Applying a daily facial serum has five tremendous benefits for your skin’s health and quality, and in this article, I’ll explain why.
Facial serums are ideal for effectively penetrating the skin’s surface while protecting it from daily pollutants and damaging factors.
explains Dr. Tsippora Shainhouse, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist at SkinSafe Dermatology and Skin Care.
Serums are the skin’s secret weapon against dullness, fine lines, discoloration, and acne.
Time to look closely at the 5 key benefits of adding serums to your daily skincare routine.
Before serums, people used to pop on morning moisturizer in their bathrooms and feel the skin dried out by the time they’ve left the house.
Compared to moisturizers, serums have a much lighter, easier-to-absorb, and long-lasting formulation. [1]
Serum’s thinner viscosity – easier absorbed by the face skin – makes them an ideal first step in the makeup layering process, so if you still want a moisturizer, apply it afterward.
In short, if you want to maximize the benefits of everything you apply to your skin, face serums are the answer.
Serums with retinol are great at reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. [2]
Fine lines and wrinkles are a normal part of skin maturation, but dullness and dryness make them seem tired and old.
Easily absorbed, the active ingredients boost the skin’s collagen, and the results are immediately visible.
Plumping out fine lines and wrinkles, the skin looks firmer and healthier.
Ultraviolet (UV) light [3] and pollution [4] lead to premature skin aging and the formation of wrinkles.
However, serums with vitamins C and E, ferulic acid, green tea, resveratrol, and astaxanthin greatly prevent oxidative damage.
Designed to protect your face from the harmful effects of air pollution or sun damage, serums act just like skin armor.
Moisturizers have their places – in the morning and before bed.
But you need a serum to benefit from the hydrating effects of your moisturizer and ensure your skin is blissfully hydrated all day long.
The serum’s composition will keep the moisturizer in while ensuring the skin can breathe.
According to Dr. Melanie Palm, a board-certified dermatologist at Art of Skin, serums are ideal for people with oily and acne-prone skin types.
Serums’ light formulations soothe and nourish even the most sensitive patches of skin.
There are different types of facial serums, each with specific ingredients based on your goals:
Face serums are lightweight formulations of high concentrations of active ingredients.
Serums’ fast instant absorption rate makes them ideal after cleansing your face.
Remember, there are many serums, each with unique ingredients and purpose.
Some will brighten your skin or reduce blemishes; others will boost hydration and fight the signs of aging.
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[1] Werschler WP, Trookman NS, Rizer RL, Ho ET, Mehta R. Enhanced efficacy of a facial hydrating serum in subjects with normal or self-perceived dry skin. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2011 Feb;4(2):51-5.
[2] Mukherjee S, Date A, Patravale V, Korting HC, Roeder A, Weindl G. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(4):327-48.
[3] Amaro-Ortiz A, Yan B, D’Orazio JA. Ultraviolet radiation, aging, and the skin: prevention of damage by topical cAMP manipulation. Molecules. 2014 May 15;19(5):6202-19.
[4] Martic I, Jansen-Dürr P, Cavinato M. Effects of Air Pollution on Cellular Senescence and Skin Aging. Cells. 2022 Jul 17;11(14):2220.
Facial serums are ideal for effectively penetrating the skin’s surface while protecting it from daily pollutants and damaging factors.
explains Dr. Tsippora Shainhouse, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist at SkinSafe Dermatology and Skin Care.
Serums are the skin’s secret weapon against dullness, fine lines, discoloration, and acne.
Time to look closely at the 5 key benefits of adding serums to your daily skincare routine.
1. Serums are a Healthy Foundation
Before serums, people used to pop on morning moisturizer in their bathrooms and feel the skin dried out by the time they’ve left the house.
Compared to moisturizers, serums have a much lighter, easier-to-absorb, and long-lasting formulation. [1]
Serum’s thinner viscosity – easier absorbed by the face skin – makes them an ideal first step in the makeup layering process, so if you still want a moisturizer, apply it afterward.
In short, if you want to maximize the benefits of everything you apply to your skin, face serums are the answer.
2. Boosts Collagen and Removes Fine Lines
Serums with retinol are great at reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. [2]
Fine lines and wrinkles are a normal part of skin maturation, but dullness and dryness make them seem tired and old.
Easily absorbed, the active ingredients boost the skin’s collagen, and the results are immediately visible.
Plumping out fine lines and wrinkles, the skin looks firmer and healthier.
3. Protects From Free Radicals Damage
Ultraviolet (UV) light [3] and pollution [4] lead to premature skin aging and the formation of wrinkles.
However, serums with vitamins C and E, ferulic acid, green tea, resveratrol, and astaxanthin greatly prevent oxidative damage.
Designed to protect your face from the harmful effects of air pollution or sun damage, serums act just like skin armor.
4. Keeps the Skin Hydrated
Moisturizers have their places – in the morning and before bed.
But you need a serum to benefit from the hydrating effects of your moisturizer and ensure your skin is blissfully hydrated all day long.
The serum’s composition will keep the moisturizer in while ensuring the skin can breathe.
5. Soothes Sensitive Skin
According to Dr. Melanie Palm, a board-certified dermatologist at Art of Skin, serums are ideal for people with oily and acne-prone skin types.
Serums’ light formulations soothe and nourish even the most sensitive patches of skin.
Main Types of Facial Serums
There are different types of facial serums, each with specific ingredients based on your goals:
- Anti-aging serums – include retinol or bakuchiol and encourage skin renewal and collagen production.
- Skin-brightening serums – chock-full of antioxidants and pigment-fighting ingredients like vitamin C, glycolic acid, kojic acid, ferulic acid, mushroom extract, licorice root, or lactic acid, these are ideal for improving skin tone.
- Hydrating serums – with hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5, these serums hydrate skin, making it appear smoother, fresher, plumpier, and younger.
- Free-radical fighting serums – contain resveratrol and vitamins C, A, and E to prevent skin damage from free radicals.
- Anti-acne and sensitive skin serums – with salicylic acid and niacinamide (vitamin B3) to deliver soothing, hydrating, and anti-inflammatory effects to sensitive skin.
- Texture repair/improvement serums – include glycolic acid – a sugarcane-derived alpha hydroxy acid that penetrates the top layers of the epidermis to disrupt the intercellular bonds to shed dead cells and reveal smoother, glowing skin.
Key Takeaways
Face serums are lightweight formulations of high concentrations of active ingredients.
Serums’ fast instant absorption rate makes them ideal after cleansing your face.
Remember, there are many serums, each with unique ingredients and purpose.
Some will brighten your skin or reduce blemishes; others will boost hydration and fight the signs of aging.
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Bibliography
[1] Werschler WP, Trookman NS, Rizer RL, Ho ET, Mehta R. Enhanced efficacy of a facial hydrating serum in subjects with normal or self-perceived dry skin. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2011 Feb;4(2):51-5.
[2] Mukherjee S, Date A, Patravale V, Korting HC, Roeder A, Weindl G. Retinoids in the treatment of skin aging: an overview of clinical efficacy and safety. Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(4):327-48.
[3] Amaro-Ortiz A, Yan B, D’Orazio JA. Ultraviolet radiation, aging, and the skin: prevention of damage by topical cAMP manipulation. Molecules. 2014 May 15;19(5):6202-19.
[4] Martic I, Jansen-Dürr P, Cavinato M. Effects of Air Pollution on Cellular Senescence and Skin Aging. Cells. 2022 Jul 17;11(14):2220.