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Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer ingredients: is it worth it?
This is a basic silicone-gel hydrator with decent short-term hydration but unnecessary fragrance and no real treatment power.
This is a basic silicone-gel hydrator with decent short-term hydration but unnecessary fragrance and no real treatment power.
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Hydration comes mainly from mid-list glycerin and trace-level sodium hyaluronate in a silicone-heavy gel base, with no high-evidence barrier lipids or meaningful treatment actives, so efficacy is limited to lightweight moisturizing rather than repair or long-term skin benefits; fragrance and colorant slightly drag the safety score but the overall formula is still reasonably tolerable for many non-sensitive users.
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DemythSkin rates Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer 3.4/5 for efficacy and 4.2/5 for safety.
CONTAINS COMMON SENSITISERS⌄
Fragrance components and essential oils that more often cause reactions in sensitive skin: Fragrance. Most people tolerate them; patch test if your skin reacts easily.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (13)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Dimethiconol, C13-14 Isoparafin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Carbomer, Laureth-7, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance, C12-14 Pareth-12, Sodium Hydroxide, Blue 1.
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (20)⌄
- Water
- Primary solvent
- Dimethicone
- Silicone emollient and skin protectant
- Glycerin
- Humectant for hydration
- Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
- Gel-forming silicone elastomer
- Phenoxyethanol
- Preservative
- Polyacrylamide
- Film-forming thickener
- Cetearyl Olivate
- Emulsifier and emollient
- Sorbitan Olivate
- Co-emulsifier and emollient
- Dimethiconol
- Silicone emollient and conditioning agent
- C13-14 Isoparafin
- Emollient and texture enhancer
- Dimethicone Crosspolymer
- Gel-forming silicone elastomer
- Chlorphenesin
- Preservative
- Carbomer
- Viscosity controller and gel thickener
- Laureth-7
- Surfactant and dispersing agent
- Sodium Hyaluronate
- Humectant hyaluronic acid derivative
- Ethylhexylglycerin
- Preservative booster and humectant
- Fragrance
- Scent component
- C12-14 Pareth-12
- Nonionic surfactant and solubilizer
- Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
- Blue 1
- Colorant
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Glycerin: Fluhr JW et al. Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions. Br J Dermatol. 2008.
Sodium Hyaluronate: Papakonstantinou E et al. Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging. Dermatoendocrinol. 2012.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
A cheaper moisturizer that scores as high or higher
A different formula for the same concern (hydration) that scores at least as high on both efficacy and safety.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer: common questions
Is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer worth it?
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer scores 3.4 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Mid) and 4.2 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. This is a basic silicone-gel hydrator with decent short-term hydration but unnecessary fragrance and no real treatment power.
What are the key active ingredients in Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer?
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer as documented irritants: Fragrance. This product does contain fragrance.
How is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel Moisturizer scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
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