La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum On your shelf ✓
$0.27 an application · about 150 usesOur review, in one look
Glycerin is the reason to consider this serum, with Pro-vitamin B5 behind it.
The case for it
- Glycerin, strong evidence for hydration
- Pro-vitamin B5, strong evidence for the barrier
- No parabens
Mind this
- Morning or evening, whichever suits your routine
- Add it on its own for a week or two, so you know what your skin is answering to
Maya's readLa Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum is a serum built around Glycerin, Pro-vitamin B5 and Hyaluronic acid. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin. Worth noting it contains fragrance, so reactive skin should patch-test.
Cost per use: what a day of it costs
$0.27 an applicationabout 150 uses from 30 ml
a usual amount, not a measured dose: 3-5 drops, about 0.2 ml; from $40 as read in September 2026 and a 30 ml pack.
how this is counted
About $0.27 an application, about 150 uses from 30 ml.
- a convention: no trial has measured a serum dose
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Skip it if your skin reacts to fragrance: this one is scented.
Fragrance, texture and film: what the label says of its feel
- fragranced (parfum on the label)
- a serum in a dropper bottle
- leaves a film: dimethicone
- no plant or mineral oil on the label
Facts off the label and the pack only. How it feels on a face is not something this page will say without having used it.
The formula, in order
every ingredient at its place on the label
Coloured by the job each one does here.
26 of the 32 sit above the 1% line. The other 6, hatched, are each under 1%. Widths show the ORDER on the label and nothing else: the label never discloses amounts, so we never draw them.
- Actives & signals
- Hydrators
- Texture & base
- Preservation
- Not in our library yet
- did not feed it
Fungal acne: what on this label feeds the yeast (Malassezia)
the yeast: Malassezia furfur, globosa, restricta
Nothing on this label was measured to feed Malassezia.
Each result is a pure ingredient on a lab dish, never this product on skin.
What does it do? What its ingredients deliver
How it feels A light, fast-absorbing texture that layers cleanly under the rest of your routine, with no greasy film. (estimated from the formula)
Key ingredients: what in it does the work
Classic humectant with strong evidence for improving skin hydration and supporting barrier when combined with emollients.
Glycerin: This one works on contact: there is nothing to wait for.
how it was measured
Measured on stratum corneum hydration, corneometer capacitance after a single application; on contact, by mechanism.
Humectant and soothing ingredient that helps calm irritation and supports barrier repair and recovery.
Water-binding molecule that increases hydration; works best under occlusive/emollient layers to reduce evaporation.
Amino sugar derivative that improves uneven tone and supports hyaluronic acid synthesis with excellent tolerability especially when paired with niacinamide.
Purified centella triterpene that calms inflammation supports barrier repair and enhances collagen and elastic fiber remodeling in photoaged skin.
Signal nucleoside that modestly improves periorbital and facial wrinkles and elasticity in Korean cosmetic studies with good tolerability.
What only this label says
Alcohol Denat is 3rd of 32 on the label, above the 1% line.
why
A drying alcohol by name (alcohol, alcohol denat., ethanol - not the fatty alcohols) at position 3 of 32.
Glycerin is the 2nd of 32 ingredients: above the 1% line.
why
Position 2 of 32 on the label as printed; compared with the 125 other labels in the catalogue that carry a polyol.
why
Actives our base knows on both labels: Glycerin, Pro-vitamin B5, Hyaluronic acid and Adenosine.
4 of the 6 actives carry strong evidence in our base (Glycerin, Pro-vitamin B5, Hyaluronic acid and N-Acetyl Glucosamine); Madecassoside and Adenosine are moderate.
why
evidence_level in our base, per row, as printed on each glossary page.
Water, then glycerin: a light, water-led base.
why
The first two ingredients on the label, in the order printed; the second's role is read from its name (a row in our base).
26 ingredients sit above the 1% line; from Xanthan Gum down, the order stops telling you anything.
why
The 1% line is inferred from Xanthan Gum at position 27 (see The formula, drawn).
Fragrance allergens: the ones this label names
This label names none of the 26 EU fragrance allergens, though fragrance is listed. What the 26 are →
How to use it, and when
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
Where in your skin it works
1 of its 4 placed actives acts below the dead surface layer, 3 on or in it: the same cross-section as our 500 dalton page, with this formula's actives on the layer each one works on. Depth is the anatomy's, never an ingredient's.
Skin surface
The stratum corneum
- Glycerinderived from what it is
- Hyaluronic acidderived from what it is
- Pro-vitamin B5derived from what it is
The living epidermis
- N-Acetyl Glucosaminelikely, sourced
4 of this product's actives have a layer we can defend. 2 did not, so they are not on the diagram: no source and no honest derivation means no dot.
Sources for the sourced ones: Ebanks et al. 2009: mechanisms regulating skin pigmentation.
