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Neutrogena

Hydro Boost Gel Cream.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream
Moisturizers

About this product

A lightweight gel cream moisturizer with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, designed to hydrate and provide a dewy finish without heavy residue.

Best for

Type

MoisturizersGel

Key actives

Formula notes

Fragrance-freeNo drying alcohol

Full ingredients

Guru Score

86%

Approved

8 experts · Strong agreement
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus
8Gurus
8Approved
0Mixed
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#11 in MoisturizersSee the ranking →

What the gurus are saying

This gel cream earns consistent praise for its featherlight texture and fast absorption, making it a standout choice for anyone with oily or combination skin. Dermatologists and skincare experts repeatedly highlight how it layers beautifully without any heavy feel, hydrates without weighing skin down, and comes fragrance-free in one formula if you prefer to skip scent. The consensus is that it punches well above its budget price, with many gurus recommending it as a first moisturizer for skincare newcomers or as a reliable everyday option for oily skin in warmer or humid climates.
Synthesized from 8 expert reviews · most recent take March 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.

All takes Approved takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
Approved
"One of my favorite moisturizers to layer over your retinoid would be Neutrogena's Hydro Boost Gel Cream. Neutrogena has done a great job with it because it's packed with hyaluronic acid and it's one of my wife's favorite moisturizers. We have these that signature blue jar all over our house and it just layers really well. No heavy residue, very lightweight, and just having a hydrating moisturizer is one of the best ways to hide fine lines and wrinkles. And having a dewy finish will give you that glow up to help reflect light evenly off the face."
All 3 takes from Dr. Daniel Sugai
The Best Moisturizers for Retinol Users
"One of my favorite moisturizers to layer over your retinoid would be Neutrogena's Hydro Boost Gel Cream. Neutrogena has done a great job with it because it's packed with hyaluronic acid and it's one of my wife's favorite moisturizers. We have these that signature blue jar all over our house and it just layers really well. No heavy residue, very lightweight, and just having a hydrating moisturizer is one of the best ways to hide fine lines and wrinkles. And having a dewy finish will give you that glow up to help reflect light evenly off the face."
Dermatologist Recommended Summer Skincare Routine: How to Glow Up Your Skin This Summer!
"It's a nice lightweight moisturizer if you have oily skin. See how that disappears? It feels weightless, absorbs very quickly. So I like this one a lot. If you don't like fragrance, you can go for the Hydro Boost Gel Cream. It looks exactly the same but you'll notice there's no blue color and also no fragrance. This one has a nice familiar smell. I think it's about 20 to 25 bucks for this, and this lasts a long time because a small amount goes a long way. I did a comparison video before, the water gel versus the gel cream. I think the gel cream doesn't absorb as well as the water gel. You can use this morning and night."
Dermatologist Reviews: Holiday Skincare Picks for All Ages 2023
"The gel cream and then uh the Water gel and the the gel cream the water gel came out first it was fragrance people gave it a hard time the gel Cream came out and that was no fragrance no dyes a great moisturizer but we still prefer the gel cream"
Approved
"It's got dimethylonol and isoparin which are all fantastic emollients. It's also got glycerin which is a great moisturizer. It's got no fragrance. It says non-comedogenic, so it's good for acne prone skin. I will say go buy it. My standards are very high for skin of color, and I'm very careful with what I tell you to buy. This one is very good for our skin."
Approved
"The gel cream is that lighter weight moisturizer that's going to blend well with your skin if you have oily skin. So, my recommendation is to get the Neutrogena Hydroboost gel cream if you have oily skin. The texture, I would say there's probably no other moisturizer I hear more from just from my nurses and patients that they just try this and they love it. Because of the body, the way it just sits on your skin, if you have oily skin, you'll like how this feels. Such a nice moisturizer. I feel like in the world of dupes, there's been almost no brand that's been able to dupe this formula. It really is just such a nice formula."
Top Pick: lightweight moisturizer for oily skin
All 2 takes from Doctorly
Best Moisturizers of the Year | Doctorly Favorites of 2025
"The gel cream is that lighter weight moisturizer that's going to blend well with your skin if you have oily skin. So, my recommendation is to get the Neutrogena Hydroboost gel cream if you have oily skin. The texture, I would say there's probably no other moisturizer I hear more from just from my nurses and patients that they just try this and they love it. Because of the body, the way it just sits on your skin, if you have oily skin, you'll like how this feels. Such a nice moisturizer. I feel like in the world of dupes, there's been almost no brand that's been able to dupe this formula. It really is just such a nice formula."
