Face serums are topical products designed to nourish, protect, and hydrate your skin, making them a valuable addition to any skincare routine. Serums are applied after cleansing and before moisturizing, delivering a high concentration of beneficial nutrients directly to the skin. If you’re looking to amp up your skin care routine with a product that offers a bigger, more powerful dose of active ingredients than a cleanser or moisturizer, a face serum may be the answer.
What are Face Serums?
Serums are thin-viscosity topical products that contain concentrated amounts of active ingredients. The concept with a serum is that larger amounts of active molecules will potentially penetrate the skin’s surface for optimum effectiveness. Also, due to the higher concentration, it typically takes a shorter amount of time to see visible results. They are designed to address specific skin concerns, such as wrinkles, dullness, discoloration, and acne.
Why Use a Serum?
While moisturizers and face creams are essential for hydration, serums offer a more targeted approach to skincare. Research from 2011 suggests using both, and to layer accordingly. Because a serum is lighter and delivers active ingredients to the skin quickly, it goes on first, after you’ve cleansed your skin. But you also need to seal the serum to maximize the benefits, which is why a moisturizer or face cream is the next step. Serums are lighter and penetrate the skin more effectively than heavier creams, allowing for deeper delivery of active ingredients. Think of a serum as the secret weapon for treating skin issues like discoloration, dullness, fine lines, or acne - and a moisturizer as the key to hydrating your skin. If you use a face serum that’s well suited to the type of issue you want to address, a serum can have numerous benefits.
Types of Face Serums
When it comes to choosing a skin serum, it’s important to recognize there are different types of serums, as well as specific ingredients to look for based on your goals.Face serums fall into several categories:
- Anti-aging serums
- Skin-brightening serums
- Hydrating serums
- Free-radical fighting serums
- Acne-prone and sensitive skin serums
- Reparative/texture improvement serums
Anti-Aging Serums
Anti-aging serums encourage skin renewal and collagen production. According to Palm, this type of serum often includes retinol or bakuchiol, or both. These serums aim to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin texture, and promote a youthful complexion.
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Recommended anti-aging serums include:
- Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer
- CeraVe Skin-Renewing Retinol Serum
Skin-Brightening Serums
Skin-brightening serums are often chock-full of antioxidants and pigment-fighting ingredients to improve skin tone. “Key ingredients might include things such as vitamin C, glycolic acid, kojic acid, ferulic acid, mushroom extract, licorice root, or lactic acid, among others,” Palm explained. These serums target hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, and dullness, resulting in a brighter and more radiant complexion.
Recommended skin-brightening serums include:
- L’Oreal Paris Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Concentrate
- CeraVe Vitamin C Skin Renewing Serum
- Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum
Hydrating Serums
Hydrating serums contain hyaluronic acid, a molecule that physically binds water in the skin to make it look fresh, plump, and younger. “Kids make lots of hyaluronic acid, and it’s attached to their collagen, but as we age, we lose collagen and lose the attached acid,” explained Shainhouse. Topical serums with hyaluronic acid can temporarily bind water in the superficial layers of the skin, which, according to Shainhouse, can make your skin appear fresher and dewier. It also has the ability to temporarily minimize the appearance of fine lines. Hydrating serums often contain vitamin B5, which helps to hydrate skin, making it appear smoother and more hydrated. These serums replenish moisture levels in the skin, reducing dryness and promoting a plump, supple appearance.
Recommended hydrating serums include:
- SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Serum
Free-Radical Fighting Serums
Antioxidants fight free radicals that can damage healthy skin. To help prevent skin damage from free radicals, choose a serum that contains ingredients like vitamins C, A, and E, and resveratrol. These serums protect the skin from environmental stressors and oxidative damage, preventing premature aging and maintaining skin health.
Recommended skin-brightening serums include:
- SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum
- Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
Acne and Sensitive Skin Serums
Anti-acne serums often contain salicylic acid or similar plant-based derivatives. Also, look for niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3), which, according to Shainhouse, is a soothing, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory ingredient that’s combined with other active ingredients to minimize irritation and soothe sensitive skin. These serums target acne breakouts, reduce inflammation, and promote clearer skin while being gentle on sensitive skin types.
Recommended skin-brightening serums include:
- Paula’s Choice Niacinamide Booster 10%
- The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
Skin Texture Serums
To help boost your skin’s texture and the overall appearance of your skin, Shainhouse recommends using a serum with glycolic acid serum. “This sugarcane-derived alpha hydroxy acid can penetrate the top layers of the epidermis to disrupt the intercellular bonds. It can also help shed the dulling, discolored, dead cells to reveal smoother, glowing skin with more uniform texture, tone, and color,” she explained. These serums improve skin texture and tone by exfoliating dead skin cells, promoting a smoother and more radiant complexion.
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Recommended skin-brightening serums include:
- L’Oreal Paris Revitalift 10% Pure Glycolic Acid
- NO7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum
Key Anti-Wrinkle Serum Ingredients and Their Benefits
Several ingredients commonly found in anti-wrinkle serums offer specific benefits for the skin:
- Retinoids: Derived from vitamin A, retinoids increase cell turnover and stimulate collagen production, reducing fine lines, wrinkles, and acne. Retinol and tretinoin are common types. Examples are The Ordinary Retinol 0.5% in Squalane and CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum.
- Hyaluronic Acid: This substance helps the skin maintain hydration and plumpness, improving texture and tone while minimizing fine lines and wrinkles.
- Peptides: Short amino acid chains that penetrate the skin, peptides stimulate collagen production and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): As a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C reduces damage from the sun and pollution, reduces skin discoloration, stimulates collagen production, brightens the skin, and reduces fine lines and wrinkles. Examples of vitamin C serums are CeraVe Vitamin C Face Serum and La Roche-Posay Vitamin C Anti-Aging Serum. Look for the ingredient L-ascorbic acid.
