Serum for facial skin care (English)

Any woman wants to preserve her youth and beauty for as long as possible. The first sign that shows age is facial wrinkles, which appear in most girls after 25 years. Among the large abundance of cosmetic products, those who want to quickly restore freshness and elasticity to their skin should pay attention to concentrated intensive preparations, the first place among which is occupied by facial serum. What is it, what are they, where to buy and how to use - read about it below.

What is a facial serum

Another name for this cosmetic product is serum, which translated from English means “concentrate”. It does not belong to the main, but to additional facial care products because the concentration of active substances in the serum is several times higher than the concentration of active ingredients in any good expensive cream. For this reason, concentrates cannot be used constantly; such drugs are recommended to be used in courses no more than 2-3 times a year.

Which is better - cream or serum?

No cosmetologist can answer this question correctly, because in fact, cream and serum for facial skin are completely different skin care products. Although their use boils down to one goal - preventing the aging of the skin, the main difference lies in the time of exposure of the product and the waiting period for a visible result. If a good cream slightly smoothes out wrinkles only after a couple of weeks, then a few drops of serum give the same effect within a day. It's all about the concentration of anti-aging components and the ability of the serum to penetrate deep into the layers of the skin.

What is a facial serum for?

Different types of serum help quickly solve various aesthetic problems on the facial skin. Young girls who do not yet have visible defects on the skin do not need such “heavy” products. Intensive concentrated preparations should be used only in cases where skin problems such as dryness, pigmentation, uneven complexion, and age-related changes cannot be corrected with conventional skin care products. The type of concentrate you choose will depend on the type of skin imperfections.

Positive and negative properties

To fully understand what a facial serum is and how beneficial it is for the skin, you need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of this cosmetic product. Concentrated serum-type preparations are superior to other skin care cosmetics because:

help quickly improve the condition and appearance of the skin;
penetrating into the deep layers of the epidermis, they have a beneficial effect on blood circulation and stimulate the sebaceous glands;
have a whitening, antiseptic, rejuvenating effect;
restore the elasticity of the skin, making it elastic and smoothing out fine wrinkles;
normalize moisture balance, prevent dryness and flaking;
have protective properties, protect the face from the negative effects of external factors.

Any cosmetic product has disadvantages. The disadvantages of the serum include:

high cost - due to the concentrated composition, such a product simply cannot be cheap;
temporary, unstable result;
the possibility of allergic reactions, rashes, redness in the case of an incorrectly selected drug;
cannot be used on dark skin, because all serums have a whitening effect;
It is strictly not recommended to use serum for the face with spider veins and papillomas - concentrated preparations only stimulate their growth.

How to use

If you have skin problems that require immediate correction, pay attention to different types of serum. Remember that such products are very concentrated, so take into account these tips on how to properly apply facial serum:

Before starting the procedure, you should thoroughly cleanse your face of makeup, sebum and dirt. This can be done using a special foam, milk or tonic without alcohol.
For better effects of the nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants that are part of the serum, it is worth additionally exfoliating using a light scrubbing agent.
To enhance the effect of using the emulsion, to allow the product to penetrate as deeply as possible, it is better not to wait for the skin to dry completely, but to apply the drug to a damp face.
Place a few drops of serum using a pipette on a cleansed face, and then lightly spread with your fingertips, moving from bottom to top - from the forehead along the cheeks to the chin and neck area.
Movements during application of the drug should be smooth and soft - you should not rub or massage the skin thoroughly so as not to stretch it again.
After the product is completely absorbed by the epidermis, begin to carefully apply the cream, which ideally should be used from the same brand as the serum.
For quick visible results, you should apply the concentrate under the cream to a well-cleansed face in the morning and evening every day for a week or two.

