Explain face serum to me and if i need it

[Lookatmenow]

Just splurged on Boots Lift & Luminate tripe action Day, Night and Eye Cream - just wondering if i should have bought the serum? But i don't know if i need it or not if i'm using all the above daily

What do you think

Anyone 😳

I have been wondering exactly the same recently since I noticed a new small vertical wrinkle on my face.

I cannot explain what serum is to you. However my mother uses Boots No 7 Protect and Perfect serum and she has incredible skin in her seventies. I'm hoping I take after her, she swears by the serum and she also drinks a lot of water.

I think you are meant to use it underneath moisturiser.

I tried a sample of it once but it seemed very slippery. I suppose that's how it smooths and plumps the skin. I will have another go I think.

There has got to be more people who have the answer to this

I started using serum in my 30s and think it has definitely made a difference to my skin.

I think it improves skin hydration. Dryness and dehydration in skin are different kettles of fish...hence why serum isn’t oily like a moisturiser, more watery. The basic serums have glycerin in - which makes water go into cells. The better ones have hyularonic acid.

I massage a drop into my skin - especially the wrinkly frown lines - after hot cloth cleansing. Let in sink in, then use moisturiser/night cream.

Serum targets skin issues. A moisturiser is for your skin type. The issue can be anything - hyperpigmentation, spots, dehydration, anti-ageing, etc. Do you have any issues you want to address? Marzipan is right that dehydration and dryness are different things. Dryness is a skin type, but you can get a serum with oil in to complement your moisturiser if you have dry skin. The texture and effect just depends on the ingredients.

The slippery feeling Breakfast describes comes from silicone, which artificially smooths the skin and is occlusive, meaning it seals in other ingredients and moisture. P&P is silicone heavy. I personally won't use a silicone serum as the occlusivity can prevent other things from being absorbed properly, but it can be useful in a moisturiser.

The Protect & Perfect one is actually supposed to work. Some tv programme or study tested a number of these to demonstrate that none worked - but apparently the Boots one did! Leading to it selling out and being resold on eBay. So on that basis I would be inclined to try it

Is that the one advertised with the ballerina who looks ten years older than she is? ( dyed black hair, thick slap).

The study showed nothing real.

The reference to tripe is correct.

Get yourself some retinol or a vitamin C serum.

Can I ask what the retinol or vit c serums do montacute? Anyone know of a budget priced one?!

The Ordinary. See their website for full explanations of whaf everything does. Everything is roughly 6 quid so if you don't like it, not much lost.

I tried the Lancome Genefique serum when I bought the matching moisturiser (on a mystery shop, which ended up costing me more than I made as I now love Lancome). It has made a big difference to the lines between my eyebrows. In general, I find my skin looks much better.

I've tried other serums, but not yet found a cheaper one that works for me. A Loreal one didn't seem to have much of an effect and a Clarins sample made my skin too greasy.

My advice - go to a Lancome counter for a makeover and they will give you lots of lovely samples to try.

This is good www.thedebrief.co.uk/style/hair-and-beauty/boots-serums-20151156437

And I second the Superdrug recommendation... I've used this Pure one, the Naturally Radiant one and just bought the Optimum range one Sali recommended this weekend (half price at the moment).I really rate Superdrug's skincare ranges.

Try again.... www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/feb/13/beauty-superdrug-serum

I use a Neal's Yard rose 'elixir': www.nealsyardremedies.com/skincare/organic-facial-skincare/facial-serums-and-oils/2372.html

It is definitely helping me. I used to use the frankincense cream but my skin was kind of greasy and flaky (tut) which is no longer an issue. I suspect it's the hyaluronic acid that's doing something.

Basically a moisturiser has more filler ingredients and is really just sits on the top layers of the skin as the molecules are generally too big to penetrate.
A serum has more specific function without ingredients to make it feel moisturising. It's ingredients penetrate deeper.
A moisturiser is just surface and - basically how you want want it to feel right now
A serum addresses concerns which should be longer term.
Phew!

Thank you all - looks like i'm off to buy some serum :)

I have used retinol serum for spots which helped but after research I found that salycilic acid is the one for spots, retinol serum is for wrinkles and hyaluronic acid is for very dry skin. The ordinary do all these and others for £9ish each

I use AHA serum as I don't like exfoliating with beads. But only a couple of times a week. I personally don't find the need to use serums every day.

When in doubt, I read the adverts. They can cheat but they can't lie (or at least not without getting into legal bother). And what they always say - albeit in very small print sometimes - is that serums 'minimise the appearance of wrinkles'. Which is strange, because that's exactly what they say about moisturisers too. Surely if they did anything more, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops?

Yy, read ingredients too. If there are -cones (dimethicone, silicone etc) it is glorified primer.

To add to what a previous post said -
serum molecules are smaller than moisturiser's because it's designed to travel to the lower skin levels (dermis) while moisturisers are designed not to travel further than the upper skin (epidermis).

So serums (especially ones rich in hyaluronic acid) attract and bind moisture which plumps up our skin & provides a firmer base for the epidermis giving the appearance of less lines/wrinkles and a more youthful plumpness.

You then need a moisturiser on top to treat skin concerns on the surface like dryness, flakiness, fine lines etc and to protect from environmental damage.

'minimise the appearance of...'

think about it. What does that actually promise objectively?

A big fat zero. There are no miracle creams.

it's all subjective. Again, the Boots ballerina who is so heavily made up and hairdyed that she looks ten years older than she is in the ad. I've seen other photos - without a ton of slap, her own hair colour and a smile, those ten years come off and she looks her actual age. Much better.

The Ordinary are a great affordable source for serums. 'Buffet' is a good all rounder to start with. The products look quite intimidating but their website has lots of help and pointers. QVC website also has some good starter kits for sale at the mo.

Someone described skincare to me as like a sandwich, as in you put the serum directly onto your clean skin according to what you need for your skin (anti aging, oily, hyperpigmentation etc) then the moisturiser goes on top like the bread to seal it in