Toners can restore skin's PH levels to a normal level, hydrate, and refresh the skin. Serums, on the other hand, provide a high concentration of active ingredients to the skin, hydrate and deal with skincare concerns like wrinkles and fine lines.
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.
A good rule of thumb is to apply products from thinnest to thickest—toner, serum, moisturizer, oil. Be sure to always start with a clean face.
Toners usually come in a larger bottle than essences or serums and have a water consistency. Typically, they are applied by using a cotton pad and sweeping it across your skin. Toners are used after cleansing to restore the skin's pH levels to a normal level.
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.
It is not necessary to have a serum in your skincare regimen. "Serums are simply an added step for those that have the right skin type and are looking to go the extra mile in their daily routines," explains Dr. Charles.
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.
Toners do not have any adverse side effects, as long as you avoid alcohol-based ones which may irritate your skin. Overusing a toner (more than twice a day) can also cause skin irritation.
"Toners are most helpful and necessary for people with oily or acne-prone skin, or for people who want extra cleansing after wearing makeup or other heavy skin products such as sunscreen," she said. If you're wondering what else face toner does for your skin, King outlined some additional benefits: It shrinks pores.
"The thicker, heavier ingredients in creams form a barrier on your skin," Wilson says. "That's great for locking moisture in. But it can also lock active ingredients out. Without these hindrances, the active ingredients in a serum penetrate your skin faster and more effectively."
Janet Prystowsky explains, “The concentrations in serums are meant to penetrate the skin faster and easier than creams because they're not diluted with moisturizer.” As an example, serums with ingredients like vitamin C work to remove a layer of your skin, unveiling a smoother, more youthful appearance after just a few ...
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.
According to the study in Nutrients, vitamin C can help protect the skin from many problems, 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 skincare regimen.
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.
But finding the right serum can help absorb oil, which mattifies the skin and can reduce pimples and whiteheads, says Dr. Michele Green, a board-certified dermatologist in NYC. In general, look for acne serums with glycolic acid or salicylic acid to help unclog pores and accelerate cell turnover.
In most cases, it makes sense to apply serum before moisturizer. This is because serum is usually more lightweight, whereas moisturizer tends to be thicker. Applying serum first can also give the skin more opportunity to absorb the active ingredients. In many skin care routines, moisturizer is the last step.
Put simply, the purpose of a face oil is primarily to nourish, protect and moisturise the skin while a face serum targets specific skin concerns (such as wrinkles, fine lines, dullness, dryness, acne, irritation and redness). Due to the latter serving a particular purpose, serums tend to be more expensive than oils.
However, as gentle as they are, you do not want to use an exfoliating toner daily. Once or twice a week should do it, unless you have dry skin, in which case, once a month. "That can cause a major imbalance in your skin's microbiome, disrupt your natural skin barrier, and make your skin dehydrated.
It can be a 'yes' or a 'no' too. 1. Some toners are humectants, which means they attract moisture. So, if your skin is extremely oily and if you feel your toner provides enough moisture, you can definitely skip the moisturizer.
Regular use of rose water will keep the skin free of extra oil and help prevent problems like blackheads, whiteheads, acne and pimple. Using rose water as toner is better than using chemical based toners which might dry out the skin. Rose water has soothing properties and can be used as an all-natural skin toner.