The best face serums

The cosmetics market these days is overflowing with all kinds of facial care products. This also applies to serums, because there are a large number of products on sale in different price categories that will quickly help solve certain skin problems - moisturize, whiten, tighten the face, remove acne and fine wrinkles. The serum is selected not according to skin type, but according to age, and in accordance with the problems that need to be solved. As a rule, you should start using such products after 30 years, so the best serums for the face after 30 are described below.

Moisturizing

If the main defect of your face is dryness, choose a moisturizing serum. After starting to use this product, dehydrated skin immediately becomes well-groomed, elastic, and toned. Moisturizing concentrates have a light texture, thanks to which they are able to penetrate into the deep layers of the dermis. As a rule, they contain hyaluronic acid, natural oils and plant extracts, which restore the natural moisture balance. The most popular moisturizing serums:

Clarins Bi-Serum Intensif Anti-Soif.
Biotherm Aquasource Deep Serum.
Almea H.A. Serum.
La Plairie Sellular Hydrating Serum.
Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum.

Rejuvenating

Women aged 30-35 years begin to actively fight the natural process of skin aging. The best remedies in this case will be anti-aging facial serums. They have a beneficial effect on stem cells, quickly restoring the elasticity and firmness of the skin. Immediately after starting to use the anti-aging serum, wrinkles begin to disappear, the skin tightens, and the face acquires a clear contour. Among the anti-aging concentrated preparations, it is worth paying attention to:

Vichy Liftactive Surreme Serum 10;
Shise >Girls who suffer from hyperpigmentation and uneven skin tone will benefit from lightening serums. They help solve tone problems - whiten, remove age spots, acne marks, redness. As a rule, the composition of such cosmetics includes softening and soothing components - they contribute to a long-lasting lightening effect and help skin cells protect themselves from the production of large amounts of pigment. In the catalogs of manufacturers of facial care cosmetics you can find the following whitening serums:

Givenchy Blanc Divin;
Natura Siberica White;
La Prairie White Caviar;
Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector Optimizer;
Yves Saint Laurent Blanc Pur Couture.

For problem skin

If the skin of your face is prone to acne, redness, and enlarged pores, you should choose a concentrated product based solely on the type of problem you have. Care products for problem skin contain natural ingredients that have an antiseptic effect, so they instantly soothe the face, relieve irritation and provide comfort. As a rule, such serums are prepared with plant extracts: chamomile, aloe, hawthorn, ginseng, etc. Good serums for problem skin:

Darphin Intral – against redness;
Natura Siberica for oily and combination skin;
Guerlain Abeille Royale against age spots and to tighten pores;
Sephora – activator serum against enlarged pores and skin imperfections;
Sisley Serum Intensif with tropical resins.

Korean serums

Recently, Korean cosmetics have become very popular all over the world. Their products are inexpensive compared to products from global brands, but the quality remains high. On the Internet you can find many positive reviews about Korean-made serums, and all of them are really justified. Many women who have tried serums from Korea on their faces claim that they instantly transform their skin, making it firm, radiant, and velvety. Good concentrates are produced by the following cosmetic companies:

Homemade facial serum recipes

An effective branded serum for facial care is not a cheap pleasure. If you don’t agree to pay a tidy sum for another miniature bottle of a miracle product, prepare a concentrate from natural ingredients yourself. This process will not take much time, and the money spent on components for home serum will not greatly affect the family budget. The main thing is to determine the type of product that would ideally suit your face. Below are recipes for different types of serums:

Vitamin for oily and problem skin: take a small dark glass bottle with a pipette. Pour into it 5 ampoules of ascorbic acid, 2 ml each, 10 ml of pharmaceutical glycerin and 10 ml of boiled cooled water. Shake well until all ingredients are completely mixed.
Anti-aging based on essential oils: mix 30 ml of apricot kernel oil with 15 ml of rosehip oil and the same amount of carrot oil. Add 15 drops each of rose oil and frankincense oil, and then 8 drops of orange blossom. Mix until smooth.

