8 Serums Your Dry Skin Will Love

Summer Fridays is known for creating skincare products that feel like a big hug for sensitive skin. This serum, in particular, feels like a big drink of water for your skin, with a gel-like consistency that absorbs quickly. It’s pumped with hydrating ingredients like squalane, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid and, in our experience, sits beautifully under the rest of our skincare and makeup. Its lightweight texture makes it great for the summertime, but we find it hydrating enough for winter as well. The packaging is also a pump delivery system, which means you don’t have to fuss around with a dropper.

Key features:

• Lightweight gel-like texture
• Contains plant-derived squalane to deeply hydrate the skin
• Vegan formula
• Good for sensitive and acne-prone skin

Available at:

• Revolve
• Mecca

La Roche-Posay is a French pharmacy brand regularly recommended by dermatologists, thanks to its ability to create products that do their job without irritating skin. This serum was originally formulated as part of its anti-wrinkle range, as it claims to plump fine lines while intensely hydrating sensitive skin. The three key ingredients in this formula that target dry skin are hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin B5. Hyaluronic acid plumps the skin, while vitamin B5 helps the skin absorb moisture in the air to maintain hydration, and glycerin is a humectant that helps hydrate the skin.

Key features:

• Lightweight water-gel texture
• Formulated for sensitive skin
• Claims to plump fine lines

Available at:

• $51.99 from Chemist Warehouse
• $74.95 from Adore Beauty
• $74.95 from Priceline

This hyaluronic acid serum is a no-frills product that does its job without any fanfare. It contains 2% multi-molecular hyaluronic acid, which holds 1000 times its weight in water to help hydrate your skin. The water-like texture is also non-sticky and soaks into the skin immediately. Plus, the price point is so friendly that you don’t need to ration it out — permission to apply with abandon.

Key features:

• Non-sticky, water-like texture
• Absorbs quickly
• Contains 2% multi-molecular Hyaluronic Acid

Available at:

• $17 from Sephora
• $17 from ASOS

Though it pains me to say it, this luxury serum (called The Serum) from Augustinus Bader truly gave me the best glassy skin of my life. And in record time. It’s formulated with the brand’s patented TFC8, a combination of amino acids, vitamins and molecules naturally found in skin that was created by Bader himself as a solution for healing the skin of people who had suffered serious burn injuries. As for the serum itself, it combats skin dehydration with sodium hyaluronate and claims to fight against environmental aggressors (thanks to the inclusion of vitamin C). This is a serious investment, but one that you may deem appropriate — even if only in the lead-up to a big life event such as a wedding.

Key features:

• Includes patented TFC8 to support the skin’s natural repair and renewal processes
• Hyaluronic acid helps to plump dehydrated skin
• Contains antioxidant ingredients to fight environmental aggressors
• Cruelty-free formula

Available at:

• $583 from Mecca

The Ordinary recently reformulated its fan-favourite hyaluronic acid serum, not because there was anything wrong with the original, but because the brand thought they could improve it even more. The main differences between this new formula and the old one are that it now contains five types of hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and pro-vitamin B5. It now also claims to plump and hydrate the skin, while helping to strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier.

Key features:

• Weightless texture
• Contains five types of hyaluronic acid
• Claims to minimise fine lines

Available at:

• $15.90 from Adore Beauty
• $16 from Sephora
• $15.90 from Priceline

This hyaluronic acid serum from Paula’s Choice takes a three-pronged approach to combating dry skin, using hyaluronic acid to smooth the skin, and ceramides to support the skin barrier, plus panthenol to help lock in moisture.

Key features:

• Light, fluid-gel texture
• Contains nourishing ceramides
• Formulated for ultra-dry skin types

Available at:

• $59 from Paula’s Choice

This serum lives up to its name, with a lightweight and non-sticky formula that is affordable but still feels luxurious when applied to dry skin. It contains vitamin B5, fermented birch juice and green algae extract which claim to join forces to give you bouncy skin and long-lasting hydration. We have been through countless bottles of this stuff, it’s just lovely.

Key features:

• Fragrance-free
• Contains green algae extract, which claims to protect the skin from collagen damage
• Cruelty-free formula

Available at:

• $26 from Mecca

The Clarins Double Serum is a beauty editor favourite, thanks to its gentle yet potent anti-ageing formula. As the name suggests, this dual-formula combines water- and oil-based serums in one, harnessing 22 plant extracts to target signs of ageing. The hero ingredients in Double Serum are organic giant Provençal reed, a plant extract that helps bolster the skin’s resistance to visible signs of ageing caused by environmental aggressors, and turmerone, a turmeric extra that supports skin at a cellular level.

Key features:

• Lightweight yet hydrating formula
• Suitable for all skin types
• Formulated with 95% naturally derived ingredients

Available at:

• $240 from Clarins