What Are Face Serums?Types, Benefits, How to Apply and Which One to Buy?

What is Face Serum/Facial serum?

A Face Serum is an oil/water-based Skin Care Product that induces powerful & active beauty ingredients directly into your skin. It helps target specific skin concerns like wrinkles, fine lines etc. related to skin aging.

Serum is loaded with nutrients, ceramides, glycerin, natural ingredients (cucumber, aloe vera etc.), vitamins like C, K, E and have the ability to penetrate deep within the layers of your skin.

Different Types of Face Serums and its benefits

The active ingredient present in the Serum decides the specific skin problem it targets and solves.

Some popular type of face Serums available in today’s market are:

 1.  Anti-Aging Serums

Serums with Retinol (a derivative of Vitamin A) as the active ingredient is used by many for its amazing anti-aging effects. Anti-aging Serum is generally used at night as it is at this time your body naturally restores and repairs itself from the day-time damage.

Other common anti-aging active ingredients used in Serum include fruit stem cells, Evening primrose, Grape seed extract, Vitamin C, Peptides, Hyaluronic acid and Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs).

What Anti-Aging Serum does to your skin?

Slows down the most common signs of aging such as fine lines, sagging, and wrinkles, while firming and plumping your skin.
  Boosts your cell repair and cell renewal process, which is very much needed for your skin to look fresh and young.
  Helps rejuvenate your skin and smooths out the overall skin texture and appearance.
Increase the cell turnover, collagen and elastin production, preventing collagen loss, firming, and hydrating or plumping the skin.
Supercharges your body’s natural repair functions.

2.  Skin Brightening Serums

Such Serums may contain extracts of green tea, licorice root, and grapefruit or antioxidants like vitamin E and vitamin C as the main ingredient.

Other active ingredients for lightening and brightening are Kojic acid, Ferulic acid, Peptides, and Light reflectors or Optical diffusers that give your skin an instant glow.

What Skin Brightening Serum does to your skin?

Brightens dull skin leaving it with a natural, radiant glow.
Smoothen your complexion, fades out any age or sun spots, evens out your skin tone, and reduces hyperpigmentation.

3.  Acne-Fighting Serums

Acne fighting ingredients such as beta-hydroxy acid (BHA), alpha- hydroxy acid (AHA) glycolic acid, citric acid, zinc, and botanical extracts like tea tree, thyme, cucumber, and green tea serve as the active ingredient in such Serums.

What an Acne-fighting Serum does to your skin?

Treats existing acne and helps stop acne breakouts before they even start.
Fades acne scars and gently removes the buildup of your dead skin cells.
Tightens your skin, unclog and minimize pores, absorb excess oil, and reduce any redness or irritation.

4.  Hydrating Face Serums

Serum with active ingredients such as Argan oil, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, rosehip oil, ceramide, rosewater, sea kelp, jojoba, and vitamin E increases moisture in your thirsty skin.

What a Hydrating Serum does to your skin?

Penetrates deep into your pores to deliver an extra layer of hydration.

5.  Exfoliating Face Serums

Key ingredients in exfoliating facial Serums: Alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid or lactic acid, retinol, enzymes from plant or fruit extracts, Beta hydroxy acid like salicylic acid (BHA)and citric acid.

What an Exfoliating Serum does to your skin:

Smoothes out your complexion, reduces fine lines, sun damage, wrinkles, and corrects hyperpigmentation from natural aging.
Efficient at removing dead skin cells that lead to dull, dry and cracked skin
Ensures that your skin is functioning normally and optimally.
Unclogs pores and prevents breakouts.

6.  Repair Face Serums

Some main ingredients in these repair Serums are seaweed, noni extract, flower water, green tea, ceramides, retinol, Resveratrol (from Japanese knotweed), antioxidants, essential oils, and Omega-3 fatty acids.

What an Exfoliating Serum does to your skin?

Repairs, restores and protects your skin from all the wear and tear.
Reduces acne scars, sun damage, blotchy areas, discoloration, dryness, fine lines, and wrinkles.
Promotes collagen and elastin production in the body.
Keeps your skin hydrated, supple, and smooth.

How to use Face Serum? How to apply it effectively? When to use face serum?

Here are some great tips for using Serums to get the results you want:

1. Always use Serums according to the instructions given.
2. Excessive use of Serums can cause irritation, rashes and itching to the skin. Heavy content of these products clogs your pores, especially if the Serum isn’t non-comedogenic. Use it in the right quantity and concentration.
3. Active ingredients penetrate better when skin is clean, warmed and slightly moist, so cleanse thoroughly first.
4. Apply a warm moist towel to your face to gently open pores and leave skin slightly moist.
5. Apply tiny dots of Serum all over your face and then blend lightly and quickly all over.
6. Use short light but firm strokes to apply your face Serum, this encourages the Serum to sink fully into the deeper layers of the skin as far as it is able to go.  Do not stretch, pull or rub the skin.
7. Apply Serum right but before moisturizing, this way it directly penetrates your skin.
8. Feeling any tingling sensations when you apply the Serum? – Don’t worry!  Tingling can be a sign the active ingredients in the Serum are getting deeper into the skin– where they need to be if they are going to work.
9.  Always take a patch-test before applying Serum on your full face. Powerful ingredients can irritate sensitive skin.
10. If you are new to using actives on your face always start slow. Use face serum twice or thrice a week (alternate days) and let your skin get adjusted to it.

Serum Recommendations from Dermatologists

Are you confused as to which facial serum your skin need? Which face serum is for glowing skin or acne or dull skin?Get to know your ingredients of the Serum first. If you are

Acne-prone: Look for Serum with vitamin C, retinol, zinc, and salicylic acid as ingredients.

Dry: Serum loaded with vitamin E, niacinamide, glycolic acid, and hyaluronic acid suits dry skin.

Feeling dull: It is best to use antioxidants like green tea extract, resveratrol, ferulic acid, Vitamin C to get rid of your dullness.

Get to know your skin before setting up your skin care routine with different products for best results.

If you want to know even more in-depth about the actives, serums, concentration, combination of serums especially for your skin issues, which serum you should not mix, product recommendation and a lot more then check out my ebook- Answers to your skin IssuesThis is going to be your one-stop destination for all your skin solutions

Download CureSkin – Get your Complete Skin Analysis within seconds!

Also Read

Get Clear Skin With an Anti Acne Diet

Juicy chemistry kakadu plum vitamin c serum Review

Dot and Key vitamin C serum Review

Dot and Key Hyaluronic acid serum review

Suganda AHA Exfoliating Serum Review| 10% Lactic Acid

11 Best Hyaluronic Acid Serums 2020| Drugstore Included

Suganda BHA serum Review| Salicylic Acid for Acne & clogged pores

Suganda antioxidant serum Review| Vitamin C serum in India

Neulii Aloe BHA serum review| Soothing & Calming serum

Neulii Tea Tree BHA Blemish Control Serum review| RoseRoseShop