I finally found the best hyaluronic acid serum. And it’s under $20! I’ve tested out my fair share of hyaluronic acid serums. Hyaluronic acid is one of the first active ingredients that I focused on when I started my skincare journey. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the best experience with these serums.
What is hyaluronic acid?
Hyaluronic acid has become a buzzword lately with the recent popularization of skincare. Brands are coming out with their own hyaluronic acid serums that individuals are able to include in their skincare routine whenever they need an extra boost of moisture.
Hyaluronic acid is a humectant that has several skincare benefits. It can help with moisture. It aids with anti-aging. It can reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It can make your skin feel plumper.
What are some affordable hyaluronic acid serums options?
- The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Hydrating Serum $7.50 at Ulta and Sephora
- Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid $6 at Ulta.
The Ordinary is a great starter skincare brand. The product investment isn’t that high and it is easily accessible at your favorite skincare store. The packaging is just nice and minimal.
I did not enjoy this serum though. It is a little too sticky. The application process makes me want to avoid it in my skincare routine, so I avoided it. It also gets a little gunky on the top of the bottle.
Good Molecules is another great affordable brand. One problem I do have is with their droppers. I never seem to get the amount that I want to get. The product is also a little bit sticky for my liking.
The stickiness factor could be subjective since it is truly a skin care pet peeve of mine, but if you’re like me, then I would just steer away.
The best hyaluronic acid serum
So I guess I’m just going to have to blurt it out. The best hyaluronic acid serum I’ve tried is the Sweet Chef Celery + Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum Shot.
Sweet Chef Celery + Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum Shot
Sweet Chef is a brand that I don’t really hear a lot of people talking about. Sweet Chef is a K-beauty inspired brand created as a sister brand to Glow Recipe. YES! The Glow Recipe! It’s definitely a more affordable version available at your local Target, which is an added bonus in my book.
The brand is also vegan and leaping bunny certified.
Ingredients: Cold-Pressed Celery, Hyaluronic Acid, Mixed Green Sprout, Glyceryl Glucoside, and Niacinamide.
I received this product in exchange for an Instagram post. I have no other obligation other than that post. I wasn’t even sure I’d like it, but I really do love it. In fact I love it more than any other hyaluronic acid serum I’ve tried. It doesn’t feel sticky at all. The application is just perfection. More like a dream actually.
I honestly didn’t even know that it had Niacinamide until I looked up the ingredients right now! It does make perfect sense though. It does feel very much soothing to the skin.
The bonus of using this hyaluronic acid serum in comparison to others is that it already has Niacinamide. If you are a regular user of Niacinamide, you won’t have to use multiple products unless that’s what you were feeling that day.
Where to purchase
The Sweet Chef Celery + Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum Shot is available for $19.99 at Target or at SweetChef.
Overall Thoughts
Hyaluronic Acid is one of my favorite active ingredients. This skincare product was definitely a hidden gem that I’m glad that I discovered. I think that it has Glow Recipe quality while having a more affordable vibe. Plus, since the brand is available at Target it is easier to just purchase at 5% off.
