The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum: a Guru Score of 77%

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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✓Yay

"The Inky List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum has 2% of Ectoin which creates a hydration network deep within your skin cells and creates a long-lasting hydration that will stick with your skin well after you wash your face, which can be so incredibly beneficial when we're coming up against the dry environment outside and inside. Ectoin is one of your best friends for rehydrating your skin, but it's also a great protective antioxidant. I really love this serum because of the texture in addition to the hero ingredient ectoin. It is a medium gel texture that sinks into your skin really nicely, but it has a plumping quality to it with that medium gel. It's a little bit bouncy. So it not only gives you that deep down replenishing feeling as it absorbs into your skin, but it also gives you that plump bouncy feel to your skin, which I absolutely adore, especially when you're going through dehydration. Your skin can actually feel a little bit thinner and just not as plump and as smooth as it was before. So I love this quality to the serum to just really plump up and make your skin a little bit more bouncy and a little bit more smooth looking while providing that deep down long-lasting hydration."

All 2 takes from Kelly Driscoll

These Skincare Ingredients Are Overhyped. Here's What to Use Instead.

"The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum contains 2 percent of ectoin in a really beautiful hydrating, plumping gel textured serum. This sinks into your skin and you can feel how the hydration gets deeper down and you can feel how it lasts within your skin. It sticks with you and really gets you through your day without feeling like a dried-up, crusty sponge. It's all those benefits that you would want in hyaluronic acid without all the extra hoops you need to jump through."

My Skin Does All 7 of These in Fall. Here's What I Use for Each.

"The Inky List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum has 2% of Ectoin which creates a hydration network deep within your skin cells and creates a long-lasting hydration that will stick with your skin well after you wash your face, which can be so incredibly beneficial when we're coming up against the dry environment outside and inside. Ectoin is one of your best friends for rehydrating your skin, but it's also a great protective antioxidant. I really love this serum because of the texture in addition to the hero ingredient ectoin. It is a medium gel texture that sinks into your skin really nicely, but it has a plumping quality to it with that medium gel. It's a little bit bouncy. So it not only gives you that deep down replenishing feeling as it absorbs into your skin, but it also gives you that plump bouncy feel to your skin, which I absolutely adore, especially when you're going through dehydration. Your skin can actually feel a little bit thinner and just not as plump and as smooth as it was before. So I love this quality to the serum to just really plump up and make your skin a little bit more bouncy and a little bit more smooth looking while providing that deep down long-lasting hydration."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"The Inky List ectoin barrier serum contains the ectoin. It also contains panthenol which is a great soothing anti-redness ingredient. It's got jojoba esters which are great for hydrating skin, oat kernel for soothing as well as ceramides. This one's got kind of a similar kind of a gel lotiony texture to it. It plays really well with other products and pretty friendly for most skin types and super affordable as well."

Dr Dray

2.68M subs

✓Nay

"I ended up enjoying the INKEY List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum, [...] but it is not as hydrating, it's not as moisturizing. It doesn't impart that overall improved plumpness, smoothness, radiance, and glow. So you are paying less, but you're not quite getting the same thing. This is fine, but I don't know that I would necessarily repurchase it."

All 2 takes from Dr Dray

Why Ectoin Might Be the Barrier-Repair Ingredient Your Skin Needs

"This particular product has a very lightweight gel-like texture. It layers under moisturizers really well or under sunscreen if it's something that you use in the morning. In my experience, it felt nice going on, absorbed pretty quickly, and it didn't interfere with any other products that I put on on top. [...] Once it dried down, it didn't really leave my skin feeling immediately quenched, moisturized. I felt like I needed moisturizer on over it. It wasn't drying, but it wasn't quite like I had just moisturized my skin. The pros of this are that it's affordable and it's easy to layer. A con is that it just kind of dries down a bit filmy and doesn't really leave the skin feeling immediately moisturized. It's more something that you would layer underneath a moisturizer or underneath your moisturizing sunscreen during the day. If you have really oily skin or you describe your skin as combination, meaning you have a lot of oiliness but patches of dryness, this might be a formulation that meets your needs."

Dermatologist Skincare Empties: What I’d Actually Buy Again

"I ended up enjoying the INKEY List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum, [...] but it is not as hydrating, it's not as moisturizing. It doesn't impart that overall improved plumpness, smoothness, radiance, and glow. So you are paying less, but you're not quite getting the same thing. This is fine, but I don't know that I would necessarily repurchase it."

