What is a serum for? What is the best texture for my skin? How to choose it? How to apply it? Whether you have young or mature skin, find out all you need to know about serums and their use.
WHAT IS A FACE SERUM?
Serums are facial treatments characterized by a formula with a high concentration of active ingredients: such as hyaluronic acid, essential oils, fruit acids, etc.
They are usually presented in small containers, such as dropper bottles to accurately does the amount needed for each application. The main difference between a face serum and a day or night cream is in the formulation of the product. The serums are very concentrated, few products are sufficient and are intended to act in complementarity with the other treatments, to reinforce their effectiveness.
WHY USE A FACE SERUM?
The serum is not only intended to beautify the skin or to hydrate it. It has a deep action on the skin cells and reinforces the effectiveness of creams used daily while preparing the epidermis to receive care.
To find out if you need a serum, just look at your skin. If you feel like it lacks shine, feels tight, or has blemishes despite your usual routine, intensive treatment is sure to help.
HOW TO CHOOSE A FACE SERUM ADAPTED TO YOUR NEEDS?
There is a very large quantity of super glow vitamin c serums on the market, intended to improve the quality of the skin, to fight against skin ageing or to treat stubborn imperfections.
If face creams are often used depending on the type of skin, the choice of serum depends more on the defects that you want to erase :
- fine lines and wrinkles from dehydration
- Pores
- Pimples and blackheads
- Excess sebum
- Brown stains
- Loss of firmness
The texture is also an important selection criterion. The serum should be quickly absorbed through the skin to allow immediate application over the day cream. The goal is to make life easier for women in a hurry who don’t have time for a routine that is too long every morning.
The composition of the products is also taken into account. The sera are most often composed of active acting affinity with the skin such as hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid, zinc, vitamin C or collagen.
The serum bio contains, in turn, natural ingredients such as essential oils, vegetable oils (argan, sweet almond, jojoba), honey, royal jelly, plant extracts (Aloe Vera) or flowers. However, they have a shorter lifespan than standard products.
Finally, there are also serums for men adapted to the specificities of male skin. They can relieve shaving burn, moisturize and mattify the epidermis or have an anti-wrinkle action.
This mattifying serum helps reduce the appearance of large pores and leaves the skin with a soft veil with a matte finish. It provides continuous hydration and helps absorb excess sebum throughout the day.
Serums are particularly useful for correcting temporary imbalances or chronic imperfections. These targeted treatments can act at different levels to treat a skin problem at the source.
For example, lightening serums contain molecules that restore the homogeneity of the skin and help reduce pigment spots or scars.
However, it is also possible to use serums when you have normal skin, which does not present any particular problem. In this specific case, these products will be more popular for their preventive action and their moisturizing power. Hydration is the first basic need of all skin types, regardless of their colour or type.
HOW TO APPLY A SERUM?
The serum is applied in the morning and/or in the evening on perfectly clean and dry skin.
It is recommended to avoid any application to the eye area. As the skin in this area is particularly thin, there is a risk of intolerance or the formation of bags if the product is stored in excess. If you want to treat this area, you can turn to serums specifically intended for this use.
Take a few drops of the product using the applicator, place them directly on the face and allow the treatment to penetrate by massaging from the outside to the inside using smoothing gestures. Then apply your day or night cream.
CAN WE COMBINE THE SERUMS?
Would you like to erase a few acne spots, your pigment spots and your superficial wrinkles at the same time? It can be tempting to apply multiple serums at the same time to correct different types of skin defects.
However, it is not recommended to combine these highly concentrated products because of an increased risk of intolerance unless specified by the brand. If you want to treat several skin problems, you can use a versatile perfecting serum or alternate several products with, for example, an anti-wrinkle serum in the morning and an anti-blemish serum in the evening.
CAN WE USE A SERUM ALONE?
The serum is not intended to be used alone. Its texture is more liquid than that of day and night care. It is too light and therefore does not create a sufficient protective barrier to preserve the hydrolipidic film of the skin.
Facial serums are targeted and concentrated treatments that are used before the day or night cream, to optimize its action. For this reason, it is preferable to use products from the same brand, developed to act in synergy.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SERUM AND A SKINCARE BOOSTER?
Like the serum, the booster is a highly concentrated treatment. However, it is not used in the same way. Indeed, it does not apply directly to the skin but must be incorporated in very small quantities in the usual care according to the specific needs of the skin.
For example, in the event of temporary fatigue or lack of radiance, the booster can temporarily strengthen the action of a moisturizer.
