Skin hydration: is hyaluronic acid enough or add cream?
9 min read Skincare Updated 1 November 2026 By Anna Sophie Schulenburg
Hydrating your skin properly takes two parts: an ingredient such as hyaluronic acid or glycerin draws water into the top layer of skin, and a cream containing lipids keeps it there. So after cleansing, apply the watery product first to skin that is still slightly damp, then smooth a pea-sized amount of moisturiser over it within a minute. An hour later you can see whether the pairing works: your cheeks don't feel tight and your forehead isn't shiny yet.
A hyaluronic acid serum on its own is rarely enough, because it does little to shield the water it binds from evaporating. How rich your moisturiser should be depends on whether your skin is short of water or short of oil. Oily skin can be dehydrated too.
Your hydration routine at a glance
| Step | What | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleanse | mild cleanser, lukewarm water | a hazelnut-sized amount | in the evening; in the morning, water alone is often enough for dry skin |
| Bind water | serum or essence with humectants | 2–3 drops | straight afterwards, on damp skin |
| Seal | gel cream, lotion or cream | pea-sized for the face, the same again for the neck | within a minute of the serum |
| Protect or top up | sunscreen in the morning, 1–2 drops of oil on dry patches in the evening | sunscreen: about two finger lengths for face and neck | as the final layer |
Thin textures go before thick ones. Oil and sunscreen always sit on top.
Hydration and oil: what each ingredient group does
In skincare, hydration means water. Oil refers to the lipids that stop that water from evaporating. A good moisturiser works with three groups of ingredients, and it takes all three together to leave skin soft and supple:
| Ingredient group | Job | On the INCI list, for example | How it feels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Humectants | attract water and hold it in the outer layer of skin (stratum corneum) | Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), Urea, Panthenol, Aloe Barbadensis | light, watery, sinks in quickly |
| Emollients | fill the gaps between skin flakes and smooth the surface | Squalane, plant oils, ceramides, Cetearyl Alcohol | supple, creamy |
| Occlusives | lay down a thin film that slows evaporation | Petrolatum (petroleum jelly), Paraffinum Liquidum, Butyrospermum Parkii (shea butter), Cera Alba (beeswax), Dimethicone | rich, slightly filmy |
The INCI list orders ingredients by amount, largest first; ingredients present in very small amounts may appear at the end in any order. Cetearyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol and doesn't dry skin out. If “Alcohol denat.” sits among the first few ingredients, on the other hand, dry skin may feel tight afterwards.
Ceramides are also part of skin's own protective layer. If your skin currently stings with almost every product, you first need fewer actives and a milder cleanser to strengthen your skin barrier, and only then more hydration.
Is hyaluronic acid enough on its own, or do you need a moisturiser on top?
For most skin types, a cream belongs on top. Hyaluronic acid binds water in the top layer of skin but brings hardly any lipids to slow evaporation. In dry, heated indoor air some of that water evaporates again, and skin can feel tight half an hour after a serum of hyaluronic acid alone.
You are most likely to manage with hyaluronic acid alone if your skin is oily and the air is humid, as it is in summer. Even then, sunscreen takes over as the sealing layer in the morning.
The reverse holds too: you don't necessarily need a separate serum. If glycerin or Sodium Hyaluronate appears near the top of your moisturiser's INCI list, it covers both jobs in one step.
You can test the difference on yourself: three evenings with serum only, three evenings with serum plus cream. If your skin feels tight in the morning after the evenings without cream, it is missing the sealing layer.
Dry or dehydrated skin? The self-test
Dry skin is a skin type: it is permanently short of oil. Dehydrated skin is a temporary state: it is short of water, and that can happen to any skin, oily skin included. The two need different textures:
| How you can tell | more dry (short of oil) | more dehydrated (short of water) |
|---|---|---|
| After cleansing | feels tight for a long time, even after moisturising | feels tight, but this eases quickly once moisturised |
| Surface | rough, fine flakes on the cheeks and around the eyes | smooth but dull |
| Shine | the T-zone usually stays matte | the T-zone can still get shiny |
| Push the skin on your cheek together lightly | few lines, flakes more likely | lots of fine crinkly lines, like tissue paper |
| Make-up | doesn't grip well and flakes off on dry patches | settles into fine lines after an hour or two |
| Through the year | much the same in every season | changes with heating, weather and long hot showers |
| What helps first | a cream with emollients and occlusives | humectants on damp skin, with a light cream on top |
If rows from both columns apply, your skin has both needs. Then the watery serum goes first and the richer cream on top. The free skin analysis starts with the water test and then asks how your skin has felt over the past few weeks. If make-up clings badly to dry patches, the preparation for make-up on dry skin helps.
Red, itchy or weeping patches that haven't calmed down after two weeks of regular care, and cracks that bleed, need a dermatologist. They can be eczema, and eczema needs treatment that a moisturiser cannot provide.
How to apply your hydrating skincare
These four steps cover hydration, morning and evening. Exfoliation and eye care only come in with a complete skincare routine with every step.
Step 1 — Cleanse mildly. Wash your face in the evening with lukewarm water and a mild cleanser; 30 to 60 seconds is enough. In the morning, plain water is often enough for dry skin. Hot water and strongly foaming cleansers also strip away the skin lipids that are meant to hold the water. Pat your face with the towel afterwards instead of rubbing, so it stays slightly damp.
