Dermalogica Circular Hydration Serum for dry skin

Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract
Dunaliella Salina Extract
Polyglutamic Acid
Superior
- HighDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- ExcellentSafety
One of the best moisturizers for dry skin.
- Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025
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 hydration for your dry skin is provided by glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which effectively hydrate and plump the skin by attracting and retaining moisture.
- Polyglutamic acid further enhances this effect, offering superior humectant properties that complement the benefits for dry or flaky skin.
- The formula is safe for your dry skin, as it contains soothing ingredients like Hydroxyethyl Urea and Panthenol, and lacks any harsh or prohibited substances.
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
★4.8Overall rating based on 500+ reviewsUsers with dehydrated and dry skin report this serum provides immediate, deep hydration, leaving skin plump and dewy with a lightweight texture suitable for layering. Some users with sensitive skin experienced breakouts, and others found the finish slightly tacky or the hydration insufficient for harsh winter dryness.
Highlights
Deeply hydrating Often Mentioned
- “skin feels quenched immediately”
- “bye bye dry patches”
- “hydration lasts all day”
- “healed my dry neck”
Lightweight texture Often Mentioned
- “absorbs quickly”
- “not greasy at all”
- “feels like water”
- “lightweight and refreshing”
Layers well Sometimes Noted
- “great under makeup”
- “pairs well with moisturizer”
- “no pilling with other products”
- “smooth base for foundation”
Plumps and glows Sometimes Noted
- “skin looks bouncy”
- “gives a dewy glow”
- “fine lines diminished”
- “radiant and nourished”
High price point Sometimes Noted
- “too expensive for size”
- “pricey for a hyaluronic serum”
- “not worth the money”
- “bottle runs out fast”
Sticky residue Sometimes Noted
- “leaves a tacky finish”
- “feels sticky to touch”
- “slightly oily consistency”
- “takes time to dry down”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “woke up with pimples”
- “clogged my pores”
- “caused cystic acne”
- “irritated my sensitive skin”
Insufficient for winter Rarely Noted
- “not enough for winter”
- “skin still felt dry”
- “needed more moisture”
- “good for summer only”
Sources: lovi.care, sephora.ae, lovelyskin.com, ulta.com, dermalogica.com, beautifiedyou.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Dermalogica Circular Hydration Serum one of the best fits for dry skin?
This moisturizing treatment is one of the best fits for dry skin because it combines glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, and polyglutamic acid to draw in and lock in deep moisture. It also helps calm dry skin with soothing ingredients like panthenol, while avoiding harsh substances that could cause irritation.
Which ingredients make this serum a good fit for dry skin?
This serum is a great fit for dry skin because it features glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which help attract and retain moisture to leave your skin feeling plump and soft. It also includes polyglutamic acid, panthenol, and oat kernel extract, which may further improve hydration and help calm dry, flaky areas.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for dry skin?
Hyaluronic acid draws moisture into dry skin, giving an immediate and lasting boost in hydration that helps smooth out fine lines and soften rough patches. It is very gentle and unlikely to cause irritation while improving overall skin smoothness and plumpness.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2021Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
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, applied after cleansing and before moisturizing. Using treatments at night keeps things simple and helps avoid extra sun sensitivity.
Can I use this serum with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this serum with retinol by applying the serum first to hydrate your skin and then following with your retinol. Using hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate with retinol helps keep dry skin smooth and comfortable while reducing the likelihood of irritation.
Cutis, 2006Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
How often should I use this serum?
This serum fits into your evening routine as a treatment step, applied daily after cleansing and before your moisturizer. You may also use it in the morning or twice a day if your skin tolerates it well and you want extra hydration.
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 clog pores or cause breakouts for dry skin, as it has a very low complaint rate for causing blemishes and features soothing ingredients like panthenol that help keep irritation at bay.
Can I use this serum around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizing treatment around the eyes and on the body because its hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate suit thinner areas well. The formula is unlikely to irritate sensitive skin, as it includes soothing panthenol.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002
Is this serum fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (limonene and linalool).
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, 2017Poly-gamma-glutamic acid derived from a novel Bacillus subtilis strain dose-dependently increased skin barrier markers, hyaluronic acid synthesis, and aquaporin 3 expression in keratinocytes, and elevated filaggrin, involucrin, CD44, and aquaporin 3 expression in a reconstructed skin model compared to the control.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025Topical dexpanthenol acts as a moisturizer, improves stratum corneum hydration, accelerates wound healing and epidermal regeneration, reduces erythema, and improves symptoms of skin irritation compared to vehicle or no pretreatment.
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2002A new topical panthenol-containing emollient significantly improved transepidermal water loss reduction, stratum corneum hydration, and intercellular lipid lamellae length compared with control in healthy subjects without negatively impacting bacterial viability.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2017Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The 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, 2012A repair cream containing Rhealba oat plantlets extract, l-ALA-l-GLU dipeptide, and hyaluronic acid provided immediate relief and was judged by doctors as good or very good in 96.8% of cases for wound healing in 2,363 patients following dermatological acts.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2018Topically applied Avena sativa and Avena Rhealba oatmeal extracts significantly reduced skin irritation parameters including a* parameter increase and blood flow increase compared to vehicle in 12 healthy individuals subjected to the sodium lauryl sulfate irritation model.
Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 2002Colloidal oat extracts diminished pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro and colloidal oat lotion improved skin dryness, scaling, roughness, and itch intensity in healthy female subjects compared to baseline.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015A Dunaliella salina extract significantly reduced skin glycation scores, histamine sensitivity, wrinkle counts, and spots compared to placebo under intense solar exposure.
Marine Drugs, 2022Phytoene- and phytofluene-rich tomato and Dunaliella salina extracts show no significant cytotoxic, genotoxic, irritant, or sensitizing potential, supporting their safe human topical use.
Journal of Toxicology, 2018Curcumin-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, 2021
Ingredients
Water, Peg-8, Glycerin, Methylpropanediol, Propanediol, Ppg-24-Glycereth-24, 1,2-Hexanediol, Xylitylglucoside, Butylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Panthenol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Lactic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Avena Sativa Kernel Extract Oat Kernel Extract, Bergamot Oil Fruit, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Sandalwood Oil, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Jasminum Sambac Flower Extract Jasmine Flower Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Gigartina Stellata Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract Kelp Extract, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil, Lithothamnion Calcareum Extract, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Oil, Cupressus Sempervirens Oil, Cistus Ladaniferus Stem Extract Leaf, Juniperus Virginiana Oil, Rosamarinus Officinalis Stem Extract Flower Leaf Rosemary Stem Extract Flower Leaf, Tagetes Minuta Oil Flower, Rosa Damascena Flower, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Pentylene Glycol, Sodium Pca, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Polyglutamic Acid, Lactobacillus Ferment, Lysine Hcl, Betaine, Sclerotium Gum, Sodium Lactate, Pca, Glucose, Serine, Alanine, Glycine, Silanetriol, Pantolactone, Glutamic Acid, Threonine, Arginine, Proline, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Polysorbate 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Amylopectin, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Limonene, Linalool
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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