Editor's Choice: SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel Review

After this year's winter chills ruined my complexion (unavoidably as always), I was thrilled when I saw that SkinCeuticals sent us a free sample of their B5 Moisturizing Gel for review. Naturally, I grabbed it and took it with me on my last vacation to really test it out. How was it measured? Keep reading to find out!

Importance of Moisturizing

Before we get into the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Hydrating Gel review, let's quickly touch on the importance of skin hydration. Young skin is known to have a natural abundance of moisture, thanks in part to hyaluronic acid, a humectant found naturally in our bodies. This abundance of moisture is the main reason young skin appears more supple, plump and radiant than older skin. However, as we age, this natural abundance of moisture begins to diminish, causing the skin to show visible signs of aging, ranging from a dull skin tone to noticeable fine lines. That's why it's so important—read: absolutely essential—to moisturize your skin every day and every night after cleansing.

Benefits of Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is a powerful humectant, capable of attracting and retaining moisture up to 1000 times its own weight. While in our younger years our natural supply of hyaluronic acid was abundant; However, as the ticking hands of time do their unstoppable work, these reserves begin to deplete, leaving us with drier skin. Using formulas with hyaluronic acid helps give your skin what it really craves - abundant hydration. One such formula? Moisturizing Gel SkinCeuticals B5. 

SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Benefits

Whether it's the weather or just the passage of time, sometimes even the smoothest skin can dry out. Luckily, this is where SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Moisture Gel comes in. This hydrating gel formula is enriched with revitalizing ingredients like vitamin B5 to help maximize the benefits of your daily moisturizer. What's more, the gel contains hyaluronic acid, our body's natural humectant, which helps bind this moisture to the skin.

How to use SkinCeuticals B5 Moisturizing Gel

Unlike other moisturizers that come in jars, pumps, and tubes, this beauty comes in a glass dropper bottle that really helps when it helps a little. To use, place just 3-5 drops of the liquid formula in the palm of your hand and use your fingertips to gently apply the product to your face, neck and chest, avoiding the eye area. Do this up to two times a day for best results. What's great about SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel is that it can be used on other dehydrated skin areas as well - I did put a little on a dry spot on my arm, though!

The gel contains only four ingredients: water, sodium hyaluronate (the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) and phenoxyentanol (a common cosmetic preservative). It doesn't have an odor that I could pick up and it's not sticky - all of which win in my book.

SkinCeuticals B5 Hydrating Gel Review

I have a dry skin type, so during the winter months it is especially difficult for me to keep my skin hydrated. This year I increased the drought factor by going to Arizona, which was not only unseasonably cold, but also very dry. I chose to use Hydrating B5 Gel immediately after washing before my usual day and night moisturizers - and I won't name names, but they never hold up when I'm in Arizona's low humidity climate. The B5 Moisturizing Gel made all the difference in my five days there. My skin was hydrated and looked better than any other time I've traveled through the desert climate (which, for those wondering, a lot... I really love the desert). I didn't have the characteristic dullness that usually accompanies dry skin, or that horrible feeling of tightness that usually goes along with it. What's more, my makeup held up much better than usual - it used to bake into the creases and crevices that were always spoiled by dryness. Overall, I would rate Hydrating B5 Gel very highly. I loved how the oil-free formula helps lock in moisture to my skin, leaving me confident that I won't have to deal with the dryness of past seasons this winter.