"My dehydrated skin usually loves a £100 serum, but this £6.50 one delivered the same plumping results"
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Lord knows I love a boujee beauty buy. Gimme my £169 vitamin C and my £97 moisturiser any day of the week. My skin loves luxury, what can I say? But there are also times when the cheaper – nay! – more affordable picks work just as well, maybe even better, and that's what I found when the Aroma-Zone Hyaluronic Acid Serum dropped into my lap. I'm here to spread the gospel.
I hadn't heard much about Aroma-Zone before this year. It's a huge brand in France but had no outposts in the UK until November 2025, when it opened its store in Westfield London. I got to try a few of the products, including the brand's Hyaluronic Acid Serum, and I have been hooked ever since.
This month, we actually held a Club Cosmo exclusive event for our members at the Westfield store. Clare, our Senior Fashion and Beauty E-commerce Writer, Dr Shireen and I got to chat all things skin, hair and body, with members posing questions alongside cocktails and canapés. Guests also left with a goody bag of Aroma-Zone and Cosmo treats. (If you want to keep up to speed on events like this and more, join Club Cosmo for free here.)
At the event, as I waxed lyrical about the serum on the panel (I will get to my review, promise), Dr Shireen said that in France the serum is popular for all-over body use, which is why the brand created the 100ml size and eco refill. Genius!
It does feel a bit like, with all the buzzy new actives on the market now (PDRN, ectoin, etc.), the humble hyaluronic acid has been left behind. But for the loyal among us, the ingredient has remained a steadfast part of our routines thanks to its plumping, softening and hydrating benefits. This serum has a concentration of 3.5%, which is higher than many of the more expensive hyaluronic serums on sale.
I apply it to my damp, freshly-washed skin, from my face down to my neck and chest, before following with my vitamin C and SPF moisturiser. I like that it's not super tacky to apply, like some HAs can be. It genuinely is like a big glug of water for my skin, and I notice a difference in how my face feels (tight and dull-looking) when I don't use it.
For me, the biggest pro with this serum is the price. Nowadays, there aren't many brands that still sit in that under-£10 bracket offering decent, hard-working formulas with no filler ingredients, but Aroma-Zone does. It does it by keeping its packaging simple (no outer boxes, simple designs) and taking a no-frills approach to beauty and health, but the formulas are super efficacious. If this is your first stop in the Aroma-Zone world, it won't be your last. It's why, even in a country where pharmacy brands are king, the brand continues to win over new and loyal fans alike.
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.