I’ve been slowly making a dent in the Korean skincare I bought a while back. Not an easy task, considering the unreasonable amount of things I acquired, but there is one thing I have been using almost every day: Mizon Hyaluronic Acid 100. As this is the one in the bunch most clearly targeted at dehydration, this is not surprising.

Hyaluronic Acid 100 is an extremely lightweight serum that feels like thick water. The name is somewhat misleading, as it’s not pure hyaluronic acid (I’m not sure this would work anyway). Still, sodium hyaluronate – the salt form of hyaluronic acid – is number 2 ingredient on the list after water, which means there is a lot of it: on the bottle, in smaller letters, it says 50%. Hyaluronic acid is naturally present in the skin, but the amount of it decreases as the skin gets older. As it has an impressive ability to hold water, it is excellent for dehydrated skin, making it plumper and more supple.

The Mizon serum is similar in function and feel to Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum, but even more lightweight and in my opinion, also more effective. It absorbs extremely quickly and while it’s great for any skin type, it must be a godsend for people with oily skin: it gives moisture without any grease and I’m pretty confident would not cause breakouts (this is the only thing I use when I have tested 3 new products simultaneously and stupidly made my skin act up). People with dry skin need something richer on top to address the dryness issue, as this is not what the Mizon is designed for – I’m sure you recall that dryness is the lack of oil, dehydration the lack of water. Typically for Korean skincare, this product is meant for layering and I would even say you can add it under or on top of another serum, if you so desire, before moving on to moisturizer.

Hyaluronic Acid 100 is not exactly cheap, but considering what serums cost these days, 42 dollars seems entirely reasonable. The only issue I have with this product is its accessibility. You can order it from Peach & Lily, which is wonderful for Americans, but not so much for Europeans. They do ship over here, but you never know what you have to pay in customs duty. Still, when I run out, I need to buy another bottle. Unless a new Korean cult product comes along.