Best hyaluronic acid serum on a budget

hyaluronic acid serum - actually anna

Hyaluronic acid has been on the market for quite a while and the main ingredient in all kinds of products. Nowadays there are hyaluronic acid moisturizers, eye creams, face masks, you name it! Today I want to dive a little deeper into the original hyaluronic acid product: the serum. What does hyaluronic acid do? How to apply it? When to use it in your routine? And lastly 4 X Best hyaluronic acid serums on a budget. Since almost every brand is including some sort of hyaluronic acid in their skincare range, I thought it might be a nice idea to list my 4 favorites that are not too pricy.

What does hyaluronic acid serum do?

Hyaluronic acid is a molecule that provides moisture to the skin. It can bind to over a thousand times it’s own weight in water, which makes it a very useful molecule to moisturise the skin. But besides in all kind of moisturisers, eye creams, and serums hyaluronic acid can also be found in the human body itself. For example in the skin, eyes and joints.

When we age the hyaluronic acid our own body produces decreases. Therefore hyaluronic acid is not only used in products for dry skin, but also in a lot of anti ageing products. This way we try to give our skin a bit more moisture from the outside, resulting (hopefully) in a more plump and hydrated skin.

How to apply hyaluronic acid serum?

There are many ways that you can apply a serum to your face. I’ve heard others to either press the serum into your face, massage it with your hands, massage it with a jade roller. So I can imagine you asking yourself, well how about hyaluronic acid. Is there a special way to apply it? In my opinion I don’t think so, although it is a molecule that binds to water in order to moisturise your skin. So applying it on damp skin allows the hyaluronic acid to bind to water before it sinks into your skin. Therefore I think it works better if you apply it to damp skin.

When to use hyaluronic acid serum?

There are actually no rules when it comes to the use of hyaluronic acid. You can basically use it whenever you feel like your skin needs it. I use hyaluronic acid religiously during the winter period, since my skin tends to get very dry during the colder months. So if you want to use it every day, morning and night, or only once a week, it’s completely up to you. Now in terms of which step it should be in your skincare routine.

As we discussed earlier on in this post, it works best if you apply it on damp skin. So either after your toner or after a treatment, vitamin c or retinol, kind of product. This way you really make sure to lock in that moisture!

Best hyaluronic acid on a budget

As I already mentioned there are so many hyaluronic acid products on the market and they really vary in price. Therefore I thought let’s list down four hyaluronic acids that I think are really good, and are more on the affordable price point.

The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid

First up is The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid, which is one that I’ve also mentioned in a blog post about The Inkey List skincare routine. This hyaluronic acid is extremely affordable for the quality of the product, at €6,90, and really does the job. For an extensive review, you can read my latest blog post about The Inkey List Skincare routine for dull skin.

One that also needs to be mentioned when talking about the Inkey list hyaluronic acid, is The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid serum. I didn’t have any empties or products in stock, so I couldn’t show you the actual product. But The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid is also very affordable, at €8,50, considering the quality of the product!

beauty kitchen face oil - actually anna
Beauty Kitchen (US)* // Beauty Kitchen (UK)* // Beauty Kitchen (NL)*

Organic Hyaluronic Acid Serum

If you’re looking for an organic hyaluronic acid serum, try the Hydra Intense Facial Oil from Beauty Kitchen. This, like the name suggests, is more of a face oil than a serum when you talk about the consistency. I think it doesn’t really matter, because it really does the job! It is a bit more expensive compared to the serums I previously mentioned, at €17,49, but if you are looking for an organic, waste free brand this is the one!

Beauty Kitchen does an amazing job of recycling the bottles and reducing the amount of waste as much as they can. And they have quite an extensive range of products! If you want to read more about this brand check out Beauty Kitchen: vegan, sustainable and cruelty free!

Affordable hyaluronic acid serum

Another affordable Hyaluronic acid is the Hydro Plumping Serum from Catrice. This hyaluronic acid is, at €5,99, the most affordable in this blog post. You might know Catrice from their very affordable yet effective makeup products, but they recently started launch more and more skin care products as well. This hyaluronic acid is a very basic, yet very effective one. Since it is in the more affordable range of the hyaluronic acids out there, it shows that a nice and basic product doesn’t have to be expensive at all.

l oreal hyaluronic acid serum - actually anna
L’oreal (US)* // L’oreal (UK)* // L’oreal (NL)*

L oreal hyaluronic acid serum

The last one I’m mentioning in this post is the L’oreal Paris Revitalift Filler + HA. This is the most expensive one, at €36,95, but in my opinion also worth mentioning. The L’oreal Paris skincare products are very beautiful and basic products, therefore they are very reliable in terms of quality. Since L’oreal Paris is not the only brand owned by the L’oreal group, you sometimes see that technology used in luxurious brands (also owned by the L’oreal group) are also used in the more affordable L’oreal Paris products.

Hence why I find them very reliable in terms of quality. This serum is marketed towards mature skin, but as mentioned in the previous section hyaluronic acid can be used at any age. Therefore this makes a beautiful all-around serum if you ask me!

I really hope you loved reading about my four favorite hyaluronic acid serums on a budget. As you might have noticed I try to give you a little bit more background and knowledge about the products in my latest blog posts. I love researching these kinds of things and explain them to you while I also talk about specific products. Let me know if you like this new style of writing in the comments below!

I know my posts get lengthier due to this, but I hope you love the knowledge behind the products, compared to just a plain review post. Maybe you like the combination of the two alternated, just let me know in the comments what you think! I value your opinion, so don’t hesitate to share it!

Signature Annaleid from Actually Anna

5 Comments

  1. May 6, 2021 / 8:52 pm

    I’ve never tried a hyalunic acid serum before but I’ve heard so many good things about the beauty kitchen one.

    • May 12, 2021 / 11:45 am

      I hope this post is helpful if you were on the hunt for one 🙂 It’s definitely a staple in my skincare routine. And if you have any questions please let me know!

      xoxo Annaleid

  2. May 7, 2021 / 9:06 am

    I have included HA serums into my skin care during last year and they have been really beneficial to me. Great suggestions!
    xoxo
    Lovely

    • May 12, 2021 / 11:05 am

      I’m so happy that it was helpful! Yes HA is such a staple product in my skincare routine as well!

      xoxo Annaleid

  3. Leontien
    May 8, 2021 / 10:53 am

    Interessant xxx

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