The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Face Serum

Serums are a vital part of any skincare routine, whether you want to boost collagen in the skin for firmness or reduce hyperpigmentation. But are you actually using the right one? Skincare is something you cannot be random with, including face serums. 

You need a targeted, mild, and strategic approach to choose the appropriate one to address your skin concern with absolutely no side effects. In this blog, we will help you find the right face serum for your skin type and when to use it. 

What is a Face serum?

Face serum is purpose-centric and has a concentrated formula to combat the objective and enhance the skin complexion a few notches. It is made up of simple elements and penetrates the skin deep to work effectively. Its compact consistency helps other skincare products layer more smoothly and competently.

How to Choose a Face Serum

The market is full of hydrating, exfoliating, and brightening face serums. But not each of them suits you. Your skin type and concerns need a specific formulation.  Here's what you must consider before investing in your facial serum.

Identify Your Skin Concern

Start with your targeted concern and learn which actives can help you. Make sure you are aware of what is wrong with your skin first. If you are dealing with acne, breakouts, or blackheads, trying salicylic acid can help. Dry and mature skin can benefit from hyaluronic acid and glycerin. If your skin is ageing, retinol, retinaldehyde, and ceramide can make a difference. 

Know Your Skin Type

Even if you have chosen a popular, amazing formulation, it can be useless if it’s not aligned with your skin type. Not every skin is the same, nor can it be treated with the same products. Hence, you need to observe your skin type and shop accordingly. 

You can not use oil-control face serum on your dry skin. It would not only be ineffective but also suck the essential oils from the face. For dry skin, look for a skin-calming, antioxidant-rich face serum with thickness to combat the concern. For oily skin, choose a lightweight face serum.

Learn About Ingredients

From retinol to ceramides, aloe vera to rosehip oil, each ingredient is crucial to make or break your skincare regimen completely. It’s best to consult your doctor for the best advice if you are a beginner to what works for you and what you must avoid. While some ingredients are making the buzz, you must not give in to the hype. 

Pay Attention to Potency 

It is not safe to use any product with a higher potency as a beginner. If your skin is sensitive, choose mild strength and ingredients that soothe the condition. The right way is to start with lower concentrations and slowly increase them.

Types of Face Serums

Knowing the different types of face serums and selecting one based on your skin type is key to reaching your goals. While all serums may look the same, they are definitely not. Based on the different types of purposes, key ingredients, and formulations, serums have different categories. 

Exfoliating Face Serum 

Exfoliating serums use chemical exfoliants to penetrate the skin and dissolve the dead skin cells. It also brightens and smooths the skin over time. 

These kinds of serums use AHAs such as glycolic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, lactic acid, and citric acid, whereas a BHA exfoliating face serum can include salicylic acid. 

If you have oily, acne-prone, dull, or uneven skin, you can try an exfoliating face serum that gently dissolves the grip of dead skin cells, leaving you with clear, unclogged, and fresh skin. DRSQ Renew Serum with a combination of AHA and BHA clears blocked pores and accelerates cellular production.

Hydrating Face Serum

Hydrating face serum is excellent for dehydrated and dry skin types. Most hydrating serums are formulated with hyaluronic acid to retain moisture in the skin. Hyaluronic acid, a humectant, binds moisture in the skin, keeping it plump and soft. It comes in handy for other skin types as well. 

Anti-ageing Face Serum

When the turnover of the skin cells slows down and the skin sags or develops wrinkles and fine lines, the skin is said to be ageing. The anti-ageing face serums consist of popular ingredients like retinaldehyde, retinol, peptides, etc, which can help. 

Retinaldehyde has proven itself to increase the production of skin cells, increase elasticity, and soften fine lines and wrinkles. 

You can try DRSQ Ultra A+ serum that deeply penetrates the skin and battles the visible signs of ageing.

Brightening Face Serum

Brightening face serum is made to treat discolouration, post-acne hyperpigmentation, and enhance the glow. Vitamin C and niacinamide are potent ingredients that are widely used in anti-pigmentation and brightening serums. 

To prevent and fight hyperpigmentation and maintain the skin's plumpness, try DRSQ Ultra B3 serum with 10% niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. If you are looking for a vitamin C face serum, use DRSQ Ultra C serum, which protects from sun damage and lightens and brightens the skin. 

Acne-fighting Face Serum

Due to excessive pollution, dust, and dirt can get trapped in your skin and block pores, giving rise to breakouts. An acne-fighting face serum undertakes to fight acne, acne scars, and grey patches. People with chronic cystic acne should likewise pick acne-fighting serums. 

