture) work together to strengthen your skin’s protective barrier and the patented Japanese seaweed encapsulation technology allows for an effective delivery of pure, potent ingredients that are suitable even for sensitive skin.
Ceramide Serum retails at S$68 and is available here.
Clarins Double Serum
This multi-tasking serum is great for boosting your moisture levels and is also a powerful age concentrate. It’s enriched with plant extracts to stimulate five vital functions: hydration, nutrition, oxygenation, regeneration and protection. This serum mimics the skin’s natural water and oil content to promote a balanced, healthy-looking complexion.
Double Serum retails at S$170 and is available here.
Pai Back To Life Hydration Serum
Banish dryness and dehydration with this deeply moisturising formula, suitable for sensitive and dry skin types. Formulated with Hyaluronic Acid, a blend of three antioxidant-rich Australian berries to strengthen the moisture barrier and prevent water loss, and coconut extract which softens the skin, you’re sure to be left with a supple and healthy complexion.
Back To Life Hydration Serum retails at S$75 and is available here.
Aesop Lightweight Facial Hydrating Serum
If you have oily skin, don’t be too quick to turn away from serums just yet. Active botanical extracts of Ylang Ylang and Panthenol in this serum work to balance and regulate excess sebum production. With its super-light, watery texture that sinks rapidly into skin, this serum instantly quenches thirsty skin with long-lasting, nourishing moisture. The base is formed with pure Aloe Vera juice and is suitable for combination, oily, and even reactive skin.
Lightweight Facial Hydrating Serum retails at S$87 and is available here.
Mario Badescu Herbal Hydrating Serum
Give your regular skincare routine a boost of hydration with this soothing oil-free serum. It’s formulated with ginkgo and ginseng extracts, plus skin-nourishing Ceramides to provide water-based hydration and soften your skin without leaving that greasy reside we all hate. You can wear this alone or on top of your favourite moisturiser for radiant, but never oil complexion.
Herbal Hydrating Serum retails at S$44 and is available here.
Pixi Hydrating Milky Serum
Give your skin a revitalising skin boost with the Hydrating Milky Serum which improves skin elasticity by hydrating and protecting the skin. Its texture is similar to a lotion’s – silky, smooth, and lightweight. Formulated with Rose Flower Extract, Jojoba Oil and Aloe Vera, you can expect a burst of hydration without a heavy feel!
Hydrating Milky Serum retails at S$36 and is available here.
Farmacy Honeymoon Glow
Working while you sleep, this three-in-one night serum hydrates and clarifies dull skin. A first of its kind, this serum is formulated with a 14% AHA/BHA/flower acid blend that effectively resurfaces dull skin to help reveal a healthy-looking complexion. The honey and hyaluronic acid it contains also ensures skin is never dry or over-stripped of moisture.
Now who doesn’t like that post-honeymoon glow?
Honeymoon Glow retails at S$85 and is available here.
Image Vital C Hydrating Anti-Aging Serum
Like the name suggests, this multi-action serum targets two issues – ageing and hydration concerns. Formulated with Vitamins A, C & E along with highly powerful anti-oxidants, it helps nourish & rejuvenate dull, dry & tired skin. This serum works towards protecting your skin against oxidative damage while supporting collagen production. What this means is, you’ll be left with moisturised skin with the appearance of wrinkles reduced!
Vital C Hydrating Anti-Aging Serum retails at S$86.50 and is available here.
Sunday Riley Travel JUNO Antioxidant + Superfood Face Oil
A sip of green juice for your skin, this skin-fortifying powerhouse deeply nourishes with critical antioxidants, vitamins A & C, essential amino acids, omegas 3, 6, & 9, and naturally soothing agents. It absorbs instantly, leaving the skin protected, and baby-soft!
Travel JUNO Antioxidant + Superfood Face Oil retails at S$49.44 and is available here.
Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst-quenching Serum
Rapid drying, light, and refreshing, this moisturising serum stimulates the internal hydration mechanisms and restores optimum hydration levels. It also continually diffuses water deep within the skin to restore the moisture balance.
