If moisturizer is good for preventing your skin from drying out, face serum is best used if you want your skin to look and feel younger and better. Because it provides tons of vitamins and minerals, plus other nourishing ingredients, face serums increase your skin's health across the board.
Serums are thinner and lighter than moisturizers and have a greater variety of functions. A serum usually has smaller molecules combined with a high concentration of ingredients designed to penetrate, improve and/or nourish the skin in some way. A moisturizer's job is to hydrate the skin and prevent water loss.
If your skin's happy with serum alone, you can skip moisturizer. But only a lucky few with normal and super oily skin can get away with this, in my experience. So, don't be too disappointed if your skin needs both.
Serums can be used alone by people with naturally oilier skin, or under a moisturizer to help protect the hydration levels in normal to dry skin. During the winter months, it's a good idea to use a moisturizer over your serum for extra hydration, to help your skin cope with changing temperature and drying winds.
You can use face serum twice a day—before your moisturizer—but reserve products with retinol for nighttime. “Generally, most people should be using a treatment serum twice day,” says Hirsch.
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.
Generally, the consensus among dermatologists is that your serum should be applied before your moisturizer. Think of it as the middle child of your beauty routine: It's meant to be sandwiched because of factors like the molecular weight of the formula, the base of the serum, and the time of year you're using it.
They absorb quickly into your skin, making them an excellent next step after cleansing. There are many different types of serums, each with a unique purpose and ingredients. Some serums help to brighten your skin or reduce blemishes, while others focus on boosting hydration or fighting the signs of aging.
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.
Wu says the liquid or gel-like texture of a serum can be a poor match for people with chronic skin conditions like eczema or rosacea, which weaken the skin barrier. For these people, serums may penetrate too quickly, causing irritation. Others need the hydration that a rich day or night cream provides.
Oily skin needs hydration too and serum is best for oily skin as it is made up of smaller molecules that penetrate deeper into the skin and nourish the skin than an average cream or moisturizer. The serum is one and maybe only beauty product that can eliminate the need for skincare products like creams or moisturizers.
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.
“Moisturizing your face helps to protect the skin's barrier from irritation. It also helps to reduce the development of dryness, or helps you to revive your skin from dryness,” says Marmur. Moisturizer creates a barrier between your skin and the climate, including cold, dry air that can further dry out skin.
No, you can start using Vitamin C serum once you are 20.
Q. At what age should I start using vitamin c serum? A. From the age of 18.
Occasionally, though, serums can actually cause acne—so proceed with caution. "They can lead to breakouts—especially if you're using the wrong one for your skin type," says Green.
Facial serums for acne usually include concentrated active ingredients known to treat acne. People new to these products can try looking for serums that contain retinol, niacinamide, vitamin C, salicylic acid, and benzoyl peroxide.
If you have oily and acne-prone skin, select a face serum with salicylic acid and retinols, as well as rosehip seed oil. For mature and dry skins, try something with hyaluronic acid and Vitamin C. Normal skin works well with glycolic acid, which traps the moisture and keeps skin refreshed and rejuvenated.
The main difference between toner and serum is that toners cleanse the skin and restores the skin's pH balance while serums provide a high concentration of active ingredients to your skin. Toner is a liquid skincare product for cleansing the skin and restoring the skin's pH balance.
Both serums and toners are valuable skin care products, but they don't do the same thing. One cannot be substituted for the other. If you had to choose between the two, serums will provide more benefits to your skin than a toner will.
Research suggests that vitamin C may help protect the skin from many issues, including sunburn, photoaging, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, sagging, dryness, and an uneven skin tone. Anyone dealing with these skin issues may want to consider adding a vitamin C serum to their skin-care regimen.
As a general rule, face nourishers like serums, moisturisers and oils should be applied starting with the lightest formulas. Serums are thin and full of active ingredients you want to drive deep into your pores, so start with them before you move on to fuller-bodied creams.