- Ferulic Acid: A plant-based antioxidant, ferulic acid neutralizes free radicals and prevents oxidative stress, enhancing the effectiveness of other antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin E.
- Glycolic Acid: An alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), glycolic acid exfoliates the skin, improves texture and tone, and dissolves dead skin cells, promoting a smoother complexion.
- Niacinamide: This substance is related to vitamin B-3 (niacin). It's used in serums, masks, moisturizers and wrinkle creams. It may reduce signs of aging and skin discoloration. And it can have a calming effect on the skin, making your skin more able to benefit from other ingredients in your cream.
- Bakuchiol: This substance is gentler than retinol and is safe to use while pregnant. It's used in serums and moisturizers. It reduces signs of aging and skin discoloration. Bakuchiol is from the ayurveda medicine tradition.
- Tranexamic Acid: This substance is derived from the amino acid lysine. It brightens the skin and reduces discoloration and melasma. Apply it two times a day, with a sunscreen.
- Azelaic Acid: This is a gentle substance that works well when combined with other ingredients in your wrinkle serum or moisturizer. And it's safe to use while pregnant. Azelaic acid is an antibacterial and skin-lightening agent. Apply it up to two times a day.
How to Use a Face Serum
Shainhouse explains that the best way to use a face serum is as a base layer under your heavier products like moisturizer, sunscreen, and makeup. “While younger skin generally doesn’t need much more than a gentle cleanser and daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, it’s helpful to get into a healthy, preventative skin care regimen.” “Doing so may help prevent discoloration, oxidative damage, dehydration, and premature skin aging and wrinkles,” she added. You can use a face serum once or twice a day after cleansing and toning your skin. Think of it as the step after you clean. How often you apply a serum to your skin depends on your goals. Palm suggests the tips below to help you determine when to apply face serum to your skin.
To get the most out of a face serum, Shainhouse recommends the following tips:
- Apply skin care products from thinnest to thickest: Most serums work best when applied as the first layer, in direct contact with clean skin after you’ve used a cleanser. If the active ingredient is too irritating or drying, you can apply it over another product to create a buffering effect.
Simple Anti-Aging Routines
Morning Routine:
- Wash with a gentle cleanser.
- Apply vitamin C serum.
- Apply moisturizer.
- Apply sunscreen (if it’s not included in your moisturizer).
Evening Routine:
- Wash with a gentle cleanser.
- Apply retinol.
- Apply moisturizer.
When to Start Using Anti-Wrinkle Serums
Stein says that regular use of sunscreen is hands-down the most important product in your anti-aging routine. And not just for summer or when you’re going to be outside on a sunny day. Use sunscreen every day. It’s never too early to start an anti-aging skin care routine. Never too late, either. Starting younger is better - before your skin starts to age naturally. There’s no rule saying that an anti-aging routine can’t start in your 30s, 40s or 50s and beyond. While you won’t erase decades of damage to your skin, some signs of aging can be stopped, and even reversed at least to some extent in a lot of people.
Other Ways to Care for Your Skin
Healthy, younger-looking skin isn’t just about the things you rub on your face. It also starts from the inside. Just like any other part of your body, your skin can reflect your overall health.
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Stein recommends these healthy-living tips that will help to keep your skin in tip-top shape:
- Eat a well-balanced diet.
- Get enough sleep.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Manage your stress. (They don’t call them “worry lines” for nothing.)
The Importance of Sunscreen
Sunlight emits both UVA and UVB rays. Think of it like this: UVA for aging. UVB for burning. So, even on days when the sunshine isn’t at peak sunburn level, it’s still emitting those UVA aging rays. And UVA is sneaky. It affects you through the windows in your home or office and through your car’s windshield.
Stein says that regular use of sunscreen is hands-down the most important product in your anti-aging routine. And not just for summer or when you’re going to be outside on a sunny day. Use sunscreen every day.
She adds that the best sunblock is whatever kind you’ll use every day. Whether you prefer a chemical sunblock, a mineral one or a spray, the choice is yours. Just make sure it’s at least SPF 30.
As for those powdered sunscreens? They’re good for a quick afternoon touchup, but it’s best not to rely on them on their own and not for full-day use.
If you’re looking for efficiency in your skin care routine, try a moisturizer-sunscreen combination product to cut down on the number of products you need. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, even on cloudy days. Many moisturizers and makeup products have sunscreen built in. So try to pick a morning moisturizer or foundation that already includes sunscreen SPF 30 or higher. And get in the habit of using it every day. Especially when you're outside, apply sunscreen generously. Products that contain physical blockers such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide provide the most effective protection for sensitive skin. Examples include Eucerin SPF 50, La Roche-Posay SPF 50 and Tizo AM Replenish. Apply it over any other products you're wearing - except insect repellent.
Lifestyle Factors and Skin Health
In addition to topical treatments, lifestyle factors play a significant role in maintaining healthy and youthful skin:
- Protect your skin from the sun: Exposure to UV light speeds up the natural aging process of your skin, causing wrinkles and rough, blotchy skin. Protect your skin by limiting the time you spend in the sun and always wearing protective clothing and a hat. Even sunlight that shines through windows can increase signs of skin aging such as wrinkles.
- Use moisturizers: Moisturizing alone can improve the appearance of your skin. It temporarily plumps the skin, making lines and wrinkles less visible.
- Don't smoke: Smoking causes narrowing of the blood vessels in the outer layers of the skin. It also damages collagen and elastin. These fibers give your skin its strength and elasticity. As a result, skin begins to sag and wrinkle prematurely.