Milk serum

Milk serum very useful for normal and combination skin. Milk and fermented milk contain a large amount of nutrients: proteins, vitamins, amino acids, which have a beneficial effect on skin cells. Milk whey very well nourishes and moisturizes the skin, makes it healthy, well-groomed, elastic, and perfectly smoothes out wrinkles. To prepare a skin care product from milk, you just need to ferment it in a convenient way, then separate the curd, and use the resulting milk concentrate for cosmetic procedures.

How to choose the right serum

Before you go to the store to buy a miracle serum that will help you quickly solve problems with the skin of your face, you should carefully study the market for concentrated cosmetic products. Remember that every woman, like her skin, is unique, and it’s not a fact that a product praised by a friend will suit your face. To choose the most effective serum for yourself, pay attention to several important points:

A facial care serum is selected solely based on the type of problem that currently worries you the most.
It is important to consider your age when choosing a concentrated product. Anti-aging serums help fight wrinkles, but young women should not use strong lifting products, lest they end up with the opposite result.
All serums are very concentrated and may not be suitable for different people, so it is advisable to conduct a simple allergy test before purchasing to make sure that the product will not harm you and your money will not be wasted.
Girls over 25 years old should not immediately look at anti-aging products. You should start with moisturizing, brightening, restoring serums, and use anti-aging ones only after 30.
It is strictly not recommended to mix the use of different concentrates at the same time in care. Take only one concentrated product that will best solve your skin problems. Another version of the serum can be tested only after a few months.

Serums in the catalogs of budget manufacturers cost from 500 rubles, and world-famous companies price their products from 10,000. Serums from different companies are presented on the shelves in cosmetics stores, but specialized online stores offer a wider range of concentrated preparations for the face. In addition, you can often order good goods from them at a significant discount. Delivery, as a rule, is carried out by mail, and in Moscow and St. Petersburg - by courier. See the table for approximate Moscow prices for serums:

Cost in rubles

Natura Siberica for oily and combination skin

Facial serum is considered one of the effective cosmetic products that help maintain beauty, health and well-groomed skin during home care. This product is able to restore elasticity, freshness and uniform tint to the epidermis, as well as get rid of rashes, post-acne, wrinkles and other problems.

Serum purpose

This product is also called an activator, elixir, booster or serum. The last version of the name is translated from English as concentrate, which most accurately conveys the essence of the product. The concentration of active substances in this product is much higher than in any cream, even a very expensive one, which is why their cost is usually quite high.

It’s not difficult to understand why you need a facial serum - it’s an additional care product designed to eliminate a specific problem (rashes, peeling, wrinkles, etc.). It is applied to the entire face or problem area after the toning stage, after which a nourishing or moisturizing cream is used. Those who plan to purchase such a product should take into account that the serum not intended to replace the productV for basic skin care.

Such a product almost always has a light consistency, since it is made on a water basis (less often, oil based). Unlike face creams, the effect of which appears at least 2 weeks after the start of use, the serum gives almost instant effect. This property is due to the fact that this cosmetic product penetrates deep into the layers of the skin, renewing it from the inside. Due to the increased concentration of active components, the serum is not used constantly, but in courses lasting 1.5-2 months no more than 2-3 times a year.

Types of funds

Among the problems most common in girls under 30 years of age, mention should be made of a tendency to breakouts. It is this defect that solves use of anti-inflammatory serums, which include extracts of medicinal herbs, propolis, zinc, azelaic and lactic acids. They reduce acne, whiten the skin by gently exfoliating the top layer, and regulate the functioning of the sebaceous glands. True, the use of such a product can cause dryness. The main types of serums also include:

