Most face serums are safe to be applied twice daily – once in the morning on a cleansed face, before the rest of your makeup, and once at night before bed.
Generally, you should use a serum all over your face and neck twice daily, once in the morning and then again in the evening, before applying your moisturizer if you want to get the most bang for your buck, according to Lamb.
Limit to Two Serums Per Routine
We recommend you use no more than two face serums per routine. Again, alternating skin care items is a strategy here. If you have many serums that you like, use one or two in your morning routine and two different serums in the evening.
The reason why people suggest a maximum of two or three serums comes down to layering and penetration. Heaps of brands, salons and experts recommend leaving time between applying your serums and moisturisers, and doing it in a specific order so as to allow all of the ingredients to actually sink into your epidermis.
Serum/Oil:
If you overuse serum, your skin may not absorb the beneficial ingredients of the product and instead, it will be left sitting on the surface of your face. This could lead to extra oily skin, breakouts and even irritation."
In general, it is best to apply serum before moisturizer. This gives the active ingredients in the serum the best chance of working. Otherwise, the best order and time of day for a skin care routine depends on the products' ingredients and the person's goals.
Benefits of a face serum
While serums are no doubt nourishing and weed out many skin problems at the root, they also come with visible benefits and perks. 1) Your skin texture will improve drastically thanks to the collagen and Vitamin C content, becoming firmer and smoother, leading to visibly younger looking skin.
To allow serums to fully absorb, apply and wait 5 minutes before moisturizing. Take note: Well-formulated serums absorb quickly and disappear into your skin. If they leave an oily or sticky residue, they're not doing their job well.
The ideal age to start using face serums would be late 20s and early 30s. This is the age at which the first signs of aging appears. You can continue using face serums till the age of 50+. Including a face serum in your skincare regimen will not only enhance your skin but also protect it.
"But you can absolutely overdo it. Too much of a good thing – like over-exfoliating your skin with multiple acids and/or mechanical beads – can result in redness, irritation, dryness, and worsened breakouts.
Applying serums is a whole different ball game. For starters, rubbing it onto your face is not advised. Serums should be pressed and patted into the skin so that it can fully absorb all the benefits. Follow our simple steps to ensure you're getting the most out of your serums.
Serum and Moisturizer: 1 minute
Goldenberg's go-to recommendation for timing between serums and moisturizers is about one minute. This wait has the same reasoning: Sixty seconds — give or take — gives each product a moment to delve into your pores.
Bottom Line: With few exceptions, you can feel free to mix your serum and moisturizer (and most other skin care products) together and apply without concern. The exception is your daytime moisturizer with SPF, as mixing other skin care products with your sunscreen will dilute your UV protection.
Saedi recommends vitamin C serums for people of all ages because virtually everyone is at risk of sun damage, and with vitamin C serums “we are minimizing the amount of sun damage that our skin's getting from sunlight,” she says.
If all your products (serum, moisturiser, sunscreen etc) already have their fair share of antioxidants, you don't need an extra toner too. Dry skin: If your skin feels tight and dry during the day, you skin needs more moisture. You can either opt for a hydrating toner or a richer moisturiser. It's up to you.
Serums can be used both morning and night to address specific skin issues more effectively than a moisturizer alone, and will also boost the hydrating effects of your moisturizer. Ensure your serum contains antioxidants to provide protection from environmental damage.
Anti-pigmentation and antioxidant serums work best when applied in the morning. This helps protect your skin against environmental assaults and free radical production produced by light, including UV and high energy visible light. Anti-aging serums are often best suited for nighttime application.
Originally toners were used to pH balance the skin after using a cleanser. Since you can easily get pH-balanced cleansers these days, toners are no longer necessary in a skincare regimen, says Dr.
Always make sure to apply your serum on ahead of your moisturiser. If you swap the steps, the ingredients in your serum won't be able to penetrate the layer of your moisturiser — and then there's no use in using it! Give your serum about five minutes to soak into the skin before moving on.
Serums should be applied twice daily. “They are the first products that should be applied to the skin after cleansing and toning,” Geyer explains. “A sunscreen should be applied over the serum in the morning, and a moisturizer appropriate for an individual's skin type should be used over the serum at night.
Face serums are lightweight moisturizers that contain a higher concentration of active ingredients — like hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid, and vitamin C — than typical facial moisturizers. Known for their effectiveness, face serums are often used to manage specific skin care concerns, such as wrinkles.
You want just enough to lightly cover (not coat) your entire face and neck. Remember, face serums are VERY potent with high concentrations of ingredients. Resist the urge to slather on your serum, this could lead to irritation and poor absorption of the product.