Step 2 — Bind water. Within a minute, put 2–3 drops of a serum with hyaluronic acid or glycerin into your palm and press it onto your forehead, cheeks and chin with both hands. An essence such as the Skin Revitalizing Essence™ does the same in-between job. A serum with niacinamide or another active also goes here, before the cream.
Step 3 — Seal. Wait until the serum no longer looks wet but your skin still feels cool, usually about 30 seconds. Then dot a pea-sized amount of moisturiser on five points (forehead, nose, chin and both cheeks) and spread it from the centre outwards. Use the same amount again for your neck and décolletage. For normal and combination skin the Be Balanced™ Lightweight Moisturiser suits, for dry or sensitive skin the Be Gentle™ Nourishing Moisturiser. Whether Be Gentle™ or Be Balanced™ suits you better comes down mainly to your T-zone: if it shines by midday, the lighter line is the better place to start.
Step 4 — Protect in the morning, top up in the evening. In the morning, after waiting one to two minutes, sunscreen goes on as the last layer, about two finger lengths for face and neck. In the evening you can press 1–2 drops of facial oil or a thin layer of petroleum jelly onto very dry spots such as the sides of the nose or the corners of the mouth. Oil goes after the cream, because a watery serum struggles to reach the skin under a film of oil.
The Barrier Booster™ Barrier Defense Moisturiser is designed for skin that stings after exfoliating or in heated air. A water test in the morning tells you which of the three MONAT skincare lines suits your skin type.
Which moisturiser texture suits which skin
| Skin type | Texture | Humectants | Sealing layer | Adjust |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oily | gel or gel cream | hyaluronic acid, glycerin | light; in the morning, sunscreen takes over | only a very thin layer on the T-zone |
| Combination | lotion or light cream | glycerin, panthenol | normal | less on the T-zone, a second thin layer on dry cheeks |
| Normal | lotion or cream | glycerin, hyaluronic acid | normal | one step richer in winter |
| Dry | rich cream | glycerin, urea | shea butter, squalane, petroleum jelly on dry spots in the evening | an extra 1–2 drops of oil in the evening |
| Sensitive | fragrance-free cream with few ingredients | glycerin, panthenol | ceramides, squalane | test a new product along the jawline for three evenings; urea can sting on irritated skin |
In winter, go one step richer, for example cream instead of lotion, and one step lighter in summer. If your skin shines two hours after moisturising or small spots appear, the cream was too rich or you used too much. If it feels tight again after an hour, it was too light. What else helps against cold and heated air in winter is in winter skin care.
Common mistakes and what to do instead
- Hyaluronic acid serum on fully dried skin in heated air → on damp skin, with a cream on top
- Long, hot showers → lukewarm and ten minutes at most
- Rubbing yourself dry with the towel → pat dry and moisturise within a minute
- Skipping moisturiser on oily skin → a pea-sized amount of gel cream
- Reaching for the richest cream for dehydrated skin → a light serum plus lotion
- Applying oil before serum → oil as the last step in the evening
- A walnut-sized dollop of cream → pea-sized, plus a second thin layer on dry spots if needed
- Switching moisturiser every two weeks → stick with one for four weeks, then decide on the texture
How to tell your routine suits your skin
On the first evening, check how your skin feels an hour after moisturising and again the next morning: it should neither feel tight nor look greasy. After two weeks, look in the mirror in the afternoon and check whether your make-up still settles into fine lines under your eyes. After four weeks, decide whether the texture stays or moves one step lighter or richer.
Dry skin (rich)
Core routine
- BE GENTLE™ CREAMY CLEANSER
- BE GENTLE™ NOURISHING MOISTURIZER
Optional
- MONAT Barrier Booster™ Barrier Defense Moisturiser
Apply cream to slightly damp skin to seal in hydration better.
Normal / combination (light)
Core routine
- BE BALANCED™ FOAMY CLEANSER
- BE BALANCED™ LIGHTWEIGHT MOISTURIZER
Optional
- MONAT Barrier Booster™ Ceramide Infusion Toner
Lighter textures; use less over a shiny T-zone.
Quick questions
Does drinking more water help?
Hardly, as long as you already drink enough. Extra glasses do little for the tightness after washing, because the top layer of skin loses its water mainly to the air, and care applied from outside is what counters that.
Is petroleum jelly bad for your skin?
No. Petroleum jelly slows evaporation more than most other skincare ingredients and works well on chapped lips and very dry spots. On blemish-prone skin it often feels too heavy; there, a thin layer on the dry areas is enough.
Can I use my moisturiser around my eyes?
Yes, if it is fragrance-free and doesn't sting there. Take a rice-grain-sized amount, dab it onto the bone under your eye with your ring finger and leave a few millimetres' gap to the lash line. How much eye cream you need and how to dab it on is in the guide to caring for the eye area.
How often is a hydrating mask worth it?
Once a week as an extra is enough. Apply it after cleansing, remove it after the time stated on the pack and then moisturise as usual so the water doesn't evaporate straight away.
How many times a day should I moisturise?
Twice, morning and evening after cleansing. If your cheeks feel tight during the day in heated air, add a thin layer just there.
Does a day cream with SPF replace sunscreen?
Only if you use enough of it. For the stated protection you need about two finger lengths for face and neck, which is far more day cream than you would usually put on. A separate sunscreen over your moisturiser is the more reliable option.
You can go through your self-test from the table with the consultant you meet through the free skin analysis.