I’ve been cheating on hyaluronic acid for two weeks and I don’t feel bad about it. The Inkey List sent me their Polyglutamic Acid Serum and my dehydrated skin did a full 180.
This thing holds 4x more water than HA. It’s not a gimmick — it’s just chemistry that your moisturizer has been begging for.
It’s a basic dropper bottle, 30ml, and costs less than my lunch yesterday. The claim that got me? It locks moisture into the skin’s surface like a magnet, not just a sponge.
Slippery but fast
Glides on like a watery gel, absorbs in about 15 seconds flat.
Layers like a dream
Sits perfectly under SPF and makeup — zero pilling, even with silicone primers.
No sticky BS
Dries down to a soft, velvety finish. Not tacky, not shiny, just calm.
Photo: Poko Skincare / Unsplash
The hero is polyglutamic acid — a fermented amino acid chain that pulls water from the air and holds it on your skin. It’s like HA’s stronger, less dramatic sibling. The formula keeps it simple so it doesn’t irritate sensitive skin.
- Polyglutamic Acid: Forms a flexible moisture net on the surface
- Glycerin: Humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum
- Sodium Hyaluronate: Low-molecular HA that sinks deeper
- Propanediol: Boosts penetration without the sting
Photo: Sonia Roselli / Unsplash
First pump felt like water — I honestly thought it did nothing. Then I woke up the next morning and my forehead lines looked like they’d been ironed with a cool press.
By week two, my makeup stopped clinging to dry patches around my nose. My skin feels bouncy, not tight. It’s not a miracle — but it’s the closest thing I’ve found under $20.
Photo: ibnu ihza / Unsplash
My fine lines looked softer, my texture was smoother, and my skin stopped flaking in the cold. It didn’t do anything for my dark circles or pores — that’s not what this is for.
Photo: frank mckenna / Unsplash
It’s not a replacement for HA — it’s the upgrade. This serum is the hydration hack your routine has been missing.