This $67 hyaluronic acid serum hydrates my dry skin better than any night cream or face mask I’ve tried

Amazon

Hyaluronic acid is a hydrating substance naturally found in your skin, but it decreases as you get older. It’s said to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water.
Image Skincare’s Ageless Total Pure Hyaluronic6 Filler is a serum that contains six forms of hyaluronic acid to moisturize skin and smooth fine lines.
This is the only product that hydrates my extremely dry skin and seems to plump from within, as opposed to heavy night creams that feel as if they’re just sitting on top of my skin.
This serum is pricey at $67 for a tiny one ounce bottle, but I’ve yet to find another hyaluronic acid product — or any product, for that matter — that hydrates my skin and actually reduces the appearance of fine lines around my mouth.

I have two major skin issues — extreme dryness and fine lines, specifically vertical lines around my mouth that some might refer to as "smokers’ lines." I don’t smoke, but I do drink from a lot of straws.

Here’s the thing — fine lines and dryness are related. When your skin is dry, it can exacerbate the appearance of fine lines, but when your skin is hydrated, your face can appear more plump and bouncy so the fine lines don’t appear as deep or pronounced.

In my quest to solve both of my problems, I found one ingredient that does the trick — hyaluronic acid.

Like retinol, hyaluronic acid has been a hero ingredient in skin-care products for a long time and has had its share of buzzy moments as well, but it’s actually a naturally occurring substance found in your skin that retains water — up to 1000 times its weight in water, in fact. It draws moisture from below the epidermis (your skin) and from the atmosphere, and brings it to the top layer of your skin, so skin looks and feels softer and smoother.

Ageless Total Pure Hyaluronic6 Filler by Image Skincare is the only hyaluronic acid-based product I’ve found that does what it’s supposed to — hydrate skin and subsequently reduce the appearance of fine lines. In fact, this is the only lightweight product (as in, not a night cream or moisturizing mask) that hydrates my skin at all.

The serum contains six different forms of hyaluronic acid, which the brand claims boosts hydration and fills in fine lines "without an injection." I wouldn’t go so far to say that it can totally replace injectable dermal fillers, but more on that later. The "different forms" translate to differently sized molecules and derivatives of hyaluronic acid, which are absorbed into your skin at different rates for prolonged moisture.

Image Skincare says to use the serum both morning and night, but I only use it in the morning to extend the shelf life of a $67 skin-care product. Let’s be honest — it’s expensive.

After washing my face and patting it dry, I massage a nickel-sized amount of the clear serum into my skin as the first step in my skin-care routine while my face is still a little damp. This step is important as damp skin provides a pathway for the hyaluronic acid to be absorbed.

Once the serum is absorbed, I immediately apply my Curology moisturizer (which is a simple gel formula) to lock in the moisture. I’ll finish with sunscreen and voilà, that’s my morning routine. Every time I use it, I’ll immediately notice my skin is extremely hydrated, feels soft and supple, and my fine lines are less pronounced.

Once I got a facial and the aesthetician doused my face in this product before she applied a face mask because it helped boost the mask’s hydrating qualities. You could also mix the serum in with your favorite moisturizer, or just layer it like me.

And on the few occasions I did use the product at night, I noticed that I woke up looking more well-rested and my skin was more supple to the touch too.

The bottom line

One ounce of this product will set you back $67, which I find outrageous, but I also think my red, cranky, dry skin is outrageous, so this is the one skin-care splurge I’m willing to make.

I bought the serum about two months ago and use the product every morning, but the tiny bottle is still half full so it’s been lasting me a while. It’ll obviously be used up more quickly if you follow the instructions to use it both night and day. At least the small bottle is easier to travel with.

But the main reason I’m willing to spend $67 on the serum is that it really does hydrate and leave me with softer skin. I’ve used night creams and hydrating masks, but they’ve always felt heavy — as if they’re sitting on the top of my skin and coating it in a sheen of silicone. Instead, this product feels lightweight and absorbs quickly, as if my skin is drinking it up. Plus, because it moisturizes so well, it gives me that ultra-quenched dewy look.

As for the brand’s claim that it can replace injectable dermal fillers, I don’t agree with that. Those pesky fine lines around my mouth are definitely less pronounced when I use the product, but it doesn’t eliminate them completely. I don’t actually believe any topical product can "erase" or eliminate fine lines completely, as that’s what injectable fillers are for, should you want that.

To compare, I recently used a niche Korean beauty brand’s hyaluronic acid serum that made no difference in skin.

I also tried Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Gel moisturizer which also contains hyaluronic acid as a main ingredient, but I didn’t see any difference in my skin than when I use any normal gel moisturizer.

Murad’s Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture is a hyaluronic acid-based cream that moisturized well, but I didn’t get that juicy, quenched, and almost dewy appearance that I did with the Image Skincare serum.

For now, this is the most effective hyaluronic acid product I’ve come across and the only thing I’ve found to hydrate, plump, and soften my skin — all while minimizing the appearance of fine lines around my mouth just a tad. My wallet and I know it’s a splurge, but until I find a more affordable option that can do it all, I’ll be using this one every morning.

The bottom line

Get the Image Skincare Ageless Total Pure Hyaluronic6 Filler at Hey Day for $67