Enriched with soothing organic grape water, plumping hyaluronic acid, and packed with antioxidants, allow your skin that radiant dewy look you absolutely deserve!
Vinosource SOS Thirst-quenching Serum retails at S$59 and is available here.
Neutrogena Hydroboost Capsule In Serum
It’s gonna be a moisture party with this product which combines a pearl serum with anti-oxidant capsules to instantly moisturise and protect skin against recurring dryness. The serum contains purified Hyaluronic Acid which acts as a self-hydrating system for your skin, while the anti-oxidant capsules power-charge the serum with Vitamin E when the pump is pressed, to energise and boost the look of dull skin.
Hydroboost Capsule In Serum retails at S$24.90 and is available here.
Avene Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum
Like all of Avene’s products, this serum uses their signature thermal spring water (which has been used for centuries for its naturally restorative properties) from France as the base ingredient. The formula is oil-free and non-comedogenic, so it blends into the skin, leaving it moisturised and refreshed.
The best part? This serum works to prevent moisture loss and keeps skin hydrated for up to 24 hours, making this an all-round great pick for dry skin!
Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum retails at S$62 and is available here.
Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum
Uniquely formulated with pro-vitamin B5 and pineapple ceramide, this serum has a light gel consistency that helps with keeping moisture on your skin intact. Providing continuous hydration for 24 hours, expect any uneven texture and fine lines to be less visible, making your skin look more youthful. Great for all skin types, this bio-compatible formula penetrates skin efficiently, without disrupting its balance.
B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum retails at S$74 and is available here.
Allies of Skin Triple Hyaluronic Antioxidant Hydration Serum
This supercharged hydration and repair serum almost immediately plumps the skin with a potent shot of moisture and nutrients. It hydrates, strengthens, and brightens the skin with its three forms of Hyaluronic Acid – supported by multiple antioxidants, peptides, and stem cells to rebuild the skin barrier. Over time, you’ll find your skin retaining moisture better and having that hydrated glow to improve the visible signs of premature ageing.
Triple Hyaluronic Antioxidant Hydration Serum retails at S$105 and is available here.
Dear, Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum
Made to soothe sensitive skin, this serum contains a fortifying blend of organic ingredients, including celery, carrot root, and broccoli extract. Without compromising on the delicate nature of your skin, the Rich Moist Soothing Serum deeply hydrates the skin and lowers the surface temperature to give you that smooth radiant glow.
Rich Moist Soothing Serum retails at S$28.15 and is available here.
L’Oreal Revitalift Derm Intensives 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum
A bottle of this drugstore serum is sold once every minute in the U.S! This bestseller serum absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving behind a sticky feel. With consistent use across a week, the skin becomes visibly hydrated and plumped with a more bouncy and firm feel.
Revitalift Derm Intensives 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum retails at S$23.94 and is available here.
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum
A little goes a long way with this water-based serum that caters for all skin types. A cocktail of Hyaluronic Acid, Collodial Oatmeal, Aloe Leaf Juice, Collagen, and anti-ageing Peptides work to penetrate your parched skin deeply, locking in moisture, while minimising the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Look forward to the allover healthy-looking complexion you’ll be left with!
Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum retails at S$59 and is available here.
Elixir Non Invasive Hyaluronic Acid Skin Booster
Hydration in a vial, this skin booster is formulated with Sodium Hyaluronate (the sodium salt of Hyaluronic Acid) and has a lower molecule size, which allows it to easily penetrate skin even when applied topically. This means it works just like an injectable hyaluronic acid – but without all that pain, cost, and downtime!
A key feature of Sodium Hyaluronate is its ability to hold over 1000 times its weight in water – this hydrating property makes it an excellent ingredient to moisturise the skin, while helping to reduce water loss. Did we also mention it repairs the skin’s protective barrier, while improving skin texture and pore size?
You’ll be on your way to brighter and baby-soft glowing skin in no time at all. Bonus points for this serum which is safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin!
The Non Invasive Hyaluronic Acid Skin Booster retails at S$35 and is available here.
