The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum for dry skin
Polyglutamic Acid
Glycerin
Dimethicone
Butylene Glycol
Rice Bran Extract
Superior
- HighDry Skin Fit
- SuperiorEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
One of the best moisturizers for dry skin.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Excellent for your dry skin as the high concentration of polyglutamic acid provides superior moisturization, while glycerin and dimethicone offer humectant and emollient benefits to combat dryness and flakiness.
- This serum's formulation is highly compatible with your skin type, effectively hydrating and plumping the skin.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the inclusion of soothing components.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and work your way up to daily use.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner and before your sunscreen in the morning. At night, use it as the final step after your serum.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing to keep your dry skin happy.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra hydration. This is great for soothing dry and flaky areas .
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your first use .
People Say
★4.4Overall rating based on 1.3k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, this serum is frequently praised by users with dry or dehydrated skin for its ability to deeply hydrate and create a smooth, glass-like finish that works well under makeup. Many users find it superior to hyaluronic acid for plumping fine lines. A significant number of reviewers, however, note a strong chemical scent and a pump dispenser that can be difficult to control.
Highlights
Deep hydration Mostly Mentioned
- “Super hydrating”
- “locks in moisture”
- “hydration party”
- “better than hyaluronic”
Excellent makeup base Often Mentioned
- “Brilliant makeup base”
- “perfect makeup canvas”
- “foundation glides on”
- “smooths skin texture”
Smooth/silky finish Often Mentioned
- “Glass skin”
- “velvety texture”
- “silky finish”
- “leaves skin soft”
Unpleasant scent Often Mentioned
- “Smells like chemicals”
- “burning sugar smell”
- “strong alcohol scent”
- “smells musty”
Plumping effect Sometimes Noted
- “Plumps fine lines”
- “bouncy skin”
- “softens wrinkles”
- “instant plumping”
Poor packaging Sometimes Noted
- “Pump squirts too much”
- “hard to control”
- “pump malfunction”
- “dispenses too much”
Skin irritation Rarely Noted
- “Caused breakouts”
- “burning sensation”
- “gave me styes”
- “redness”
Sticky feel Rarely Noted
- “Sticky residue”
- “tacky texture”
- “feels heavy”
- “takes time to dry”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.com, cultbeauty.co.uk, boots.com, theinkeylist.com, ulta.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes The INKEY List Polyglutamic Acid Serum one of the best fits for dry skin?
This serum is an excellent fit for dry skin because polyglutamic acid, glycerin, and dimethicone team up to deliver deep hydration and lock in moisture while smoothing away flakiness. Its gentle formula has an excellent safety profile, meaning it is unlikely to cause irritation while it plumps and softens your skin.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for dry skin?
Polyglutamic acid, glycerin, and dimethicone make this serum a great fit by providing deep moisture and smoothing away dryness and flakiness. These ingredients lock in hydration and keep the skin feeling soft without causing irritation.
What does Polyglutamic Acid do for dry skin?
Polyglutamic Acid helps dry skin by holding onto moisture and strengthening the outer barrier to keep your face feeling soft and smooth. It may also boost natural hydrating factors in your skin to keep dryness away.
What does Glycerin do for dry skin?
Glycerin helps dry skin by drawing in moisture and keeping it locked in, which makes the skin feel much softer and smoother. It also supports your natural skin barrier to stop water from escaping easily. A product for dry skin needs extra ingredients like hyaluronic acid and soothing plant extracts to truly calm and hydrate dry patches.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008
Where does this serum go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This serum goes in your evening routine after cleansing and before moisturizing. Putting it in the evening keeps things simple and adds safety around sun exposure.
Can I use this serum with hyaluronic acid, and in what order?
You can use this serum with hyaluronic acid by applying the one with the thinner texture first or layering them together to boost hydration. Both ingredients draw moisture into dry skin, and this formula is unlikely to cause irritation.
How often should I use this serum?
You can use this serum in the evening as part of your routine. Daily application helps keep dry skin hydrated and smooth while keeping irritation unlikely.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can this serum clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This serum is unlikely to cause breakouts or clog pores on dry skin, as its formula avoids harsh ingredients and features soothing components that help maintain a calm, comfortable feel. Skin irritation is also unlikely.
Can I use this serum around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this moisturizing treatment around your eyes and on your body because its gentle formula has a very safe profile with no harsh ingredients. The skin around the eyes is quite thin, but this product is unlikely to cause irritation.
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024Curcumin-loaded polyglutamic acid and gum arabic electrospun nanofibers accelerated wound healing, increased TGF-beta1 and VEGF expression, reduced inflammatory factors, and enhanced re-epithelialization and tissue regeneration in a mouse model with acute full-thickness skin defects.
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024Polyglutamic acid and polylysine composite hydrogels promote wound repair and hemostasis through high water absorption, bioadhesion, calcium ion-mediated coagulation factor activation, and inherent antibacterial properties in a deep skin defect model.
Macromolecular Bioscience, 2021The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Externally applied substances such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, licorice extracts, dimethicone, petrolatum, and paraffin wax treat skin disease resulting from damage to the skin barrier.
Clinics in Dermatology, 2012Topical gel and cream formulations containing niosomes entrapped with rice bran bioactive compounds improved skin hydration, lightening, thickness, roughness, and elasticity in 30 human volunteers over 28 days compared to baseline.
Pharmaceutical Biology, 2012Gel and cream formulations containing rice bran bioactive compounds entrapped in niosomes increased in vitro antioxidant activity (ORAC values of 20-28 micromol TE/g versus 16-18 micromol TE/g for placebo), enhanced lipid peroxidation inhibition in human sebum by about 1.5 times, and improved in vivo human skin hydration by approximately 3 to 30% depending on the measurement technique.
Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2011Stirring Nukadoko fermented rice bran beds by hand leads to temporary settlement of microorganisms on human skin with quick shedding.
FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2023
Ingredients
Water, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Bis-Peg-12 Dimethicone, Glycerin, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polysilicone-11, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglutamic Acid, Sodium Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Propanediol, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Benzoate, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polysorbate 80, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Decyl Glucoside, Dimethylacrylamide Acrylic Acid Polystyrene Ethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Sorbitan Oleate, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Rice Bran Extract
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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