Can you mix and match serums and moisturisers? Example No 7 with Olay

[breakingtradition]

Hello

So I've heard about this a-m-a-zing new and 'improved' No 7 serum, which comes out on Wednesday I think I wouldn't normally be bothered, because I'm reasonably happy with my current Olay Regenerist serum, but..... I remember using the original No 7 serum when it first came out and my skin looked really good. However, after a week or so of using it, I broke out in to spots, so had to stop using it

Having said that, I think I'm going to give this new one a go. Can I still use my Olay moisturiser on top? I wouldn't mind switching to the No 7 one, but I don't think it contains SPF, which the Olay one does.

Your thoughts ladies.....

[FluffyDucky]

Yup you can mix and match. But using the moisturiser from the sane range works harder. No7 moisturisers have spf15 and 5 star uva.
Without giving too much away (and getting into trouble! ) the new serum is amazing!

[eurochick]

Yes of course.

[Floisme]

My thoughts are:
What does serum actually do?
If it's so amazing, how come you still need moisturiser?

[breakingtradition]

Oooo I might have to treat myself then.

Is the no 7 moisturiser quite rich? I like how rich the olay one feels.

Fluffy, why could you get into trouble? I'm intrigued. Do you work for a no 7 rival?

[Kelly1814]

I mix and match many products. No issues.

[MyrtleDove]

Floisme serum is a concentrated formula for specific skin complaints, eg wrinkles, redness etc. It is amazing if you use the right one for your skin, but since moisture is not its primary aim you may need a moisturiser on top if your skin is dry. Lots of people can get away without using a moisturiser on top though, depending on how rich the serum is. Superdrug Optimum serum (the grape one) for instance is a rich one, so even though I have dry skin I can use it alone.

[Floisme]

Thanks, MyrtleDove but what exactly do they do for wrinkles?

[almondcakes]

Is this new serum going to be a glycal based one like YSL forever youth?

[MyrtleDove]

Floisme it's just ingredients you have in anti-wrinkle creams (plumping, hydrating, elasticizing, collagen) in a more concentrated formula.

[Floisme]

So they are a concentrated form of anti wrinkle cream i.e. they temporarily plump out the skin and disguise wrinkles?

[MyrtleDove]

Basically, but the emphasis is on the anti-wrinkle (or whatever the benefit is - serums can be for all kinds of skin problems) formula rather than moisture, hence some people needing moisturiser on top.

[Floisme]

Thanks and I do appreciate your taking the time to answer me! But what I'm hearing is that serums are basically just a more concentrated form of anti wrinkle (or whatever) cream. I don't understand why this warrants the tiny little pots, the mahoosive price tags and all the cod-science that accompanies them.

[MyrtleDove]

Well - I say concentrated form of a cream, it's sometimes more of a gel with extra nutrients and other things in. They are worth it if you have particular issues, but they're really an add-on and not an essential. Also cheaper ones can be just as good - the Superdrug Optimum ones are great and around a tenner. More than I'd pay for a face cream but not extortionate imo. The cod-science is annoying though. I use a lot of Korean skincare and their version of serums are called 'first essences' - they're more liquid-gel type formulas and take the place of toners. They work because the first essence/serum does the hydration and then the cream/lotion ('emulsion' there) does the moisturising.

[FluffyDucky]

A serum will not moisturise the skin, it may make it feel super soft and moisturised but won't protect it like a moisturiser (and won't contain SPF or UVA)
Bumpf from online:
You can think of a serum as a treatment that forms the backbone of your skincare regime, but your skin also has other needs, and this is where using a moisturising cream after your serum can help. The difference between moisturisers and serums is that moisturisers are formulated to keep the skin hydrated by putting a protective barrier between your skin and the outside world; serums however have a different purpose. Serums are lighter than creams, so they can be quickly absorbed to deliver the key ingredients into the skin effectively.

[Kundry]

Your skin will not know you are mixing and matching different brands. It looks like the new Protect and Perfect Serum has beefed up it's Matrixyl content. These are the supposedly anti-ageing ingredients and there is some evidence that Matrixyl can increase collagen production. Hence all the hype as it's a serum that's actually got some real evidence behind it as opposed to the usual advertising guff.

Whether or not you feel you need a moisturiser as well will be down to you and how your skin feels after you've put the serum on. Moisturiser is really just stopping your skin feeling too dry that day while the serum is supposed to be doing some proper anti-ageing job. During the day you should be wearing a SPF cream (if anti-ageing is the priority for you) which you may think is moisturising enough without moisturiser as well.

[Floisme]

But it's still just a cosmetic, so surely all it can do is temporarily make your skin look different. If it could really change anything then it would be classed as a pharmaceutical, wouldn't it? So it would be prescription only (like Retin-A).

I'm not knocking cosmetics - I'm a big fan of smoke and mirrors! But I wish the industry would stop this pretence.

[Kundry]

Some of the cosmetics are more cosmoceuticals - they do contain stuff that does things but usually at lower doses. Another example would be creams containing retinol, a lower dose format of the ingredient in Retin-A.

Not everything that does stuff needs to be on prescription - there are loads of over the counter meds, for example paracetamol.

Matrixyl has reasonable evidence it does something. It may not be much but it does something which is more than most of the claims made.

[Floisme]

They must contain miniscule amounts of the stuff then. And Retinol is a distant cousin of Retin A, hardly the same thing. Isn't it correct that, if these anti ageing products were anything more than cosmetics, you would need a prescription?

And at 'cosmeuticals'. I will give them this, they they are good at thinking up words that sound good but mean absolute bollocks.

[MyrtleDove]

But paracetamol and even codeine do things and are not on prescription! A lot of the time it's smoke and mirrors, but it really isn't always.

[breakingtradition]

Well I shall be heading straight to boots in the morning after I've dropped off dd at school to get the new protect and perfect serum. Hoping this one doesn't bring me out in spots though

[Floisme]

Well I won't be, although I might be tempted if they made a really good, light reflecting foundation instead.

Myrtle, fair point you can buy Paracetamol and Codeine but the difference is, you swallow them (or stick them up your arse). That's how they enter your bloodstream. You don't slap them on the surface of your skin and expect them to work