15 Best Hydrating Serums of 2024 to Lock in Soothe, Moisturize, and Replenish Skin

Come winter, there’s one thing every skin-obsessed individual knows to be true: Moisture-boosting elixirs are essential. And the best hydrating serum doesn’t just serve up an extra dose of hydration, they also deeply nourish and protect against the harsh elements, from whipping winds to sudden drops in temperature.

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“Hydrating serums are useful because they bring hydration into the skin,” stresses New York City dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, M.D., of Schweiger Dermatology Group. Because healing dry skin calls for both humectants and emollients (that draw in moisture and lock in moisture, respectively), a good humectant like hyaluronic acid, which holds 1,000 times its weight in water, will draw hydration to the skin to bouncier, glowier effect. With all that said, you can trust that there’s no time like the present to introduce a supercharged serum into your regimen, as winter really puts complexions to the test.

“When the atmosphere is more arid, such as in wintertime, the dry air draws moisture out of our skin… so these barrier products prevent loss of moisture,” explains Nazarian. “Over time, as we age, our skin is less capable of drawing in and locking in moisture—so these skin habits are useful in the short-term seasonally and long-term because as we age, our skin weakens.” Below, 15 of the best serums for dry skin to help you lock in moisture all season long.

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum

• Why We Love It: Drunk Elephant’s B-Hydra Intensive Hydration serum is an ultra-nourishing cocktail comprised of vitamin B5 and fruit ceramides to brighten and heal moisture-depleted skin.
• Key Ingredients: Pineapple ceramide, provitamin B5, sodium hyaluronate, niacinamide, panthenol, watermelon, lentil, and apple fruit extract
• Texture: Milky serum

SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel

• Why We Love It: SkinCeuticals’s sinks-right-in gel serum is a favorite for all skin types with its juicy concentration of hyaluronic acid and a heavy dose of hydrating b5 gel, which plumps the skin for a smoother, dewier complexion.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5
• Texture: Gel-serum

Tatcha The Dewy Serum

• Why We Love It: The Japanese beauty-inspired brand’s buzzed-about elixir is a milky serum that lifts impurities with lactic acid and quenches skin’s thirst with hyaluronic acid and sugarcane-derived squalane.
• Key Ingredients: Lactic acid in Hadasei-3 (a blend of fermented Japanese superfoods: Uji green tea, Akita rice, and Okinawa algae), hyaluronic acid, sugarcane-derived squalane
• Texture: Milky serum

La Mer The Hydrating Infused Emulsion

• Why We Love It: An instant, fast-absorbing dose of hydration, La Mer’s lightweight serum-lotion is spiked with its famed sea kelp-based Miracle Broth to heal and replenish, while fatty acid-packed soy and antioxidant-rich lime tea concentrate work their magic.
• Key Ingredients: La Mer’s Miracle Broth, kelp, soy, lime tea concentrate, squalane, algae extract, glycerin, caffeine, meadowfoam seed oil
• Texture: Serum-lotion

La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum

• Why We Love It: The jelly-like texture of La Roche-Posay’s Hyalu B5 serum instantly quenches thirsty skin. Upon application, its blend of hyaluronic acid, madecassoside derived from the centella asiatic plant, and a handful of other conditioning agents give skin all it needs to stay soothed all winter long.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, madecassoside, glycerin, vitamin B5, dimethicone, La Roche-Posay Prebiotic Thermal Water
• Texture: Gel-serum

The Beauty Sandwich SS01 Secret Sauce

• Why We Love It: Few facialists are as world-renowned as Iván Pol—the pro tending some of Hollywood’s most famous faces (think: Salma Hayek and Kim Kardashian) and mastermind of “The Beauty Sandwich” technique known to contour, lift, and tighten the skin. However, if you can’t score an appointment at his clinic, you can shop his “Secret Sauce”—elixirs formulated to nourish and balance your skin, or rather “feed” its cravings. SS01 is the line’s best-seller, a supercharged oil full of vitamins, fatty acids, ceramides, and phytocholestrols to keep dry, winter skin in tip-top shape.
• Key Ingredients: Rosehip oil, rosehip fruit extract, rosehip seed extract, sea buckthorn oil, red raspberry seed oil, camellia seed oil, prickly pear, calendula, squalane, vitamin E
• Texture: Oil serum

