There are few rules to live by when it comes to plump and healthy-looking skin, but here’s one of them: hydration! Hydration! Hydration!

Well-hydrated skin is less sensitive to irritants and pollutants, less prone to fine lines and is overall smoother, softer, and healthier. To look and feel its best, skin should be hydrated. Skin loses hydration through time in both hot and cold climates, exposure to harsh ingredients in soaps and other products, rough exfoliation, and lack of water intake.

If your first thought here is “no worries, I don’t have dry skin,” that’s great! But unfortunately, a little irrelevant. It’s not only visibly dry skin that can fall victim to the consequences of a lack of hydration. Similarly, if your first thought was “all good, I moisturise every day,” that’s also great! But moisturiser is not always enough. Hydration and moisturisation go hand in hand but are different things. Moisturisation involves ingredients that lock moisture in and protect your skin’s natural barrier, while hydration involves actually providing that moisture to lock in. An easy way to do this is with a hydrating serum.

What are hydrating serums? Hydrating serums are lightweight products that hydrate your skin without clogging your pores or leaving you with a heavy, oily or greasy feeling. Common ingredients in hydrating serums include vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.

Vitamin C: As a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, vitamin C enhances hydration while also brightening your complexion.

Niacinamide: By helping to lock moisture in, niacinamide assists the hydrating ability of the moisturiser you pair with it.

Hyaluronic acid: A powerful humectant (substance that preserves moisture), hyaluronic acid is estimated to retain about 1000 times its weight in water, making it an incredibly hydrating product when it works alongside a skin mist or water on a damp face.

Hydrating serum benefits Evens out skin tone: Hydrating serums, particularly those that contain vitamin C, help to even out pigmentation and improve the overall skin tone.

Reduces fine lines: Many serums contain anti-aging supplements that help skin stay soft and plump while reducing the risk of wrinkles.

Environmental protection: The antioxidants in many serums help protect the skin against damaging pollutants such as UV and harsh weather conditions which can cause irritation.

Glowy skin: If this one doesn’t convince you, we don’t know what will. Proper hydration is the key to youthful, plump, bouncy and glowy skin. What more could you really ask for?

How to use a hydrating serum All products should come with their own specific instructions, but as a general rule serums should be applied to the face with your fingertips. Once the product is on your hands, gently use your fingers to press the serum into your skin. Avoid being rough with your face, pat the product in and let it absorb on its own. Serums should be applied after your skin has been cleansed and toned, but before it has been moisturised. The easiest way to apply serums is in order of the thinnest to thickest product. Many serums also work best when applied to damp skin, but this is dependent on the product’s ingredients, so it’s always best to double check.

Hydrating serum recommendations:

Skinceuticals HA Intensifier Hyaluronic Acid Serum: This serum amplifies skin’s natural acid levels by 30 per cent, working to regulate moisture levels and promote firmness.

Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum: Drunk Elephant’s illuminating serum is lightweight and water-based, designed to provide both instant and sustained hydration.

Go-To Much Brighter Skin: Made with vitamin C, niacinamide and even some hyaluronic acid, Much Brighter Skin is the brightening (duh) product of your dreams. It hydrates skin with these key ingredients alongside kakuda plum extract to leave your face feeling firmer than ever.

Glow Recipe Plum Plump Hyaluronic Serum: Another hyaluronic acid based beauty, this plumping serum also harbours antioxidant-rich plums to rejuvenate and nourish the skin.