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Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid
Serums

About this product

A lightweight water gel moisturizer with hyaluronic acid designed to hydrate without heaviness or greasiness, formulated for oily to combination skin and layering with other products.

Best for

Type

SerumsGel

Key actives

Formula notes

Contains fragranceNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Guru Score

91%

Approved

11 experts · Strong agreement
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus
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What the gurus are saying

This gel absorbs quickly without stickiness or residue and delivers lasting hydration through hyaluronic acid and glycerin, earning consistent praise from dermatologists and skincare experts for oily and combination skin. The fragrance-free version suits sensitive skin best; those with very oily skin may want to explore lighter alternatives. Gurus often reach for it as a summer moisturizer and appreciate how cleanly it layers under sunscreen or over serums and retinoids.
Synthesized from 11 expert reviews · most recent take August 2026
Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

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Approved
"This is the one that genuinely earns its hype. It's a lightweight gel textured moisturizer built around hyaluronic acid, which pulls water into the skin to hydrate and plump without any heaviness or grease. For the price, this is a genuinely really good option for normal, combination, or even oily skin that wants that hydration without feeling like it's wearing a layer of cream. It also sits beautifully under your sunscreen and makeup, which makes it super easy to reach for every single day. If you want a simple drugstore daily moisturizer and you don't want to overthink it, this is an easy A for me."
All 2 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown
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"Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel is a lightweight moisturizer with hyaluronic acid, great for oily or combination skin. It delivers long lasting hydration without feeling heavy or greasy at all, keeps the skin plump and refreshed, so it's ideal for oily or combination skin types. It's totally oil-free and non-comedogenic so it's not going to clog pores or contribute to any acne. Key ingredients here are hyaluronic acid, a powerful humectant that will draw moisture to the skin providing deep hydration, and also has [...] glycerin which supports hydration by drawing the water from the environment into the skin and helping maintain moisture levels."
The Best and Worst of Neutrogena: A Dermatologist's Honest Take
"This is the one that genuinely earns its hype. It's a lightweight gel textured moisturizer built around hyaluronic acid, which pulls water into the skin to hydrate and plump without any heaviness or grease. For the price, this is a genuinely really good option for normal, combination, or even oily skin that wants that hydration without feeling like it's wearing a layer of cream. It also sits beautifully under your sunscreen and makeup, which makes it super easy to reach for every single day. If you want a simple drugstore daily moisturizer and you don't want to overthink it, this is an easy A for me."
Approved
"Hydro Boost from Neutrogena is great, it contains hyaluronic acid."
Top Pick: lightweight gel moisturizer
All 6 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu
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"This one is so good. If you're looking for any lightweight gel moisturizer that hydrates without heaviness or stickiness, she is it. I mean she just provides so much hydration, really ideal for oily skin, really all skin types, especially during the summer time. I mean I love using this even though I have more like dry combination dry skin. In the summer time great to use in the morning under a sunscreen. It won't peel. There is a fragrance and non-fragrance version, so just make sure you get the right one if you are sensitive to fragrance. Ingredient wise it's got hyaluronic acid, glycerin, [dimethicone], so really helps to seal in that moisture barrier without adding any heaviness to your skin."
Derm Approved Top Lightweight Moisturizers for Hot, Humid Weather | Dr. Jenny Liu
"Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is a lightweight moisturizer that [...] really is oil-free, non-comedogenic, delivers long-lasting hydration without any feeling of heaviness or residue on your skin. It [...] absorbs super quickly and provides long lasting hydration. It contains hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and dimethicone. Dimethicone gives it a little bit more weight, but it's also great as an emollient that helps protect your skin without being heavy, and it provides a smooth finish. [...] If you have super oily skin, go with another option. If you have combination or combination dry skin, the Neutrogena one would be a great option. [...] This one comes in a fragrance and non-fragrance formula, so if you have sensitive skin, go with the fragrance-free one."
Korean vs Western Skincare | Dr. Jenny Liu
"The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is an amazing product that I feel like can benefit most people. [...] I love the fact that it is a moisturizer that really hydrates your skin without leaving much residue. It is fast absorbing, really great. This is one of my go-to recommendations for those with oily and combination skin to use all year round morning and evening, and for those with more dry skin like myself, I love this one in the summertime where it's more hot and humid. Ingredient-wise, it's got epidermal lipids that focus on skin barrier health, so ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids that we know is really important in helping to build that moisture barrier along with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, wonderful hydrating ingredients to help keep that skin barrier hydrated and functional. So again, wonderful moisturizer, highly recommend."
Dermatologist reviews viral skincare trends of 2023 | Dr. Jenny Liu
"Neutrogena Hydro Boost is great to help with dehydrated skin, it's a little more fast absorbing and more ideal for oily and combination skin."
Tips for transitioning skincare from winter to spring and summer | Dr. Jenny Liu
"Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel is great if you have oily combination skin. It really helps to hydrate your skin with the hyaluronic acid and glycerin, adding long lasting moisture and plumping your skin without adding heaviness, shininess or greasiness. It also comes in a fragrance-free version so options for everyone, and comes in a water gel cream that is great if you have more dry skin to use in the morning to help keep your skin hydrated but still feels great and looks wonderful and elegant under sunscreen and makeup."
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"Hydro Boost from Neutrogena is great, it contains hyaluronic acid."
Approved
"A solid moisturizer, Neutrogena Hydro Boost does a great job. That's part of a really good skin longevity routine."
Top Pick: moisturizer for oily skin
All 9 takes from 208SkinDoc
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"The Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel is a very lightweight product, but provides great hydration to the skin. [...] It has a much lighter texture. [...] I generally like the Hydro Boost even though my skin is a little more normal to dry, but with facial hair, this works really well. It doesn't clump up."
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"A solid moisturizer, Neutrogena Hydro Boost does a great job. That's part of a really good skin longevity routine."
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"I love the Neutrogena Hydro Boost. It's a great affordable option that helps keep your skin barrier healthy."
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"Make sure that you have a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid. I love Neutrogena Hydro Boost. That's going to cost you 10 to 15 dollars a month."
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"Neutrogena Hydro Boost is a third great option for a gentle cleanser."
Barrier Breakdown — Repairing Over-Exfoliated, Angry Skin
"Even for my patients with oily skin, I recommend a lightweight moisturizer, and the one I probably go to the most is the Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel. It's very lightweight and it's got glycerin in it, so even if you have oily skin you can still use a moisturizer, and you probably should because your acne products can dry you out more."
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"If you're really oily, there are very lightweight niacinamide type moisturizers, and Neutrogena Hydro Boost is great for very oily skin. It's really good."
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"For a moisturizer I'm going to recommend the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel. This is going to be a little bit more expensive for a moisturizer, but this one has such a nice feel to it and it's not heavy on the skin, so this is great especially if you're oily or acne prone."
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"This is where I think the Neutrogena Hydro Boost really shines. It can be used on all skin types, but that lightweight gel texture feels particularly good if you already tend to have oily skin. It's oil free and non-comedogenic, so if you have acne it's not going to plug up your pores. It has ingredients like dimethicone and glycerin to really hydrate the skin, so even if you're oily you're going to feel well hydrated and it's not going to add to the heaviness you feel on the skin. I recommend the Hydro Boost to a lot of my patients with oily or acne prone skin and they tend to love it, they all rebuy it when they go back to the store, so this one has some true staying power. Neutrogena has recently reformulated some of these, they've even made a fragrance free version now, so if you have sensitive skin you can check for that too."
Approved
"A simple moisturizer that's pretty easy to find is from Neutrogena, the Hydro Boost line. You have the gel cream, which is very light, and the water cream, which is a little bit richer hydration. This line is really widely adoptable, most people will love how it feels on their skin, give you good hydration, and you can just kind of tailor the texture towards what you prefer."
All 3 takes from Doctorly
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"Neutrogena Hydroboost is another classic OG that patients, nurses, everybody swears by."
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"Neutrogena Hydroboost is just a really nice super lightweight gel formula. [...] I personally prefer the fragrance-free versions of Hydroboost, so definitely check those out. I think that's a really good option if you're going with those like really nice lightweight gel formulas."
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"A simple moisturizer that's pretty easy to find is from Neutrogena, the Hydro Boost line. You have the gel cream, which is very light, and the water cream, which is a little bit richer hydration. This line is really widely adoptable, most people will love how it feels on their skin, give you good hydration, and you can just kind of tailor the texture towards what you prefer."
Approved
"Neutrogena Hydroboost has done a great job with their hydrating cream. [...] It's good for those with oily to combination skin. If you want something that's very lightweight, layers well with makeup, layers well with your retinoid or your vitamin C serum. It's packed with hyaluronic acid. So if you want a nice hydrating cream just to seal all that in, go with the Hydroboost by Neutrogena."
All 7 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai
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"Neutrogena Hydroboost has done a great job with their hydrating cream. [...] It's good for those with oily to combination skin. If you want something that's very lightweight, layers well with makeup, layers well with your retinoid or your vitamin C serum. It's packed with hyaluronic acid. So if you want a nice hydrating cream just to seal all that in, go with the Hydroboost by Neutrogena."
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"One of my favorite lightweight moisturizers is Neutrogena's Hydroboost line. [...] She loves this moisturizer to layer with her vitamin C serums and her retinol. You also get that nice boost of hydration from the hyaluronic acid content in these moisturizers."
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"The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid, there's a fragrance version but also"
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"Neutrogena's Hydro Boost is a nice option, [...] a great gel moisturizer if you have oily skin to combination skin. It has a nice consistency, and with a couple wipes it disappears."
