COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream review: good for dry skin, but no ceramides
Updated October 22, 2026
COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream is a sensible pick for dry and dehydrated skin that wants a soft, non-greasy cream at a low price: $16.99 for 100 ml at Sleepy Hello, checked October 2026. If your skin is very dry or flaky, or you want ceramides in the moisturizer itself, the Hydrium Moisture Power Enriched Cream is the more complete formula on paper, though it costs more than twice as much per ml.
The Intensive Cream is a short, plain formula: sea buckthorn water, glycerin and two plant oils, with hyaluronic acid as one humectant among several. It doesn't need a matching essence or serum to do its job, and COSRX says it can go on morning, night or both.
This is a researched review of current US brand and retailer information, checked October 2026. We haven't worn or tested the cream; texture descriptions are COSRX's, and the buying advice comes from comparing formulas, directions, sizes and prices.
What you're buying: formula, size and price
is a face moisturizer meant to be the last step of your skincare routine. COSRX positions it for dry and dehydrated skin and says it also suits combination skin. The brand describes the after-feel as a soft finish "without feeling oily or heavy".
The first ten ingredients on the current list, in order, are:
Hippophae Rhamnoides Water (sea buckthorn water). A plant water used in place of plain water. The product page gives it as 57.8% of the formula.
Glycerin. A humectant, meaning an ingredient that attracts water and helps hold it in the top layers of skin.
Butylene glycol. A second humectant that also helps the formula spread.
Caprylic/capric triglyceride. A light emollient, an ingredient that softens and smooths the skin's surface.
Betaine. Another humectant.
Sunflower seed oil. A plant oil emollient.
Cetearyl alcohol. A fatty alcohol that thickens the cream. It isn't the drying kind of alcohol.
Cetearyl olivate. An olive-derived emulsifier that holds the oil and water together.
Sorbitan olivate. A second olive-derived emulsifier.
Macadamia seed oil. A second plant oil emollient.
After 1,2-hexanediol (a preservative helper) come sodium hyaluronate, which the product page lists at 0.3%, then arginine, panthenol, dimethicone, ethylhexylglycerin, carbomer, allantoin and xanthan gum. Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and allantoin are skin-conditioning ingredients. Dimethicone is a silicone that adds slip and a thin film on the surface.
That's 19 ingredients in all. There are no ceramides, shea butter or petrolatum on the list, which matters for the dry-skin question below.
The 0.3% sodium hyaluronate is a modest figure, and that's normal for a cream: here it works alongside glycerin and betaine rather than as a concentrated dose. A higher stated percentage is a serum's job.
On price, $16.99 for 100 ml works out to about 17 cents per ml, which is low for a face cream. Our product page lists the size as 100 ml; COSRX's own US product page lists it as 100 g (3.53 oz).
Is COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream good for dry skin?
Yes for everyday dryness and the tight feel of dehydrated skin, with one caveat for very dry skin. The formula covers two of a moisturizer's three jobs well: humectants pull in water, and emollient oils soften rough patches.
The third job is sealing, the role of occlusive ingredients that slow water loss from the surface. In this cream that falls to the oils, the fatty alcohol and a small amount of dimethicone. There's no heavier occlusive such as petrolatum or shea butter, and no ceramide, cholesterol and fatty acid set, the lipid trio many barrier creams add.
Dry and dehydrated aren't the same thing. Dehydrated skin is short on water and can feel tight even when it's oily. Dry skin makes less oil and often feels rough or flaky. The Intensive Cream's water-holding ingredients suit dehydration, and its oils give dry skin some cushion.
Our take: if your cheeks still feel tight by midday, or you see flaking in heated rooms, this cream alone may be too light. Either move to a richer cream at night or add a more occlusive layer over the driest areas.
COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream vs Hydrium cream: which is richer?
On the ingredient lists, the COSRX Hydrium Moisture Power Enriched Cream, 50 ml has the more substantial lipid set, while the Intensive Cream leans on plant oils. Neither product page ranks the two by richness, and ingredient order can't tell you exactly how heavy either will feel.
What the lists do show:
The Enriched Cream begins with water, glycerin, ethylhexyl stearate (an emollient ester), vinyl dimethicone (a silicone), pentylene glycol and coconut oil. Further down it adds cetearyl, arachidyl and behenyl alcohols, propolis extract, ceramide NP, cholesterol, stearic and palmitic acids, glycosphingolipids, sodium hyaluronate and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid.
The Intensive Cream has sunflower oil, macadamia oil and caprylic/capric triglyceride near the top, but no ceramides or cholesterol.
The name can mislead. COSRX calls the Enriched Cream "lightweight, fast-absorbing" with a "velvety, silky finish" and no greasy feel. Silicones such as vinyl dimethicone and polymethylsilsesquioxane are the kind of ingredients that give a cream that silky slip. So "enriched" here means more barrier lipids, not a thicker texture by the brand's account.
The Enriched Cream is $19.99 for 50 ml, about 40 cents per ml, against about 17 cents for the Intensive Cream. Two notes before switching: coconut oil is sixth on the Enriched list, and propolis is a bee-derived extract. The Enriched Cream's product page says it's intended for people who prefer an unscented moisturizer, and its list includes no fragrance.
