Face serum is a skincare product designed to handle special tasks. We reach for it when our skin needs to be exposed to an intensive and professional treatment. What is a face serum? When should you use it?
It wasn’t that long time ago when serum could be found only in professional beauty salons when it was used either in intensively rejuvenating skin treatments or cosmetic procedures that aimed at solving particular skin problems. Thanks to becoming easily-accessible, today acne, discolorations and wrinkles can be fought back at home. However, before introducing face serum into your daily beauty routine, you should learn some basic facts about it.
Face serum: Product to handle special tasks
Some people say that face serum is nothing else but a liquid form of a moisturizing cream. Sadly, those people can’t be further from the truth! What is a face serum? What makes it different from other skincare products?
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
One drop of face serum hides more nourishing substances than a regular portion of a face cream.
A good face serum is a skincare product containing active substances known for delivering strong effects, their concentration is higher and in general they are more effective in fighting for beautiful and youthful-looking skin. For example, natural serum is made of plant extracts, vitamins and oils. In other words, natural serum is a concentrate of what our skin needs to carry out self-regenerating and rebuilding processes; also such substances are responsible for delaying signs of aging. What’s important, each drop of face serum is able to penetrate skin fast to bring help and work where it’s needed most – in the deepest skin layers. This is what makes it different from a regular face cream whose formula isn’t absorbed by skin and transported that deep; instead a face cream focuses on improving the most superficial layer skin.
What to choose: Face serum or cream?
Since being denser, face cream seems to have a richer formula. However, the truth is that one portion of face cream contains far less nutrients than a tiny drop of a concentrated serum. In other words, a regular face cream isn’t as enriched with skin-improving ingredients as serums are, therefore the face cream is more suitable for daily skin care. With that being said, you shouldn’t expect it to fix more serious skin problems nor deliver you quick effects, which is the domain of well-matching face serum that is used as instructed by the producer.
Therefore, if you wish to improve your skin fast and effectively, and if you want a product that focuses on dealing with a particular skin problem, you must reach for a professional cosmetic. Only serum offers you intensive skin care that is strong enough to help you cure acne, highlight discolorations, reinforce broken capillaries and rejuvenate skin by eliminating the signs of aging such as wrinkles.
NOTE!
Don’t replace face cream with a serum because the effects delivered by both products are different. Serum affects the deepest skin layers, whereas face cream takes care of skin surface. If you want to achieve satisfying results, treat your skin with serum and once fully absorbed, follow with a face cream to prevent water loss.
How to use serum in skin care?
When you decide to enrich your beauty ritual with a face serum, you must know how to use it correctly. It’s also worth realizing that this type of cosmetic can be introduced into your daily skincare routine in a few ways.
- As a temporary treatment always when your skin feels dry, looks dull and tired.
- As an upgrade of evening beauty ritual to help skin look rested in the morning.
- As a complementary element of day skin care that delivers antioxidative effect.
- As an anti-ageing prophylaxis to delay the appearance of the signs of passing time.
- As a fixed element of mature skin care after 30.
- As a solution to skin problems such as acne or discolorations.
No matter if you decide to use face serum for a short period of time or to leave it in your beauty ritual for good, you must bear in mind the proper way of applying it. It’s a lightweight and highly concentrated cosmetic which is why you need no more than just 2-3 drops per one application. Put such a small portion of serum on your hand and than spread it over the face by patting it gently with your fingertips. Obviously, before doing so, cleanse your skin thoroughly. Once your face absorbs the serum fully, apply your favorite face cream.
Ingredients that you should look for in a serum
Undoubtedly, face serum is a cosmetic which action and effects are determined by its constituents. What ingredients do you need if your skin requires some anti-ageing prophylaxis? What substances should you look for when you wish to get glowing skin and fight back discolorations?
Anti-age face serum should contain the following ingredients:
- retinol (vitamin A) that helps remove dead skin cells and rejuvenates
- coenzyme Q10 that protects skin from free radicals
- guarana extract that stimulates micro-circulation
- vitamin E (known as the vitamin of youth) that is a potent antioxidant
- ginseng extract that displays strongly regenerating properties
- apricot extract that fights off free radicals and helps skin remain younger
Face serums for discoloration should contain the following ingredients:
- vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that is responsible for lightening skin up
- vitamin A (retinol) that removes dead skin cells
- raspberry seed oil that provides sun protection
- aluminium oxide (corundum) that makes skin smooth and remove dead skin cells
Deeply moisturizing face serum should contain the following ingredients:
- hyaluronic acid that is responsible for providing instant hydration
- arginine that reinforces natural skin’s protective layer
- urea that locks water inside skin
Revitalizing face serum should contain the following ingredients:
- hyaluronic acid that is the most effective of all substances known for delivering hydration
- aloe leaf extract that soothes, nourish and replenish skin with water
- white tea extract that has a strong antioxidative effect
- rose water that has a pleasant aroma and rejuvenates skin
- vitamin E that is a proven antioxidant
