Today, establishing a good skincare routine is like wading through an overgrown forest. Everywhere you look there’s some sort of new hurdle for you to overcome. And so you wind up going deeper and deeper, losing all sense of direction in the process, and not knowing where to go next. There is simply too much going on.

“Try this serum and clear your blemishes,” one brand will say. “Use this eye cream and wake up looking younger,” chirps another. The trouble is with all of this messaging, it’s hard to know what our skin actually needs beyond the basics (cleanser, toner, moisturiser and SPF). Hence why we’re here to tell you that if you’re going to add one thing, it should be hyaluronic acid.

Many people flinch at use of the word “acid” next to “skin” but this is truly a miracle product for many. You might already be using it, too, given that many companies now include it in various other products –  sometimes it’s listed as “hydrolysed hyaluronic acid”, “sodium acetyl hyaluronate” and “sodium hyaluronate”.

The primary benefit of using a hyaluronic acid in the morning and evening (use it right before your moisturiser for the best result) is hydration. Within just a few days, the right product will give you noticeable results in terms of smoothing the skin, reducing redness, and leaving you with that deeply moisturised dewy glow so many people covet.

How we tested

You need to test these serums repeatedly over a longer period of time in order to really get a sense of how they work for you. So we used them for around five days each (although our tester has used some for longer as part of her own regime) each morning and evening to get a sense of how they improved our complexion over a period of repeated use. The best way to apply them is before your moisturiser in the morning and before your night cream in the evening.

The best hyaluronic acid products for 2023 are: