Garnier vs The Ordinary: Which budget hyaluronic acid serum is best?

Garnier’s first hyaluronic serum is formulated with 3 per cent hyaluronic acid. When applied, the brand contends that it forms a film that keeps water on the surface, thus slowing down its evaporation. In scientific terms, this indicates that it doesn’t contain low-molecular-weight HA, which is able to penetrate deeper into the skin, and rather sits on the skin, plumping the outer layers. It’s teamed with glycerin, another first-rate humectant that allows the skin to retain moisture, as well as antioxidising and moisturising aloe vera.

The serum is clear, thick, and gloopy. We found one full dropper is all you need to drench the complexion. You’re instantly hit with a fresh green scent on application that we’re assuming comes from the aloe vera. The product instantly disappears, leaving a slight tackiness, unlike The Ordinary’s stickier serum, before you’re ready to apply moisturiser on top.

After first use, this cocktail of ingredients had an instant effect on our skin. Most noticeably, it felt bouncy, plump and silky smooth to the touch, compared to using moisturiser on its own. In turn, this creates a better canvas for make-up – without it settling into fine lines or pores.

This brand no longer needs an introduction, but, if you’ve been hiding under a rock, it’s the original super-affordable and effective ingredient-led skincare brand. This serum often goes out of stock as The Ordinary can’t keep up with demand.

The science behind this formula literally goes a little deeper. It uses a combination of low, medium and high molecular weight HA for what it calls multi-depth hydration. So rather than sitting more on the surface, like Garnier’s serum, this penetrates further – hydrating at a deeper level.  It’s coupled with vitamin B5, which further softens and supports skin hydration.

When it comes to ease of use, this has a very similar thick consistency, but it sits on the skin slightly longer, so for best results we liked to wait a few minutes before applying our day/night cream on top. It also leaves the skin with more of a sticky finish, but that soon disappears once it’s layered with moisturiser.

While this also has an instant hydrating effect, what we loved about this product is with continuous day and night use, our skin felt better and better.