Looking for increased action, reinforced effectiveness and extra performance? Face serums are chock full of technology, making them particularly powerful in assisting the cream used afterwards and one of our most effective tips for beautiful skin. This makes your skin care routine even more effective.
Having been demystified a few years ago (thanks to the Koreans, the leaders in the beauty industry), this complex skin care product owes its success to a high-quality formula which can contain either many ingredients or a high concentration of one agent. Serums therefore have a real added value for the skin, providing high performance every day. For a well-rounded skin care routine, you can start applying serum at 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 years old.
What's so great about serums anyway?
Militant about your moisturiser? Fanatical about your facial oils? Now, what about serums? (Silence.) Turns out, most of us have no idea why we need them so badly.
Let’s be honest, walk down your local high street and ask 100 women what a serum is and you’re likely to get a few blank looks. Serums have been a huge part of the beauty scene for a decade now, but we still seem to struggle with what exactly it is that they do and if they’re worth the pay cheque allocation. The short answer is heck yes! They’re anti-ageing powerhouses that treat all manner of issues, from uneven skin to pigmentation and dullness.
Why your skin needs a serum
Serum is essential to any good skincare regime because, whereas a moisturiser deals with the top layer of skin at the surface level, serums get to grips with the deep stuff. Serums are ultra light and bioavailable, meaning they’re so compatible with our own skin cells that they can get in among them and work in harmony. They get down to the deepest layers of skin where the new cells are forming. Why is this important? Well, if you can affect change right from the beginning of a cell's life cycle, you can get them behaving brilliantly from the start. Serum puts the hard work in when cells are babies so that they behave well as adults – like Supernanny for the skin, if you like!
Are serums worth the money?
It’s for this very reason that serums are jam-packed with essential fatty acids, vitamins and nutrients to combat uneven skin and anti-ageing at the core. These high-quality formulas are why serum often comes with a hefty price tag, when moisturisers are a fraction of the cost. You still need your moisturiser for good barrier protection and surface hydration, but think of it like this: your serum is like your magic support knickers that shape and sculpt you in all the right places so you could even wear a onesie and still look smoking. Put like that, we don’t know how we’d live without them.
A serum to suit my skin
Facial serums are turbo-charged, concentrated treatments, a must for every beauty routine. They're applied after cleansing, before face creams or oils. So why sing their praises? Because they can deal with a host of skin-related problems. Here's a closer look at how these bottles of liquid gold can help dry skin, brighten the complexion or turn back the clock.
Serum to brighten the complexion
Pigment spots, dull skin, tired features, small blemishes - typical signs of worn out skin that needs a brightening boost. Which is where skin-brightening serums come into play. Packed with active ingredients, they're designed to reduce pigment spots by regulating melanin production. And that's not all - they even out skin tone thanks to a blend of brightening and light-reflecting ingredients combined with antioxidants to give skin an instant glow. So they're perfect if your skin needs a radiant helping hand.
Serum to deeply moisturise
Your skin's feeling tight, your features look drawn and you've spotted lines caused by dehydration. What's more neither your day nor night cream are doing the trick. Time for a hydrating serum - a moisturising powerhouse to add to your daily beauty routine. They're gorged with moisturising active ingredients (natural origin or blended) and hyaluronic acid, a molecule that's able to harness and retain water in the epidermis.
Serum to slow down the signs of ageing
Anti-ageing serums are three to four times more concentrated than anti-ageing creams - perfect for mature skin. Nothing beats them when it comes to zapping wrinkles, plumping up skin, moisturising and reducing pigment spots. Global action anti-ageing serums should be applied before your day/night cream for an instant pick-me-up. Containing active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, retinol, antioxidants and peptides, they're an age-defying double whammy that also boosts skin cell renewal.
