Review: Hylamide SubQ Skin serum

I mention it frequently in my reviews, I’ve been using peptides for a long time in my routine.

These small chains of amino acids, naturally present in the skin, are building blocks of important proteins such as collagen, elastin and keratin. These are very important because they’re responsible for the smooth texture and firmness of the skin.

When applied to the skin, the peptides communicate with the skin cells. In this way, they help to stimulate these skin cells to execute specific functions, such as the production of collagen and elastin, so that the skin maintains a more youthful and firm appearance. Peptides also improve the skin’s ability to repair itself quickly and effectively.

They’re not brand new ingredients, they have been used for a long time in skincare but not always as the main ingredients of the formula.

In recent years, these anti-aging ingredients made a comeback as star ingredients in our cosmetics. Especially where they are used in serums (my favorite) and are not even prohibitively expensive!

Today, I’d like to introduce you to one I really like, the SubQ Skin serum from Hylamide, the Canadian brand belonging to the famous Deciem group (they’re the ones behind The Ordinary 😉 ).

Skincare Mini-review: Dear Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop With the current skincare boom, super effective anti-aging ingredients are all the rage. Vitamin C is on the rise, as is retinol, but peptides are also very popular! These also happen to be the star ingredients of the Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop serum from the Korean brand Dear Klairs. Read more

Hylamide SubQ Skin serum, product presentation:

4 years ago, when I discovered the group Deciem, I was only interested in The Ordinary (like everybody else lol). Their approach was so innovative and the products so affordable; I wanted to try them all!

Then I looked into their other brands, which seemed to be super promising as well! Especially Hylamide, an advanced skincare brand, super sophisticated, but much more accessible and affordable than NIOD, their premium brand reserved for “super skin nerds” (I talked about Niod in more detail in my article Focus on copper peptides 😉 ).

The Hylamide range is quite short (only a dozen products) but the ingredients they use in their formula are interesting: anti-oxidants for anti-aging prevention, new generation moisturizers and many innovative peptides…

Their serums are appealing for me, especially the idea of pairing them with my “stronger” treatments (such as acids, retinol or vitamin C, for example).

I’m an absolute fan of their eye contour serum, SubQ Eyes, which I reviewed last year. So I naturally wanted to try the face version, SubQ Skin!

SubQ Skin Serum is a product that essentially works on two fronts: hydration and anti-aging.

So potentially, it’s clearly the product that could interest a lot of people! Who doesn’t need a hydration boost in their routine? And the promise of a smoothing effect on wrinkles is always very tempting, isn’t it? 😉

Regarding the formula, as I said earlier, the brand uses a lot of innovative, fairly advanced ingredients!

Judge for yourself:
– 5 different hyaluronic acids for hydration: high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, which targets surface hydration and visible elasticity; two very low molecular weight hyaluronic complexes for faster, deeper rehydration; a hyaluronic acid precursor; and a vegetable hyaluronic form derived from tamarind,
– a yeast derivative combined with polyglucuronic acid. This complex is obtained by bio-fermentation and, according to the manufacturer, it helps to stimulate the synthesis of hyaluronic acid in the skin,
– several saccharides for hydration,
– a complex of Antarctic and Hawaiian algae to promote cell renewal and help to prevent moisture loss,
– Copper Lysinate/Prolinate: an ingredient that promotes the production of collagen for an anti-aging effect,
– a complex of anti-aging peptides (nonapeptide-3), which would have similar effects to those of retinol with less irritation (at least that is what the brand claims),
– and another anti-aging peptide, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, which is the advanced form of Matrixyl to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Of course, as far as the anti-aging ingredients are concerned, they have a rather long-term action and the effect will be more visible on superficial wrinkles than on very deep wrinkles.

The texture is a classic watery serum: a kind of fairly liquid gel. The smell is not great, I prefer to warn you (it smells a bit like fermentation) but it remains light and it doesn’t linger on the skin at all.

Clearly, for sensoriality, Deciem isn’t your best bet, it’s not really their forte. This serum is more about efficiency and innovation, not lush texture and fragrance. I don’t mind it, really. As long as it’s effective, it’s fine!

The product comes in a 30ml pipette bottle, and if I’m using it once a day, it lasts me about 3 months.

Hylamide SubQ Skin serum, my experience:

As mentioned above, I use the SubQ Skin serum as a nice addition to my other stronger anti-aging treatments. So my expectations are quite reasonable for this product.

When I started it, I mainly expected a good hydrating effect (I always need it with my dehydrated combination skin) and why not a smoothing effect on my small wrinkles on my upper cheeks.

Note: at 42, I don’t have a lot of wrinkles. My skin is quite thick by nature, and it will probably age by losing tonicity rather than by getting wrinkles. Basically, my skin doesn’t get a lot of wrinkles, but it falls apart 😉.

But with the use of tretinoin for several months now, it has dried out quite a bit and if I don’t hydrate enough, it can look more wrinkly actually.

I would like to point out that I am still adjusting to this anti-aging molecule, which requires a lot of patience (I have been using tretinoin for 9 months). My skin is not dry and irritated all the time, only from time to time, and I expect it to regain its initial strength in a few months (it will probably be even more resilient 🤞).

But in the meantime, I really appreciate this type of hydrating and smoothing treatment. It allows me to keep my skin looking plumper and fuller, which is definitely a plus!

I really appreciate this serum’s versatility. If I were a skincare minimalist, it would probably be my only evening serum to pair with my tretinoin. But of course, I can’t help but use other products with it, especially a niacinamide serum, which I appreciate for its purifying and brightening effect. (#moreismore)

I use the SubQ Skin in my evening routine so, but I could totally use it morning and night if I wanted to. It’s not my most sensorial product (it smells weird, I must admit) but I appreciate its effectiveness. It keeps its promises on hydration, and I also find it helps to smooth and plump my skin as well (even if it’s just temporary).

A big plus, it’s very affordable: $22 for such an innovative serum, it’s a good deal in my book!

I know Deciem has a few other similar products in its catalog (including from The Ordinary with the Buffet or the Matrixyl) but I find the SubQ Skin serum more complete (especially on hydration) and I prefer its texture, which is thinner. The Ordinary products don’t have the most refined texture and often tend to feel sticky on the skin, whereas it’ s not the case with this Hylamide serum. My skin absorbs it very quickly, and it’s comfortable without stickiness.

In conclusion:

I repurchase this SubQ Skin serum from Hylamide frequently.

It’s effective without being overpriced. Even if it’s not the most fun product in the world to use, it does the job, and that’s all I ask! 🙂

Its only con: it’s not very widely distributed, you can only find it on Deciem’s website (and in their stores too, but not sure if they’re all open at the moment with pandemic). I guess that also explains why it’s not more popular!

The serum Hylamide SubQ Skin retails for $22 for 30ml.