DA

Doctor Anne

56k subs

✓Yay

"When I first applied The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum, I thought where's the hydration, no instant plumping, no dewy glow. It has the texture of a light lotion with an opaque white color, and I could barely notice any scent, only sometimes a faint whiff of something a little plasticky, though that isn't noticeable after application. The product doesn't offer any instant hydration, it spreads with ease and leaves the skin feeling soft and velvety, but if my skin was particularly dehydrated that day I still felt tightness, no instant relief. The main ingredient is Ectoin at 2 percent, which isn't hydrating in itself but is a film former and stabilizer that prevents transepidermal water loss and soothes the skin, alongside several molecular weights of Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin, Panthenol, Colloidal Oatmeal, Ceramides, Phytosphingosine and Cholesterol. As this formula isn't occlusive in the slightest, I would without hesitation recommend it for people suffering from acne, especially as Ectoin seems to have a preventing effect on retained irritation in those using prescription retinoids. I have used it consistently over several weeks without it triggering any breakouts, but of course each skin reacts differently. I really wouldn't call it hydrating, at least not in terms of an immediate effect, but while it wasn't great at targeting dehydration immediately, it worked amazing over the course of a few days in making my skin less prone to dehydration. I took it on a one week trip to the mountains in the snow where being outdoors exposed to cold winds and dry air can lead to dryness and irritation when paired with my Tretinoin, and this formula really helped keep my skin happy throughout the whole trip. For me it is a great product to use during winter, and if your skin is prone to dehydration, you might feel the same way."

All 2 takes from Doctor Anne

The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum Review: Must have or Skip? | Doctor Anne

"When I first applied The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum, I thought where's the hydration, no instant plumping, no dewy glow. It has the texture of a light lotion with an opaque white color, and I could barely notice any scent, only sometimes a faint whiff of something a little plasticky, though that isn't noticeable after application. The product doesn't offer any instant hydration, it spreads with ease and leaves the skin feeling soft and velvety, but if my skin was particularly dehydrated that day I still felt tightness, no instant relief. The main ingredient is Ectoin at 2 percent, which isn't hydrating in itself but is a film former and stabilizer that prevents transepidermal water loss and soothes the skin, alongside several molecular weights of Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin, Panthenol, Colloidal Oatmeal, Ceramides, Phytosphingosine and Cholesterol. As this formula isn't occlusive in the slightest, I would without hesitation recommend it for people suffering from acne, especially as Ectoin seems to have a preventing effect on retained irritation in those using prescription retinoids. I have used it consistently over several weeks without it triggering any breakouts, but of course each skin reacts differently. I really wouldn't call it hydrating, at least not in terms of an immediate effect, but while it wasn't great at targeting dehydration immediately, it worked amazing over the course of a few days in making my skin less prone to dehydration. I took it on a one week trip to the mountains in the snow where being outdoors exposed to cold winds and dry air can lead to dryness and irritation when paired with my Tretinoin, and this formula really helped keep my skin happy throughout the whole trip. For me it is a great product to use during winter, and if your skin is prone to dehydration, you might feel the same way."

Acne, Allergies and Aging: my Spring Skincare Routine Adjustments | Doctor Anne

"On Tretinoin nights I use The Inkey List Ectoin Hydro-Barrier Serum first. Ectoin is a film former that seems to be beneficial in eczema prone skin and helps protect the skin barrier from irritation. I have already written my review on it and, little spoiler, I really think it helps in the long run, even though I wasn't too impressed at the beginning."

The Budget Dermatologist

723k subs

✓Yay

"It's the Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum. It's about $15 and when I use it, I feel super super hydrated. It makes my skin look more bouncy. It feels really nice. It can be a key product in your glass skincare routine, and it's from the Inkey List, so it does not break the bank."

Mad About Skin

727k subs

✓Yay

"Coming in at I think this is like £15 here in the UK, a beautifully affordable ectoin serum that really could deliver calming, soothing and barrier support. I did try it and it is actually lovely. Smooths onto the skin instantly, calms, soothes, hydrates and will support with barrier function in the long term. This is a real win."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Ceramides

Ceramides are part of the skin's own barrier, and moisturisers built around them have evidence for holding water in and settling the tightness and flaking that come with a damaged barrier.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum?

A lightweight gel serum formulated with ectoin to hydrate and support the skin barrier, designed to layer under moisturizers or sunscreen.

Is The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum worth it?

Mostly yes. 5 of the 6 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 77%.

What is The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum's Guru Score?

The INKEY List Ectoin Hydro Barrier Serum holds a Guru Score of 77%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.