With the advent of the skincare boom we’ve seen in the past few years, the market has exploded with products touting their benefits. It can be confusing to decipher all the noise and apply the relevant bits to develop your own skincare regimen. Serums have become one of those buzz-worthy products as skincare has grown in popularity, but they remain a bit mysterious and confusing for many. We’re here to demystify serums and which ones are best for your skin type.
LET’S START WITH THE BASICS - WHAT ARE SERUMS?
At their core, serums are simply formulated to deliver specific, concentrated active ingredients to the skin, which is perhaps why they can get so confusing - each serum comes with its own use and benefits. They contain things like vitamins, antioxidants, and botanical extracts that can benefit the skin. The purposes of a serum can vary from anti-aging/ collagen-boosting to nourishing dry skin and promoting radiant, even-toned, glowing skin (and more).
FACE SERUM VS. MOISTURIZER
Even your favorite ‘ole-trusty moisturizer cannot target certain skincare goals like serums can - the key here is to define what you want out of your skincare routine. What is your skin type? What consistency do you look for in your products? What skin problem areas do you want to target? These are all questions to keep in mind when you are searching for your ideal face serum.
HOW FACE SERUM WORKS
All serums are not created equal - the bases of serums can be created in a number of ways as well as can be combined with a number of different active ingredients.
Serums typically provide rich, water-soluble vitamins and minerals that are absorbed into the skin prior to using a moisturizer in your routine. At the molecular level, the active ingredients such as vitamin C, for example, can infuse with the skin and promote anti-aging effects. It’s almost like the equivalent of a wellness juice “shot” - you get a highly concentrated dose of vitamins and minerals that promote a certain aspect of health instead of drinking an entire juiced drink that dilutes the positive effects with lots of water and sugar from the fruit.
Our serums are made with a hydrosol base, which is a natural distillation that captures the essence and properties of whole plant and mineral ingredients, meaning they are also free of chemicals and mystery ingredients you don’t know how to pronounce. These essence distillations are made using fresh, organic botanicals from our garden. To complement the unique blend of ingredients, these are then fortified with botanical oil infusions, essential oils, absolutes and a touch of specific plant oils. This intricate process takes several weeks to complete, and that is not accounting for the process of growing and harvesting our special ingredients from seedling to maturation. Check out our Hibiscus & Rose Face Serum for Dry/ Mature skin and our Chamomile & Myrrh Face Serum for Normal/ Sensitive skin.
WHICH FACE SERUM IS BEST FOR YOUR SKIN?
Anti-aging, brightening, and nourishing serums for Dry/ Mature skin
We typically attribute showing signs of aging on the skin to skin issues that arise when collagen starts to break down in the skin. This is a completely natural process, however, increased exposure to the sun and even blue light from our screens have also been pegged to increase the break down of collagen and elastin in the skin.
To combat this, you’ll want to use hydrating, collagen-promoting ingredients in your serums and products such as antioxidants, hibiscus, and horsetail.
Skin-renewing, soothing, and hydrating serums for Normal/ Sensitive or Acne-Prone skin
For those of us with sensitive, or even dry and acne-prone skin, a skin calming and renewing serum is a great addition to a daily skin-care regimen. The ingredients in a soothing serum will work to reduce redness and strengthen your skin’s naturally protective layers. Look for ingredients such as aloe, calendula, and chamomile.
WHERE AND HOW TO APPLY FACE SERUM
Serums typically are intended to be applied after cleansing and before moisturizing in your routine, and are supposed to be all-over treatments instead of spot-treatments. If you also use chemical exfoliants in your routine or retinols, make sure you check for any ingredient interactions between them and your serum to make sure they are fine to use in conjunction with each other. When in doubt, spot-test on your hand or neck to make sure you aren’t allergic or experiencing any bad reactions to ingredients.
Now that you have the low-down on serums, hopefully you feel prepared to conquer your skincare regimen and find one that works well for you within the #skincaregoals you’ve defined for yourself. If you give our serums a try, let us know what you think and drop us a review!