The hack
Layering several lightweight skincare products for maximum hydration, known on TikTok as “skin flooding”.
The test
About a decade ago, Korean skincare came into our beauty consciousness, and with it the famed multistep moisturising regime. To many, including me, it seemed unnecessary and OTT. Then I went to Seoul, was shown how to do it, and my skin genuinely looked the best it ever had. But keeping that up was expensive and laborious, so over time I’ve gone back to a more simple routine.
Skin flooding is basically the newest version of this, and is all about layering lightweight moisturising formulas with differing ingredients on the skin for maximum hydration. I welcome this right now – stress has made my once-oily skin flaky and dry, and I haven’t managed to solve it.
I start with cleansing my face thoroughly, follow that with a hydrating lightweight lotion, then use a hydrating serum that has loads of hyaluronic acid, and finish with a light moisturiser (thicker than a lotion), and then my SPF.
The verdict
The extra hydrating step does make a difference. But for a one-stop shop I recommend using Hada Labo’s Tokyo Hydrator Lotion after you cleanse, as it contains four kinds of moisture-boosting hyaluronic acid. You will notice the difference instantly.
