Beauty: the best new hydrators

The reality of my job is that I often have to stop using products I like very much, purely in order to make room for testing new ones – time is finite, and I have only one face. I’ve rarely been so reluctant as I was when, last week, I parked my Hyaluronic Layering regime prescribed by Intraceuticals. This is a range for very dehydrated skins, the kind that cause a minority of readers to say “nothing works! My face still feels parched!” despite their drinking gallons of water and sampling every product from Superdrug to Selfridges.

On first glance, the Intraceuticals Rejuvenate system feels like too much work and cash (products start from a staggering £57.95). There’s a cleanser (which I abandoned because I don’t hold with face washes), serum, gel and cream, to be layered on in that order. All are rich in antioxidants and hyaluronic acid, so prized for its proven ability to hold a thousand times its weight in water, thus replumping and temporarily brightening skin. The effect on my own has been completely marvellous. Fine dehydration lines have been plumped to extinction, my skin has a glow of good health, and my makeup goes on like butter on warm toast. If you’ve got the budget, I recommend Rejuvenate without reservation (even despite the inclusion of alcohol in some of the products, which put me off initially).

However, next on the testing pile was something similarly brilliant. Sunday Riley’s Tidal Cream (£60) is also for dehydrated skin, but can be slotted into your existing routine as a day moisturiser. It saturates skin with dewy moisture (perhaps too much at first; I found I had to wait a few moments for the wetness to subside before applying makeup) that keeps skin comfortable and plump all day, while exfoliating papaya enzymes, known to be great at gobbling away dead, grey skin cells, leave it brighter and more glowing. I saw a clear difference in only one use.

At the other end of the price scale, Simple is just launching a lovely hydrating oil without the inclusion of mineral oil, as part of its new range of cleansers (from £4.49). This is another example of the high street’s increased, if overdue, understanding that oily skins can suffer dehydration, too, and need ingredients that won’t put them at greater risk of breakouts.