Serums offer supercharged formulas that cater to a range of skin concerns.
Experts Demystify 2021’s Best Face Serums
When considering the best face serums, industry experts have gotten used to a certain level of confusion. “A lot of times clients don’t know if serums are worth it, they may see the price and think that it is a step that they will skip,” says LaKeisha Dale, licensed esthetician and founder of New York’s MelaSkin Studio. “It helps to take time to educate clients on what serums are and the role that they can play in their personal skincare routines.”
So, what does face serum do for your skin?
Put simply, Dale describes serums as “medicine” for your skin. And everyone has their own way of breaking down their power: “Serums deliver more concentrated versions of active ingredients to the skin,” explains Dr. Julius Few, MD, a plastic surgeon and founder of The Few Institute in Chicago and Los Angeles. “The purpose of the active ingredient can vary, from hydrating to skin brightening to wrinkle-reducing.” A serum’s thin, concentrated formula allows it to treat skin concerns in a more targeted way than other products in a daily routine. “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.”
Compared to even the best moisturizer, serums are supercharged, and “meant to deliver their specific skincare benefit straight to the skin in a more potent, effective dose than a moisturizer,” according to Charlene Valledor, cosmetic chemist and president of SOS Beauty. And for forward-thinking brands, new formulations offer an opportunity to swap out other products. “Our serum, for instance, is multi-use to allow for our community to choose how it fits into their skin care routines,” says Stephanie Lee, founder of skincare brand SelfMade, which is named in WGSN’s 2022-23 Trend Report. “It can be used as a night cream; it can be used as a primer for your daily makeup routine, and it can be used as a daily moisturizer for your skin.” Lee says it’s up to the consumer to determine the use.
In that case, what serum should I use?
The range of options now encompasses solutions for a range of skin concerns. “Serum offerings were a bit limited in the past, we didn’t have acne serums or serums for skin during pregnancy. Today, serums are more nuanced, appreciating one size doesn’t not fit all here,” says Dr. Gohara.
Gavin McLeod-Valentine, the Los Angeles-based facialist who treats actors like Halle Berry, Allison Janney, and Olivia Colman (he served as skin advisor for three seasons of The Crown), trains regulars on what to use, and how to use it. “I explain to my clients that serums can be used to target specific concerns like wrinkles, dehydration, tone, elasticity, etc.,” he says. For application, newcomers can go by feel: “Simple rule of thumb, the lighter a product's texture or more intense its use of active ingredients dictates the order of application with these being used first and each subsequent product being layered on top,” says McLeod-Valentine. “Cleanser, then toner or essence, then serum, and then cream.” At night, you can stop there. For day, experts recommend adding on an SPF as the final flourish.
This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Arden Fanning Andrews