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"The Neutrogena Hydro Boost [...] water gel is just full of hyaluronic acid, very nice. It has a different texture, more lightweight. It's great if you're acne prone, oily skin, you want something really lightweight but still want that hydration boost. They made this water gel without fragrance too, so if you don't like fragrance there are options of the Hydro Boost line for you."
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"The Neutrogena Hydro Boost [...] water gel is just full of hyaluronic acid, very nice. It has a different texture, more lightweight. It's great if you're acne prone, oily skin, you want something really lightweight but still want that hydration boost. They made this water gel without fragrance too, so if you don't like fragrance there are options of the Hydro Boost line for you."
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"You can find Neutrogena's Hydro Boost moisturizer the hyaluronic acid acid moisturizer which I have to mention the Hydro Boost have done a great job"
Approved
"Sometimes I put the Neutrogena Hydro Boost before it just to kind of plump up my skin and then put this on top absolutely perfect for crepy skin."
All 3 takes from Beyond50Skin
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"The Neutrogena Hydro Boost is my favorite body hydrating product. [...] I've used it for years, years, I love it. I'd recommend the fragrance free version, but be careful because it can be very hard to find. [...] It's a really small type and sometimes they don't even put it in the description, so make sure you're getting the fragrance free version if you don't like a scent for your body lotions."
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"Sometimes I put the Neutrogena Hydro Boost before it just to kind of plump up my skin and then put this on top absolutely perfect for crepy skin."
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"The Neutrogena Hydro Boost, this is the fragrance free version, it goes on every time I jump out of the shower onto damp skin. I love the way it goes on the skin, I love the way it's hydrating. It's always in my cupboard, it's always on rotation. It really helps if you have some skin irritation and it's wonderful in the winter if you have dry skin."
Approved
"Neutrogena is not a dupe, the Neutrogena Hydro Boost by itself is a fabulous cream"
Translated from the guru's original language.
All 8 takes from Nipun Kapur
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"For oily skin one of my absolute favorites is the Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel moisturizer, you can use it."
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"You can use Neutrogena Hydro Boost basically any light weight moisturizer"
Translated from the guru's original language.
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"Neutrogena Hydro Boost is very good."
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"You can use Neutrogena Hydro Boost on your full face, there is no problem absolutely you can use it on your full face"
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"A better option would be the Neutrogena Hydro Boost. In fact, it's way better than the Clinique moisture surge."
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"If you want to stick to a budget you can stick to like Neutrogena Hydro Boost what ever else a nice water gel formula"
Translated from the guru's original language.
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"Neutrogena is not a dupe, the Neutrogena Hydro Boost by itself is a fabulous cream"
Translated from the guru's original language.
SKINCARE LIVE! | Nipun Kapur
"For oily skin, one of my absolute favorites is the Neutrogena Hydro Boost water gel moisturizer. You can use it, and it's really good."
Approved
"Neutrogena Hydro Boost is a great replacement for Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench, which is much more expensive. These are going to hydrate your skin for 24 to 48 hours."
Approved
"Neutrogena reformulated their Hydro Boost line and this is the new version which is fragrance free. They added a lot of amino acids which are nice to see, amino acid skin identical ingredients in this new formula. So they took something super simple that people loved and added some good ingredients to it and I'm really happy with it. The texture and everything else is nearly the same. They just added some nice ingredients. Typically Neutrogena they don't go out of the way to impress customers like me but this did impress me. I was pretty happy with it."
Approved
"One of the moisturizers that I like to recommend for summertime is the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, the watery gel, not the cream. This is non-comedogenic, meaning non-pore clogging, and it really goes on like a gel but it provides this great hydration overnight. I have one in my medicine cabinet and I love using it during the summer time. The main ingredient is hyaluronic acid, which is a humectant that will help your skin hold on to and retain moisture. It's just a really great formula that's also really affordable and you can find it at every drugstore."
Approved
"Hydro Boost is on sale, you guys. It's $23.99. This has urea, which is wonderful for hydrating the skin and gently exfoliating."
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"I personally have used as well as recommended Neutrogena Hydro Boost moisturizers. Their new Hydro Boost water gel fragrance-free, oh my gosh, I have been trying this out for the past couple of months and I am in love with it. It is so good and I'm not being hyperbolic. It's a fragrance-free super hydrating gel. It has hyaluronic acid, a dermatologist recommended ingredient that loves water, it's a humectant so it helps with improving the moisture content of skin's dynamic barrier. It also is formulated with natural moisturizing factors including amino acids and electrolytes. These ingredients help to restore skin's moisture and complement the skin's natural hydration process. This formula absorbs really quickly into the skin. It doesn't leave any sticky or greasy residue. It deeply hydrates. The great thing about this formula is that it offers six times more hydration for a longer lasting healthy radiant glow versus untreated skin."
