Is serum alone enough?
Ultimately, face serum and moisturizer are both necessary for a holistic skin care routine and to ensure that your skin doesn't dry out during the day. Face serum can't replace moisturizer, and moisturizer doesn't give your skin the extra vitamins and nutrients it needs to succeed and look great for years to come.
Unlike other skincare products like thick face creams and moisturizers that you massage into your skin in an upward direction, serums are meant to be applied to your face in small tapping motions with your fingertips or your palms. Do not rub your skin excessively, let the serum absorb into your skin on its own.
Serums can't do this.
Yep, some serums ARE hydrating. But, more often than not, they can only draw water into your skin. They can't seal it in. You need a moisturizer for that, especially if your skin is dry or sensitive.
Do I Need Both a Toner and a Serum? For people who like to keep things simple, a toner may not be necessary. Cleansing, applying a serum, topping the serum off with moisturizer, and using SPF during the day are the only must-do items in a skincare routine designed to address the skin's basic health and aesthetic needs.
Yes, face serum is safe and gentle enough to use daily. In fact, skincare experts strongly recommend that you include it in your daily routine.
Skin types who should use it: Those with dry skin are ideal candidates for a hydrating serum, but oddly enough, oily skin types (and even acne-prone skin) can also benefit from some targeted hydration. “For very oily skin types, a hydrating serum is preferred.
As such, a serum should always be applied before a moisturizer to allow the key ingredients to deeply hydrate and nourish. The moisturizer then works to lock those ingredients in.
"It's best to layer lighter products like serums before heavier products like moisturizers," board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., tells mbg. This is because moisturizers contain some occlusive ingredients, which help them trap moisture in the skin but prevent other ingredients from penetrating.
So, for the most part, you're going to get the best out of your serum if you apply it to damp skin (think slightly dewy; having just washed your face and patted the excess off - not soaking wet). Whilst damp, your skin is going to absorb all the goodness so much more effectively than if it were bone dry.
Let the serum properly settle into your skin before going in with a moisturiser. The recommended time is usually 4-5 minutes. You know your serum is doing a good job when it is seamless –– this means no oily residue or tackiness post application.
What to apply after serum?
- Step 1: Cleanser.
- Step 2: Toner.
- Step 3: Serum. ⏰: Morning and/or Night. Ah, serums—the product you probs keep buying, never really using, and getting panicked that you're neglecting out of confusion. But I gotchu. ...
- Step 4: Eye Cream.
- Step 5: Spot Treatment.
- Step 6: Moisturizer.
- Step 7: Retinol.
- Step 8: Oil.
Face serum gives the collagen in your skin a boost, helping to keep it firm and plumping out fine lines and wrinkles. Fine lines and wrinkles are a normal part of skin maturation, but it is dullness and dryness which makes them seem ageing. By using a serum, your skin will be more radiant and full of colour.
Answer: You can but you don't have to. Serums and moisturizers help the skin in different ways. For some, particularly those who do not have dry skin, a serum alone will be enough. At other times, when your skin is dry or the environment is drying, you will find that you need both a serum and a moisturizer.
Can serum be used around the eyes? Yes, serums, creams and other products can be used around the eyes, but it's important to ensure that whatever you use is safe for that area. Some items have ingredients that may be too harsh to use around the eyes, especially for those with sensitive skin or certain conditions.
“Serums can make the skin look and feel better with just a small amount—a little goes a long way,” says Dr. Mona Gohara, MD, associate clinical professor of Dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. “They're a worthwhile addition, and I often recommend them to my patients.”
Once your vitamin C serum has dried down, apply moisturizer. This order is crucial because applying moisturizer before your serum could block your skin from absorbing all of its goodness. If applying in the morning, follow with a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher.
The first step on how to use face serum is to cleanse. Use a gentle facecleanser or face wash (depending on your skin type) to cleanse your skin from dust, debris, excess oil, makeup etc. Your face serum needs a clean canvas to penetrate into your skin and work at its best, so make sure your skin is absolutely clean.
Serums are more powerful than your regular moisturizers when it comes to anti-aging effects. They are concentrated so that they deliver a high potency of actives to the skin. The right time to apply a serum is immediately after cleansing but before moisturizing.
“I definitely recommend serums for anyone who is concerned about aging. It's a really good way to get extra anti-aging effects, more than your typical moisturizer and sunscreen,” says Dr. Waldman.