BEST SUMMER MOISTURIZERS | DOCTORLY Reviews
"This product really leans towards the lightweight side. It lives in the glycerin hyaluronic acid world. It's actually grown on me over a period of time. I tried the fragrance one first which was a mistake I didn't like the fragrance, but the fragrance free version of the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream is outstanding. A texture unworldly, otherworldly lightweight for anyone hot, humid, or with oily skin this is for you. And it's also pretty budget friendly, like this is not that expensive compared to some of the other moisturizers. I'm like glowing I've got layers upon layers of hydration."
Approved
"It is a product I have recommended over and over again in the last four years it has to be the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Cream."
All 2 takes from Nipun Kapur
Best Summer Oil-Free Moisturizers | Nipun Kapur
"It is a product I have recommended over and over again in the last four years it has to be the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Cream."
Top 5 Moisturizers for Large Open Pores & Textured Skin | Nipun Kapur
"The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream, the original formula which is called Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel, is absolutely fabulous. You can use it as a face mask. It will stay white for about 10 minutes, then become completely transparent, and you can wipe it off with a wet cloth or microfiber cloth, and your skin is just next level. If you have oily to combination skin, you have to be very careful with the kind of face mask you choose because face masks are usually clay masks, but using a nice hydrating moisturizer as a face mask like this gives you instant glow."
Approved
"I love the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream, which is designed to provide hydration to oily skin while maintaining a lightweight finish."
Approved
"The first one is from Neutrogena, their Hydro Boost line. Even though it's a gel cream, it's a little bit more nourishing but still really fast absorbing. Great for those with more oily and combination skin that live in a colder climate if you need something just a little bit more to keep your skin from being dehydrated."
Approved
"One of my favorite moisturizers especially for skincare newbies is the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream. The reason I like gel cream moisturizers in general so much is because they feel incredibly lightweight on the skin but they still add that layer of hydration that a lot of people are craving. I'm probably a little partial to this Neutrogena one because it was the first moisturizer that I feel like I could get my dad to use consistently and even though I get sent all types of skincare and I want to buy him all sorts of things he still requests the Neutrogena Hydro Boost."
Approved
"The main ingredients are water, glycerin, and [dimethicone]. It also contains sodium hyaluronate. This one contains eight amino acids and then it contains urea, which is a really great moisturizer. This one's got a gel lotion texture to it. A lot of people like this one. It's easily accessible, probably around most of the world. If you can get it on sale, it's a great deal."
Sponsored
All 3 takes from No BS Beauty
Best Water Creams & Gel Cream Face Moisturizers for All Skin Types - Fragrance Free!
"Neutrogena did a really good job with their new formula of their Hydro Boost water gel cream. I was impressed with it. It's 27 bucks so it's still kind of expensive, but it's now in a glass jar so it's recyclable. In here we've got over 10 different amino acids which is really nice for your skin barrier and things like that. It's got urea in there, it's got sodium hyaluronic. In my opinion it's great for oily sensitive and acne prone skin. Very nice product, great for pretty much most skin types."
Neutrogena's 🆕 Best Selling Products Get A Reboot - New Hydro Boost Gel Cream Formula Upgrade
"The Hydro Boost is a good dupe for a lot of different things, especially the Clinique Moisture Surge in the pink jar, probably the closest dupe that people use for that one, and it's much more affordable."
My Ultimate List of the Top Ten Moisturizers of All Time & I've Tried Hundreds of Moisturizers
"The main ingredients are water, glycerin, and [dimethicone]. It also contains sodium hyaluronate. This one contains eight amino acids and then it contains urea, which is a really great moisturizer. This one's got a gel lotion texture to it. A lot of people like this one. It's easily accessible, probably around most of the world. If you can get it on sale, it's a great deal."
Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream?

A lightweight gel cream moisturizer with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, designed to hydrate and provide a dewy finish without heavy residue.

Is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream worth it?

Yes. All 8 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 86%.

What is Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream's Guru Score?

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream holds a Guru Score of 86%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 8 independent 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 Gel Cream best for?

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream is generally suited to oily skin.

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