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"The new fragrance-free water gel represents a substantial improvement upon the old formula. It has a variety of amino acids that are part of skin's natural moisturizing factors. [...] It's not really solely now a hyaluronic acid focused moisturizer; it has some other things going on that are beneficial for moisturizing the skin as they are naturally present in skin's outermost layer. These help with hydrating."
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"It's a great option for improving moisture content in the skin which ultimately will help barrier function overall. I love this and I've used it multiple times. I've since repurchased it myself because I do think it's really good. I find that for myself personally I really like to use the water gel in the morning as a facial moisturizer either after cleansing or just wake up and put it on. It's great on the neck and because it absorbs so quickly it's easy to put my sunscreen on over it."
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"Hydro Boost is on sale, you guys. It's $23.99. This has urea, which is wonderful for hydrating the skin and gently exfoliating."
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"The gel is a lot more lightweight in comparison to the new cream but also really good and it has natural moisturizing factors like Arginine Proline and Urea. It does not have ceramide in it but it's really good. [...] This is a lot more lightweight, so this would be a good one actually to use in the morning because it is more lightweight, so when you put your sunscreen on over it it's less likely to peel. I've been using this at night and I'm really enjoying it. The [...] product does have fragrance but it's pretty mild, like it's not headache inducing or anything. Obviously if you're allergic to fragrance you have to avoid it, but I don't mind it in this."
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"Neutrogena has launched a new Moisturizer in their Hydro Boost line that is really good. [...] This new water gel is really nice, it's a lot more lightweight in consistency and gives like a burst of hydration. [...] The hyaluronic acid in it improves moisture content in the top layers of the skin and that's really beneficial for the Skin Barrier because when your skin gets dry, the top layers of the skin become dehydrated. [...] Moisturizers really help step in and literally boost the function of your Skin Barrier and get things back on track."
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"I finished up the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel and I really have been enjoying that."
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"This is a Hydro Boost water gel, and it's also a great option for mature skin. It's very, very light, almost like a serum in consistency. It's free of fragrance. It has urea, which is good for softening dry, rough skin texture and hydrating the skin, gently exfoliating and smoothing the skin surface. It has amino acids, which are important for skin's moisture barrier. Ultimately, using a product like this if you have mature skin can help keep the skin barrier turning over a little more efficiently, because that declines with age and that's why you get rough texture as you get older."
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"Neutrogena seems to steer clear of niacinamide, and I frequently find myself recommending Neutrogena to those of you who are sensitive to niacinamide. [...] The Hydro Boost hyaluronic acid moisturizer [...] is like a gel cream, very hydrating and lightweight. [...] This was one that I recently finished up."
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"I am currently using the Hydro Boost water gel a lot. I really like it. It's got natural moisturizing factors, lipids and hyaluronic acid so it's really good for dry skin, winter skin, but it's nice and lightweight too. [...] It has urea in it which is really good at hydrating and softening dry skin and it has glutamic acid in it as well as some other amino acids which are good for improving moisture content."
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"The water gel is a lot more lightweight, but I love this especially for the summer months because it is a pretty lightweight moisturizer, but does what it's supposed to do. Provides really good hydration and keeps the skin moisturized for a good long while. They claim 48 hours and I believe that. I've been to Neutrogena headquarters and I've done the transepidermal water loss testing on myself with this product and so it really does do the trick. [...] It has glycerin, hyaluronic acid of course, no niacinamide. So for those of you who are niacinamide sensitive, [...] this does not have niacinamide. Amino acids, which are part of skin's natural moisturizing factors, help with that water retention as well."
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"The water gel is a lot more lightweight in consistency compared to the water cream but they have very similar ingredient profiles. They are both free of fragrance and they have natural moisturizing factors like urea for example along with hyaluronic acid. So not only do they help reduce water loss through occlusive ingredients like dimethicone but they really help with hydration by those natural moisturizing factors. Urea is also a really good ingredient in a facial moisturizer, not only is it hydrating but it helps to encourage gentle exfoliation, smoothing out the skin surface and ultimately improving barrier function. I really like these newer formulas. I think they have a nicer texture to them and I also like the addition of the natural moisturizing factors. I really think it takes the moisturizer to another level in terms of performance."
Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid?

A lightweight water gel moisturizer with hyaluronic acid designed to hydrate without heaviness or greasiness, formulated for oily to combination skin and layering with other products.

Is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid worth it?

Yes. All 11 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 91%.

What is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid's Guru Score?

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid holds a Guru Score of 91%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 11 expert reviewers we have collected. It is also Guru Certified, our mark for products that hold broad approval across many expert reviewers.

Who is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid best for?

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid is generally suited to oily skin, combination skin and normal skin.

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