Moisturizing — saturates tissues with moisture due to the content of hyaluronic acid. Fights the first wrinkles, dryness and flaking of the skin, making it velvety and elastic. It can be used by both girls under 30 and older ladies, but younger beauties are advised to choose serums with a light consistency.
Rejuvenating (anti-aging) - has a lifting effect, restoring the hydrolipid mantle and strengthening intercellular connections. This product accelerates the production of collagen, thereby increasing the firmness and elasticity of the skin, so it is recommended for use by women over 35 years of age who have wrinkles. Such products are often oil-based and may contain linoleic acid, cocoa butter, shea butter, rosehip seed and other substances that reduce sagging skin.
Decongestant - Designed for the area around the eyes. Its action is aimed not only at eliminating swelling in this area, but also at nourishing it, due to which dark circles are removed. Such a product may contain plant extracts, rosemary and lavender oils, as well as highly reflective components, such as pearl powder. Due to the latter substance, the serum for the area around the eyes gives an effect that is visible almost immediately after application.

Another type of serum is anti-rosacea agents, which are recommended to be applied to areas of the face and décolleté where spider veins are visible. This problem can occur in both girls and older ladies, so this serum is suitable for any age. These products contain vitamin C, A, hyaluronic acid and plant extracts that increase the strength of blood vessels.

Correct selection

When choosing a serum, you need to focus solely on your skin type and its individual characteristics, and not on the advice of friends. A facial serum recommended by a friend may not suit you at all, so it is better to seek advice from a cosmetologist. You can choose this product yourself if you take into account some nuances:

You need to select a product, taking into account not only your skin type, but also the problem that is bothering you at the moment.
It is also important to consider your age. The use of anti-aging products by girls under 30-35 years old will lead to accelerated skin aging after completing the course of using the serum, so for this age it is better to choose a moisturizing or nourishing composition.
It is not recommended to buy several serums at once for simultaneous use, since mixing products with a high concentration of substances can lead to allergies and other negative consequences.

Recommendations for use

Even the highest quality serum will not work if applied to dirty skin, so the first recommendation on how to properly use a facial serum is thorough cleansing. To do this, you need to remove makeup with special products, and then wash with foam or gel selected according to your skin type. If you do a light peeling after cleansing, the effect of the serum will be more noticeable.

Among the important rules on how to properly use facial serum, it should be mentioned that it is worth applying the product on damp skinwithout waiting for it to dry. Due to moisture, the product will work better.

Do not be overzealous with the amount of product - 2-3 drops will be enough for the entire face. They should be distributed using the fingertips, performing light movements from bottom to top and from the center to the periphery of the face. You should not put too much pressure on the skin or rub it, so as not to injure or stretch it.

After application, you need to wait until the serum is completely absorbed, and then use the cream - preferably it is from the same series, in order to enhance the effect of the concentrated product. Remember that serum does not replace cream, and if you neglect this rule, it can cause dryness and flaking.

To find out how to use a facial serum and how many times a day it can be used, you should pay attention to the manufacturer's recommendations. If there are no such instructions on the packaging of the product, it is better to apply it once a day in the evening. Some serums need to be applied not every day, but 2-3 times a week.

Please note that the serum is not recommended to be applied to the skin immediately before bed. From the moment of use to the night's rest, you must wait at least 1 hour, otherwise the product may clog pores or cause irritation. When using moisturizing compounds in winter, it is necessary to apply them at least 40-45 minutes before going out into the cold, otherwise the product will may cause dry skin.

Although the serum is positioned as a product that can give almost instant results, sometimes a visible effect will not appear immediately, but after some time. Even if after the first application no significant changes are visible, use should be continued. The only reason to refuse the chosen product is negative reactions in the form of increased skin oiliness, rashes or irritation.

The course of using the serum is at least 1 month and no more than 2. After this, you must stop using it. You can repeat the course or switch to using another serum no less than 1 month after completing the previous one.

The serum is an effective product, but you should be extremely careful when using it. If you follow all the recommendations and carefully monitor the skin's reaction to the product, you can solve various problems at any age.

A modern woman’s arsenal of cosmetic products must include facial serums, which back in the 90s of the last century were available only to celebrities. Now buyers with any level of income can purchase this cosmetic product, which is characterized by a high concentration of biologically active components and is designed to solve specific problems. Do you use serums?