The third Hydrium option, COSRX Hydrium Green Tea Aqua Soothing Gel Cream, 50 ml, is the lightest of the three. COSRX describes a gel-like texture with a "fresh, non-oily finish" and positions it for oily and combination skin. Its list starts with water, propanediol and green tea extract, contains 5,000 ppm (0.5%) D-panthenol according to the product page, and has no plant oils. It's $16.99 for 50 ml, about 34 cents per ml.
Pick by what your skin is missing:
Intensive Cream if you want a simple, low-cost daily cream with some oil for dry or dehydrated skin.
Hydrium Moisture Power Enriched Cream if your skin is very dry, still feels tight after moisturizing, or you want ceramides and cholesterol in the cream itself.
Hydrium Green Tea Aqua Soothing Gel Cream if you're oily or combination and find most creams too heavy.
Do you need the COSRX hyaluronic acid essence with the cream?
No. The cream works on its own, and the essence repeats most of what the cream already contains.
The COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Power Essence, 100 ml has seven ingredients: sea buckthorn water, butylene glycol, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol and ethyl hexanediol. That's close to the cream's water phase without the oils, in an oil-free gel. COSRX places it after toner and before moisturizer. It's $16.99 for 100 ml, about 17 cents per ml.
It earns a place in two situations:
The air is dry, from indoor heating or travel, and you want an extra water-holding layer under the cream.
Your skin is combination, so you use the essence over the whole face and the cream only where you're dry.
If you'd rather add something new than more of the same, COSRX The Hyaluronic Acid 3 Serum, 20 ml is the better partner. COSRX prints sodium hyaluronate (3%) fifth on its list, and the serum adds eight amino acids plus ceramide NP, cholesterol and phytosphingosine, the barrier lipids the Intensive Cream lacks. Its list includes dimethicone and a small amount of alcohol (39th of 43 ingredients) and no fragrance. It's $16.99 for 20 ml, about 85 cents per ml, though the directions call for only a few drops.
Choose one of the two rather than both. Stacking several humectant layers can leave skin feeling tacky, and if that happens, drop a layer before you add more cream.
Can you use COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream at night and in the morning?
Yes. COSRX's directions say to use it in the morning, at night or both, as the final skincare step once your serum or essence has absorbed.
The brand's method is to apply a proper amount evenly over the face, avoiding the eye area, then pat gently so it absorbs. If you wear makeup, COSRX says to let the cream absorb fully first.
In the morning, sunscreen goes on after the cream as the last layer. At night the cream is your final step, including on nights you use a retinoid or an exfoliating acid. On very dry evenings you can add a little extra to the driest areas rather than layering a second product.
A simple routine around it looks like this:
Morning: cleanser, toner, the essence if you use it, the Intensive Cream, then sunscreen.
Evening: cleanser, toner, any serum or active, then the Intensive Cream.
Who should skip it, and where to buy
Skip the Intensive Cream, or choose a sibling, if one of these sounds like you:
Oily skin that prefers a gel: the Green Tea Aqua Soothing Gel Cream has no plant oils.
Very dry skin that wants ceramides in one jar: the Hydrium Moisture Power Enriched Cream.
You avoid sunflower, macadamia or sea buckthorn: all three are on the list.
Your current cream already keeps you comfortable all day: there's nothing to fix.
Before using any new cream all over, try it on a small area for a few days, and stop if it stings or itches.
Shortlist, with Sleepy Hello prices checked October 2026:
Is COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream fragrance-free?
Yes, going by the ingredient list: it includes no fragrance, parfum or essential oil. The product pages we checked don't print a "fragrance-free" claim for this cream, so that answer comes from reading the list rather than from a label statement. Sea buckthorn water is the botanical base, not an added scent, and cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol; there's no ethanol or denatured alcohol. If you avoid nut-derived ingredients, note that macadamia seed oil is tenth.
Does COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream have ceramides?
No. The current list has no ceramides or cholesterol. The Hydrium Moisture Power Enriched Cream and The Hyaluronic Acid 3 Serum both contain ceramide NP and cholesterol.
How much hyaluronic acid is in the Intensive Cream?
The product page lists 0.3% sodium hyaluronate, twelfth on the list. It's one humectant alongside glycerin, butylene glycol, betaine and panthenol.
Is COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream good for combination skin?
COSRX says it suits combination skin. Its two plant oils make it a fuller cream than a gel, so a thin layer on an oilier center and a normal amount on dry cheeks is a reasonable way to use it.
Does it contain silicone?
Yes. Dimethicone is fifteenth of 19 ingredients, a small amount compared with the silicones near the top of the Hydrium Enriched Cream.
Is the Intensive Cream part of the Hydrium line?
No. It's a separate COSRX product built on sea buckthorn water, while both Hydrium creams start with water. It shares hyaluronic acid and panthenol with the Hydrium Moisture Power Enriched Cream; the Green Tea Aqua Soothing Gel Cream shares panthenol but lists no hyaluronic acid.
Torriden Dive-In Soothing Cream is the lighter gel for oily and combination skin; the Dive-In Cream adds oils for drier skin. Formulas, use and prices.