How it compares with the average serum
It scores lower than the median serum on oil control.
On hydration, barrier repair, brightening and anti-aging it is level with the median, so that is not what sets it apart.
A median, not an average: one unusual formula should not move the middle. The numbers are the same 0 to 10 reads the comparison pages use.
Full ingredients list, decoded
25 of these 32 ingredients are in our library, linked and named for what each one does, with anything that can irritate or clog flagged; the 7 we cannot place are left plain, nothing is hidden. Every ingredient on the label, in the order it appears (highest amount first).
All 32 ingredients, decoded
- Aqua/Water/EauSolvent (base)
- GlycerinHumectant
- Alcohol DenatSolventcan irritate
- Propylene GlycolHumectantmild irritant
- PanthenolHumectant
- Pentylene GlycolHumectant
- DimethiconeOcclusive
- PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric GlyceridesEmulsifier
- Alpinia Galanga Leaf ExtractBotanical extract
- Calcium Chloride
- Glyceryl IsostearateEmollient (ester)
- MadecassosideSoothing
- PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30Emulsifier
- Sodium Acetylated HyaluronateHumectant
- Sodium HyaluronateHumectant
- Algin
- AdenosineNucleoside
- Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl TaurateThickener
- PropanediolHumectant
- Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic AcidHumectant
- HydroxyacetophenoneAntioxidant
- Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideEmollient
- Caprylyl GlycolPreservative booster
- Citric AcidExfoliantmild irritant
- Acetyl GlucosamineAmino sugar
- roughly the 1% lineThe rules only require descending order above 1%. From Xanthan Gum down, these 6 can be listed in any order the brand likes, so position stops telling you anything.
- Xanthan GumThickener
- Butylene GlycolHumectant
- 1,2-HexanediolPreservative booster
- TocopherolAntioxidantmild irritant
- PhenoxyethanolPreservativemild irritant
- Parfum/FragranceFragrancecan irritate
Copy the raw INCI list
Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat, Propylene Glycol, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Dimethicone, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Alpinia Galanga Leaf Extract, Calcium Chloride, Glyceryl Isostearate, Madecassoside, PPG-6-Decyltetradeceth-30, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Algin, Adenosine, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Propanediol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Acetyl Glucosamine, Xanthan Gum, Butylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Tocopherol, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum/Fragrance
Worried about clogged pores specifically? The pore-clogging checker reads this same list against the published comedogenic ratings.
Add it to your shelf and the app puts it in the right step and checks it against what you already use.
Read enough? Find it on amazon.com →
We don't make or sell skincare of our own. So there's nothing here we're trying to push, just an honest read of whether this formula suits your skin.
Against your shelf
Read from your own shelf, in your browser. We never see it.
Dupes? The closest formulas we have
The 3 products of the same kind sharing the most of its 6 actives. A count, not a likeness: the rest of each label, its base and its preservation, is what the count leaves out.
shares 3 of its 6 actives
Compare it with…
28 duels are built for this serum, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (Original Formulation) and Medik8 Liquid Peptides among them: type a name, or pick one below.
Common questions
How high up the list is the glycerin in La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum?
Glycerin is the 2nd of 32 ingredients: above the 1% line. Position is the only amount the law makes a brand declare, so 2nd of 32 is the one number on this label a reader can check.
What is the base of La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum?
Water, then glycerin: a light, water-led base. The first ingredients are the bulk of a formula; the actives come after them.
Where does the 1% line fall in La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum?
26 ingredients sit above the 1% line; from Xanthan Gum down, the order stops telling you anything. Above it the label is in descending order by amount; below it, it need not be.
Is La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum good for dry skin?
By our read of the formula, it suits dry, dehydrated, sensitive skin. La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum is a serum built around Glycerin, Pro-vitamin B5 and Hyaluronic acid. It leans strongest on hydration, barrier repair, brightening / tone. Best suited to dry, dehydrated and sensitive skin. Worth noting it contains fragrance, so reactive skin should patch-test.
How do you use La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum?
Morning and/or night, after your thinner water-based steps and before heavier creams.
What are the key ingredients in La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum?
The actives that do the work are Glycerin, Pro-vitamin B5, Hyaluronic acid, N-Acetyl Glucosamine, Madecassoside, Adenosine. The rest of the list is texture, preservatives and emulsifiers that hold the formula together.
What the 3D scene shows
The scene shows La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Suractivated Serum beside a cross-section of skin, with 3 of its ingredients drawn at the layer each one acts on and at one shared molecular scale: Glycerin and Pro-vitamin B5 in the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer where most skincare works; N-Acetyl Glucosamine in the living epidermis, among the cells that are still dividing. Depths come from the same sourced layer data as the rest of this site, and any ingredient whose layer is not established is left out rather than guessed.
