Are all hydration serums created equal?
Like most gals I love a good bargain. The thought of paying full price for something never sits well with me. I’ll always troll online looking for a coupon code or sign up to a mailing list subjecting myself to constant spam if it means I can score a minimum 10% off. To me a wins a win and every little bit counts.
So when a makeup artist alerted me to what he viewed as an exact dupe for my beloved MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 LIQUID REHYDRATION SERUM that was less than half the price, I had my shoes on out the door ready to give it a go. HYLAMIDE LOW-MOLECULAR HA BOOSTER is a multi depth rehydration booster which claims to plump skin leaving it more youthful and radiant.
So how do the two compare?
Price:
- MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 SERUM retails for around $80 give or take which pains me a little as I seem to go through it quicker than my other serums.
- HYLAMIDE BOOSTER SERUM retails at $29.99 however I snapped this up when Priceline was having 20% off so it only set me back $23.99. #sorrynotsorry
Appearance + Texture:
Both come in a 30ml Pasteur pipette bottle.
**That’s fancy talk for dropper bottle. Don’t worry I had to google it too.
Both serums are clear in nature so in terms of appearance they are identical. Texture is where they differ..
- MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 SERUM is of a very light consistency and easily spread and absorbed into skin.
- HYLAMIDE BOOSTER SERUM is of a more thick texture. It is almost a cross between a gel and a serum and as a result takes longer to absorb into the skin.
Hydration factor:
Once again I did notice a difference in the HYLAMIDE BOOSTER SERUM’s ability to hydrate my skin. I feel that it was quite surface level and I often had to reapply. This was something I never have to do while using MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 SERUM.
Ingredients:
Both serums contain Hyaluronic Acid an ingredient which works to retain hydration and aid collagen synthesis. HA also contains antioxidants which contributes to anti-aging benefits for the skin.
Ingredients for both serums are listed below:
- MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 LIQUID REHYDRATION SERUM– Aqua (Water), Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Calcium Pantothenate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citric Acid.
- HYLAMIDE LOW-MOLECULAR HA BOOSTER- Aqua (Water), Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Ahnfeltia Concinna Extract, Lecithin, Glycerin, Betaine, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polyglucuronic Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, PPG-26-Buteth-26, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.
As a personal preference I do prefer to choose products with a minimal ingredient list. With reference to the HYLAMIDE BOOSTER SERUM perhaps the higher amount of ingredients could account for the difference in texture.
I would also like to note that neither product lists any fragrance in their ingredients which is a big thumbs up from me!
MY FINAL WORD..
Upon review do I believe HYLAMIDE BOOSTER SERUM is an exact dupe for the MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 SERUM?
Short answer.. no
The product just failed to hydrate my skin to the same level that the MEDIK8 Serum does. Leaving me to to reapply multiple times to achieve a similar result as it was not as effective at improving hydration.
However
At $29.99 per bottle it’s less than half the price and although the MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 SERUM reigned superior, HYLAMIDE still does a dam good job.
It’s a perfect addition to my post skin peel routine when I need to apply multiple times per day and far more cost effective. It also works great pre and post flight as well as before makeup application. So while MEDIK8 to me is the clear winner and cream of the crop HYLAMIDE BOOSTER SERUM is certainly a great budget friendly alternative, just not an exact dupe.
I will continue to purchase for my own routine and do recommend it especially to those who are working within a budget.
Sez Xx
HYLAMIDE LOW-MOLECULAR HA BOOSTER- Purchased from https://www.priceline.com.au/hylamide-booster-series-low-molecular-ha-30-ml
MEDIK8 HYDR8 B5 LIQUID REHYDRATION SERUM- Purchased from https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/medik8/medik8-hydr8-b5.html