Chanel Hydra Beauty Micro Serum Intense Replenishing Hydration

• Why We Love It: Chanel’s Hydra Beauty serum is like a drink of water to parched skin. Delivering up to 24 hours of hydration, this uses patented micro-droplet technology, camellia japoinca flower extract, and ginger root extract for a plumper, smoother, more luminous complexion.
• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, camellia japoinca flower extract, ginger root extract
• Texture: Serum

CosRx Snail Mucin 96% Power Repairing Essence

• Why We Love It: The CosRx essence has been trending on TikTok for years now, and for good reason—the formula waorks like no other to refine the look of pores, visibly reduce dark spots, and hydrate the skin. How? 96.3% snail mucin and hyaluronic acid are to thank, whipped into a gel-like essence that sinks right into skin.
• Key Ingredients: 96.3% snail secretion filtrate, hyaluronic acid, allantoin, panthenol, arginine
• Texture: Gel-serum

Rhode Peptide Glazing Fluid

• Why We Love It: One of Rhode’s inaugural products, the Peptide Glazing Fluid has proven effective since its 2022 launch.  The secret to Hailey Bieber’s glazed donut skin, this gel serum features peptides, niacinamide, and hyaluronic acid to deliver not only a dewy complexion, but brighten, plump, and improve skin texture, too.
• Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid, marula oil, glycerin
• Texture: Gel-serum

SK-II Pitera Facial Treatment Essence

• Why We Love It: What’s not to love about SK-II’s Pitera essence? A mainstay in the cabinets of beauty gurus, this uses the brand’s proprietary Pitera (a naturally-derived ingredient from years fermentation) to promote cell turnover; the result is healthier, smoother, more even skin. 
• Key Ingredients: Pitera
• Texture: Essence

Ilia The Base Face Milk

• Why We Love It: Safe to say, Ilia knows a thing or two about keeping skin in its most optimal, radiant state. That’s why we’re particularly excited about its latest launch—The Base Face Milk. Think of it as a serum-meets-moisturizer; it aims to hydrate, strengthen, and soothe the skin through hyaluronic acid, microalgae extract, and prickly pear flower extract. Those with dry skin should apply this just before your chosen face cream to lock in moisture.
• Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, squalane, allantoin, microalgae extract, prickly pear flower extract, phospholipids, phytosterols
• Texture: Milky toner

iS Clinical Hydra-Cool Serum

• Why We Love It: Designed to cool, calm, and soothe dry winter skin, iS Clinical’s Hydra-Cool Serum might just be the cold weather salve you’ve been searching for. Just apply a few drops of the lightweight elixir to the skin for a quick moisture boost; plus, it’s safe for sensitive, acne, and irritation-prone skin types.
• Key Ingredients: Centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid, mushroom, vitamin B
• Texture: Serum

111SKIN Rose Gold Radiance Booster

• Why We Love It: A luminizing serum is just the ticket when dull skin needs a pick-me-up this winter. Niacinamide and rose flower water come together to calm irritation and even skin tone, while colloidal gold helps soothe inflammation and create an unmatched gleaming glow.
• Key Ingredients: Rose damascena extract, niacinamide, colloidal gold, glycerin
• Texture: Serum

Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum

• Why We Love It: This Good Molecules serum may be simple, containing just eight ingredients, but it still packs a hydrating punch. Two molecular weights of hyaluronic acid lead the formula to replenish the skin’s moisture levels and reveal a bouncier complexion. 
• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, sodium hyaluronate
• Texture: Serum

Image Skincare VITAL C Hydrating Antioxidant A C E Serum

• Why We Love It: Interested in pairing your daily dose of vitamin C with hydrating properties? Look no further than Image Skincare. The Vital C Hydrating Antioxidant serum boasts a refreshing texture enriched with vitamins, amino acids, green tea extract, and brightening agents to protect against environmental stressors and quell dryness simultaneously.
• Key Ingredients: Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, red rose wine complex, green tea extract, vitamin E, retinyl palmitate, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, centella asiatic extract, sodium hyaluronate
• Texture: Serum