Serums - Why You Need Them In Your Life
Do you really need a serum in your skincare routine?
If you want to supercharge your skincare results - especially if your dealing with congested skin, hyperpigmentation, ageing concerns, dehydration or dullness - the answer is definitely yes, yes, yes!
Read on to discover the benefits of adding a serum to your routine and exactly how to use one.
What exactly IS a serum?
A serum is a lightweight face product that is usually water-based but there are also oil-based serums on the market.
A serum’s super potent formula contains a higher concentration of active ingredients than usually found in your other skincare products - more on that in a moment.
While other products in your skincare arsenal aim to cleanse, moisturise or tone skin, a serum’s primary purpose is to heal your skin by helping you tackle specific skin concerns.
Including a serum in your routine will boost the effectiveness of all your other skincare products. To that we say - yes, please!
Serums deliver a high-concentration of active ingredients
Their ability to deliver a super potent dose of active-ingredients is the biggest benefit of using a serum in your skincare routine.
‘Active ingredients’ are all those good-for-skin antioxidants and nutrients that have been scientifically proven to change the structure of your skin deep at the cellular level.
To give you an idea of the potency of serum compared to other products in your routine, a cleanser or daily moisturiser might have somewhere between 5 and 10% of active ingredients, on the other hand, a serum can contain up to 70% active ingredients.
They might be light, but serums pack a heavy punch when it comes to repairing, rejuvenating, hydrating, protecting and nourishing cells.
The purer the serum, the more effective the active ingredients will be - synthetic ingredients can manipulate and dilute the benefits of actives.
Target specific skin concerns with a serum
The active ingredients in serums allow you to get laser-focused on tackling specific skin concerns like hyperpigmentation, scarring, dehydration, dryness, dull skin and ageing concerns.
Serums generally fall into these categories -
Hydrating
Thirsty skin needs moisture delivered deep to its cellular level, not just the skin surface.
Hydrating serums are intended to work in unison a moisturiser (not replace it) to maximise the hydrating effects. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, rosehip oil, Argan oil, ceramide, rosewater, jojoba, and vitamin E are commonly found in hydrating serums.
Exfoliating
An exfoliating serum works to freshen skin by removing dead cells for a smoother complexion and diminish fine lines and wrinkles. They also help correct uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation through exfoliation action.
Ingredients you usually find in exfoliating serums include glycolic acid or lactic acid, citric acid, retinol, and plant or fruit enzymes.
Clarifying
Breakouts and acne are something most of us have battled with at some stage. This is where a clarifying serum can help. These serums aim to help unclog pores, cleanse skin, and leave you with a smoother, brighter complexion.
We recommend our Simply Detox Serum Gel. Formulated with 100% plant-based ingredients, it contains prickly pear fruit/stem extract, sake rice wine extract, Butcher's broom, witch hazel, willowbark extract and gotu kola to detox and balance skin.
Brightening
Dull, lacklustre skin can be transformed with the right serum. Including ingredients known for their lightning superpowers as antioxidants like vitamin E and vitamin C or extracts like green tea, licorice root, and snowflower they brighten and smooth discolouration.
Anti-ageing
These serums target fine lines, wrinkles and sagging and generally aim to dial down the ageing process in general. Anti-ageing serums focus on increasing cell turnover and plumping skin for a fresher, more youthful look.
Some serums are also multi-functional, targeting various skin concerns at once. Our Simply Clear Serum is multi-functional delivering anti-acne, brightening and anti-aging benefits with ingredients including snowflower extract, davidson plum extract, bearberry leaf extract and blue Spirulina.
Serums go where moisturisers can’t
Serums are made up of smaller molecular particles than moisturisers, which means they can penetrate the skin more deeply on a cellular level.
Basically, they deliver their high-concentration of active ingredients to deeper levels of the skin than a moisturiser can. Serums are also faster acting than a moisturisers as they penetrate the skin quicker. While serums absorb deep into the dermal layers, lotions and creams are designed to create a barrier on top of the skin to lock in moisture and protect skin from external irritants and debris.
The idea isn’t to replace your moisturiser with a serum, they work best when used in conjunction with each other.The serum absorbs deep into the dermal layers amplifying the effects of the moisturiser while the moisturiser creates a barrier on the skin’s surface helping ‘seal’ in the active ingredients of the serum.
How to use a serum
To maximise the benefits of your serum, you need to know exactly what stage to apply it in your skincare routine.
Apply it after you cleanse and tone and before you moisturise.
Applying it straight after you apply toner is the best approach as skin is still damp and hydrated, which means it’s even easier for the serum to penetrate.
Serums are super concentrated and a little goes a long way. Go overboard with your application and you’ll only waste the product!
If you’re targeting various skin concerns, you can layer different serums on top of each other.
A good rule of thumb here is to begin with the serum that has the thinnest consistency and work your way to the thicket, allowing a minute or so between each application.
Have any questions about incorporating a serum into your routine? Leave a comment below or reach our team on @coastsydneybotanicals direct messages. We’re here to help!