You Don’t Need to Buy the Most Expensive Skincare Products

If your skincare needs an upgrade, you may be lost on where to start — there’s no shortage of brands, products, and claims to navigate. Plus, it can feel like you need a small fortune to get a full set of items for a routine. Having tried the cheap and the expensive, and the in between, where these sit, I can confidently say Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost line is among the best — a line of products meant to address your most basic needs and then round out your regimen. Through all of the products, the key ingredient is hyaluronic acid, though some specific products also include things like antioxidants and lipids. Whatever the combo, they come together to deeply hydrate and protect skin, whether you’re dry, balanced, or oily. (Oily skin still needs hydration!) The Hydro Boost line includes creams, serums, cleaners, and even makeup; these are some of our favorites.

_{Prices are accurate as of January 20, 2026. Subject to change.}

Ultra Hydrating Serum

If you have super dry skin like I do, you need a little bit more hydration than a single cream can deliver. That’s where the Hydro Boost serum comes in. Use it on damp skin after washing your face and follow it up with moisturizer. The hyaluronic acid plumps skin instantly, while also delivering improved hydration over time as you continue to use it.

Night Pressed Serum

Beauty sleep got its name for a reason: your skin renews while you sleep. Getting proper rest and sleeping with clean, makeup-free skin aids in its renewal, but so does adding in night-specific skincare. “This deeply nourishing serum complements skin’s natural nighttime renewal process to rehydrate while you sleep,” says Neutrogena. Its unique, thick jelly-like texture feels great to slather on after a long day. Hyaluronic acid hydrates and antioxidants protect your skin from damage.

Hydrogel Sheet Masks

Sheet masks can be a fun, relaxing at-home spa treatment, but not all are created equally. Most of the ones I’ve tried feel good but rarely deliver long-lasting results. The Hydro Boost sheet masks, however, actually leave a noticeable improvement when my skin is extra dry. The key is the hydrogel material, which helps your skin absorb the serum rather than soak it up itself like cloth masks can sometimes do. This bundle from Amazon gets you 12 masks or you can get one to try from Ulta.

Exfoliating Cleanser

In college, my skin turned into a textured mess seemingly overnight — not just the occasional red pimple, but deep closed comedones ravaged my face. I tried tons of washes and creams, including prescription tretinoin, but everything dried it out and made it more irritated. Then, I started using this Hydro Boost exfoliating cleanser on a whim and within a week, there was a noticeable improvement. Once I paired it with the matching serum and water cream, it cleared right up. I haven’t stopped using it since. It has a grainy texture to exfoliate skin, which can be too irritating for everyday use. For those days, consider the cleansing gel.

Water Cream

The simplest of skincare routines still require a moisturizer, and Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Water Cream performs like those that cost three times the price — water creams are lightweight, with a cooling gel-like feel, and as the name suggests, primarily water based. If you don’t like heavy products, you’ll like this even if you need deep hydration. The cream formula is best for normal to extra dry skin; there is also a water gel for normal to oily skin. If you try anything from the line, let it be this.

Hydrating Lip Sleeping Mask

Not only is my skin chronically dry, but my lips suffer too. Slathering lip balm on multiple times a day wasn’t curing the problem and I didn’t want to spend a small fortune on a lip mask that would end up on my pillowcase. Then I discovered that the Hydro Boost line also had a lip mask and unsurprisingly, it worked miracles. I slather the thick cream on as soon as I get into bed so it has time to marinate before I actually fall asleep and risk wiping it off. When my lips are really dry and cracked, a few nights is all I need to get back to normal. One tube lasted several months before I needed to replace it.

Hydrating Skin Tint

Now that your skincare is under control, you might consider swapping out a drying foundation for a hydrating tint. It’s best for those with dry skin who still want to use makeup but aren’t looking for super high, matte coverage. Drugstore shades can be difficult to match, but if you do get one close to your skin tone, you don’t have to settle for foundation settling into flakey skin.

Feature Image Credit: Image Courtesy of Neutrogena