How to Pick the Right Serum for Your Face?

Pragya Shrma
5 min readAug 31, 2021

Skincare is an important part of looking good and healthy. If you’re a makeup enthusiast, then a good skincare routine is a must for avoiding clogged pores and breakouts. Face serums have become a sworn product among many, and why should they not. They are amazing and simple to use. People who just want a simple skincare routine with as few steps as possible would love the effect that face serums can produce. Even if you’re a newbie and confused about where to start with the face serums, we got your back.

Firstly, Let’s Learn, What A Face Serum Is?

Serums are filled with active ingredients, which address the specific problems that you might have on your face. They are effective because of their specialized formulation, and that’s why they have become a holy grail product for many. They are light on the skin and get easily absorbed, providing benefits to the deeper layers of the skin. Serums are available to cater to specific skin concerns and individual skin types. So, you can choose the one for yourself according to what your skin needs, which is very cool and efficient when you think about it. Face serums are of many types for various needs. Whether it’s dullness, dryness, acne, wrinkles, or any other issue, there is a serum out there for it.

Types Of Face Serums For Different Purposes

Hyaluronic Acid Serum For Moisturizing

If you are experiencing dryness in your skin, then you need a hyaluronic acid serum. This active ingredient retains the moisture in the skin and keeps it hydrated. You must be thinking that a good moisturizer would do the same for you. But hyaluronic acid serum being lighter in its texture does not clog the pores and gets absorbed quickly in the skin, unlike many moisturizers. So, it becomes an essential face serum on those dry skin days.

Vitamin C Serum For Brighter Skin

Many factors contribute to dullness and uneven skin tone on your face. Antioxidants are your best friend when you just want to have brighter and healthy-looking skin. Face serum with the active ingredient vitamin C in it would work very well in this case. Vitamin C has powerful antioxidants that are delivered straight to your skin via a serum. It neutralizes the free radicals, which are responsible for discolouration and dullness. Thus, it gives you radiant and glowing skin.

Retinol Serum For Anti-aging

Nowadays, so many products have anti-aging claims, but the one that is proven to work is a serum containing retinol. This ingredient is known for promoting fast cell turnover in their skin, which leads to the surfacing of the new skin cells. Retinol boosts the process of collagen production in the skin, due to which the skin elasticity increases and wrinkles are reduced. Keep in mind that retinol is very potent and needs to be used in moderate concentrations. Start with a serum that has a lower percentage of retinol, and let your skin get used to it.

AHAs And BHAs Serums For Acne

Active ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, and many more, fall under the category of Alpha hydroxy acids(AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids(BHAs). These are superb for oily and acne-prone skin, as they exfoliate the dead skin, unclogs the pores, and removes excess sebum from the skin. You can either choose an AHA or BHA, or a combination of both. The combination of both types of acids works as a chemical exfoliant that you can use once or twice a week, rather than using a physical exfoliant like a scrub, which is much harsher on the skin.

Niacinamide Serum For Blemishes & Dark Spots

Niacinamide is an active ingredient that suits all types of skin. It is incredible in treating pigmentation, acne scars, blemishes, and open pores on the skin. It is also very hydrating and maintains elasticity in the skin. Niacinamide is also known as vitamin B3, which is a great antioxidant that fights free radicals.

How To Use A Face Serum Right Way:

Some points that you should pay attention to when using face serums:

● Applying serums after cleansing your face would be a good idea to make sure the serum absorbs well into the skin.

● Do not rub your serum onto your face like a moisturizer. Instead, try to apply it in a gentle tapping motion, avoiding the eye area.

● Potent serums like retinol should be used at night. So, make sure to separate your daytime and nighttime serums.

● Don’t forget to use sunscreen in the daytime if you’re using a high concentration of serum of any type, as your skin becomes sun-sensitive because of the dead skin removal, and surfacing of the new delicate skin.

● Start with low concentrations of any active ingredient, and then move higher on the scale. This is because some active ingredients can cause skin irritation and your skin may take time to adjust. That’s why it would also be wise not to mix too many serums at a time.

Adding a new product to your skincare routine might be intimidating at first, but serums are easy to work with. Once you know the gist about them, and how to use them, it’s not difficult to pick the one that will work for you. Observe your skin, and decide what skin issue you want to deal with. Then, choosing the right active ingredient is a piece of cake.

Read Also — What are Facial Serums? Types, Benefits, How to apply & Which One to Buy?

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Pragya Shrma
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I believe self-care is the key to living a life you love.