“It’s interesting that the serum molecules are smaller in size than the cream molecules, their number is greater. That is why serums have the ability to penetrate deep into the skin, quickly be absorbed by cells and solve any skin problems that even a good cream is sometimes powerless to deal with. It is no coincidence that serum is called a beauty concentrate, because it contains ten times more biologically active substances than cream, milk and cream. The latest innovative technologies are used in the production of serums, which is why they are quite expensive, although cosmetic brands now produce more budget-friendly serum options.

If you need to quickly solve skin problems - look younger, get rid of acne and age spots, make your skin firm and elastic, then it is best to use a serum.”

Creams contain no more than 3% hyaluronic acid, and serum activators contain up to 40% of this substance. If you consider that one molecule of hyaluronic acid attracts 1000 molecules of water, it becomes clear why anti-aging serums stop the aging process and restore beauty and youth to the skin.

Serum concentrates enhance the effect of creams that are applied after them. And therefore, if you really want to get rid of a skin problem that is tormenting you, choose a serum and cream of the same spectrum of action.

There are facial skin serums for every taste and color - rejuvenating, whitening, nourishing, moisturizing, cleansing, antioxidant, soothing, toning, oxygenating or tightening pores. This cosmetic product contains hyaluronic, glycolic and lactic acids, vitamins, minerals, natural oils, amino acids, glycerin, and medicinal plant extracts. Typically, these products are very light, they are easily absorbed and do not leave an oily sheen on the skin, since they do not contain fat. The exception is anti-aging serums that contain oils; on such bottles there is the inscription “serum in oil.” These “elixirs of youth” are rich in shea butter, macadamia butter, rosehip seeds, blackcurrant berries, cocoa butter, and linoleic acid, which contains omega-3 fatty acids.

Anti-acne serums are additionally enriched with zinc, magnesium, propolis extract, salicylic acid and antibiotics. In other words, the features of a facial serum depend on the problem it solves. For example, moisturizing serums contain NMF - natural moisturizer factor, which literally attracts water molecules and saturates the skin with life-giving moisture. Serums also contain fruit acids and peptides, which ensure the absorption of the main components into the skin, because it is thanks to them that the serum penetrates into the deep layers of the dermis. In addition, fruit acids and peptides consolidate the effect of the serum and provide additional hydration.

Not everyone knows how to use facial serum correctly. Usually it is selected not by skin type, but by age, taking into account the problem that worries you. For increased pigmentation, freckles and uneven skin tone, a brightening serum is recommended. If the skin is excessively dry and flaky, a moisturizing serum is required to normalize the water balance in the upper layers of the epidermis and eliminate skin tightness. To prevent early aging, it is best to use nutritional formulations that saturate the skin with vitamins and nutrients. They smooth out wrinkles and improve the appearance of the skin.

Anti-aging serums and concentrates with a lifting effect are recommended for aging skin and active formation of wrinkles. They also showed a good effect on pronounced nasolabial folds. Anti-aging serums contain the powerful antioxidant coenzyme Q10, which protects cells from free radicals and slows down the aging process. Many such cosmetic products contain retinol, a special form of vitamin A, which actively fights skin aging, stimulates collagen production and makes wrinkles invisible.

If you suffer from spider veins on your face, anti-rosacea serums with extracts of sweet clover, ginger and cornflower, as well as vitamins K and C will help you.

Regenerating serums exfoliate the cells of the upper layer of the dermis and promote skin renewal. Anti-stress serums are prescribed for increased sensitivity and irritation of the skin - they contain aloe, chamomile and other anti-inflammatory herbs.

If you are concerned about acne, choose bactericidal serums for your skin that regulate sebum production, inhibit bacterial growth and tighten pores. These products contain azelaic acid, which has an antibacterial effect. This is especially true for girls during puberty.

Serum for facial skin care