5 Best Skin Hydrators For Your Brightest, Dewiest Complexion Yet

If you're curious about the latter, you'll want to keep an eye out for these star ingredients. Below, find our favorite hydrators your skin will drink right up: 

"The leaf of the aloe vera plant is rich in water, particularly in the innermost layer, so it helps to hydrate the skin and lock in moisture," explains board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, M.D., about aloe vera's benefits. "The sugars [it contains], also known as mucopolysaccharides, [also] help to retain moisture in the skin." Research backs up these stellar hydrating powers: When applied topically, aloe vera has been shown to increase the water content2 of the outermost layer of skin (or the stratum corneum). 

"Along with hydration, glycerin helps with improving the function of the skin barrier, which helps prevent the loss of water, protecting the skin from irritation and improving wound healing in the skin," says board-certified dermatologist Raechele Cochran Gathers, M.D., about glycerin's benefits. So not only can glycerin help pull in water, but it also keeps water from seeping out. Double duty at its finest. 

"It draws water into the stratum corneum, the top layer of the skin. It is a humectant, so it gives an immediate improvement in the way the skin looks—less ashy, dry, dull," holistic dermatologist Cybele Fishman, M.D., once told us. If you're in the market for an HA-infused product, these serums are the very best. 

The "acid" part may sound fishy, but don't sweat: PGA is a humectant, not an exfoliant—similar to the aforementioned hyaluronic acid. In fact, "Polyglutamic acid is a powerful humectant that can hold four times more water than hyaluronic acid," says board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., about the ingredient. And PGA actually helps stabilize the HA you naturally have: It helps inhibit the enzymes that break down HA as you age, so your skin is able to hold on to more of it naturally. 

Yes, these naturally occurring lipids actually help hold skin cells, collagen, and other skin components together (while keeping potential irritants out). But ceramides are naturally hydrating, too: The lipids condition the skin and help stop water from evaporating (aka transepidermal water loss). If you have dry, thirsty skin, a ceramide cream is a worthy grab—in fact, many products come brimming with other star hydrators, too, to ramp up the moisture. 

There's no one route to hydrated skin, but these ingredients are beloved by many a beauty buff for their thirst-quenching abilities. Generally, you can do no wrong with any of these players; and if you really want to enhance the hydration, apply these ingredients on a damp face so they have an ideal environment to attract and pull water into your skin.