DRSQ Derma Clear serum with 0.5% Retinaldehyde and manuka and tea tree oil with calming and anti-bacterial properties can help. It lessens plump scar tissues, acne, and breakouts, and presents clear skin. 

Oil-controlling Face Serum

Some individuals experience a greasy, oily skin surface due to an excess of sebum production. An oil-controlling serum can control oil and decongest the pores. 

It further prevents the skin from developing acne, blackheads, and whiteheads. The prominent elements in this type of face serum are aloe vera, zinc, salicylic acid, and niacinamide. 

Try DRSQ Repair serum with 5% Salicylic acid, which is suitable for oily skin. It has a combination of AHAs and anti-inflammatory botanical extracts.

Why Should You Use a Face Serum

Face serums are the hero of your regimen, no matter what skincare goals you have. Here, we will shed some light on some of the benefits of incorporating face serum into your skincare routine. 

• Soothes and nurtures the skin: Face serums are lightweight and penetrate the skin deeply to provide nourishment and heal the skin. They work under the skin's surface, going deep into the layers and addressing the concerns from within, resulting in soften and soothing texture. 
• Enhances skin elasticity: Adding a face serum to your routine can improve skin elasticity by increasing collagen production, giving the skin a soft, firm, and plump look.
• Scales down signs of weariness: Today’s hectic life, coupled with a bad sleep schedule, takes a toll on our skin and results in visible signs of fatigue that make the skin lose its glow. Introducing a repair serum into your skincare routine can bring about a significant change in your skin.
• Reduces visible fine lines and wrinkles: A facial serum rich in antioxidants, green tea, and vitamins C and E can be outstanding in shielding the skin from wrinkles and fine lines. These key ingredients secure the skin from harsh UV rays, and with regular use of a face serum, apparent lines can be minimised. 
• Weakens dark spots: Face serum targets the melanin present in the skin and can diminish dark spots and facial scars.
• Subsides inflammation: Some face serums are made to target rosacea and inflamed skin. To combat this, ingredients such as aloe vera, calendula, chamomile, and green tea are used. The calming effect of these active ingredients gives soothing relief to the skin.
  

How to Apply Face Serum 

How you apply a face serum matters, and doing it all wrong can make you go months without seeing any difference. Let’s tell you the correct way to apply a face serum and get the maximum of it.

• Cleanse properly: Before applying anything, the skin must be clear of any dust, dirt, oil, makeup, and impurities. Start the routine by cleansing the skin and paving the way for upcoming components. 
  DRSQ Hydra Cleanse is a perfect cleanser for dry, sensitive, and normal skin. Enriched with Jojoba oil, Vitamin E, and organic aloe that cleanses the skin and leaves it hydrated.
• Target with a face serum: Applying face serum has to be target-oriented based on your specific issues. Take two to three drops and apply all over the face and neck. Allow a few minutes to let ot dry and absorb into the skin. 
• Moisturise to seal in hydration: Moisturiser is an essential step in the skincare routine as it locks in moisture and boosts hydration. Apply a thick layer of DRSQ Hydra Calm Moisturiser with hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil, chamomile flower extract, and aloe to calm and hydrate the skin. It is suitable for all skin types. 

Also Read: How to Choose a Facial Cleanser for Your Skin

When to Use the Face Serum

Generally, it is best to use the face serum twice, morning and night. Before applying moisturiser, take a pea-sized amount or 3-4 drops of serum into your hands and rub it in an upward motion from your face to neck for smooth application. 

But this is not applicable to every serum. Some serums contain ingredients like retinol and retinaldehyde, which are sensitive to UV light, so they should be used at night. Along with this, retinaldehyde or retinol serums should be avoided during pregnancy.

How you should apply serums and when depends on your skin concerns and your serum formulation, so it would be a better approach to get advice from your doctor for this.

Wrap up

Choosing the right face serum can make a huge difference in your life. Face serums are lightweight and get easily absorbed, making them convenient to add to the skincare routine. You can achieve healthier skin as you now know what, when, and how to choose correctly. 

References 

• Jin Lu, Tianxin Cong, Xiang Wen, Xiaoxue Li, Dan Du, Gu He, Xian Jiang, "Salicylic acid treats acne vulgaris by suppressing AMPK/SREBP1 pathway in sebocytes", 2019 Jul
• Lauren Michelle, Delila Pouldar Foulad, Chloe Ekelem, Nazanin Saedi, Natasha Atanaskova Mesinkovska, "Treatments of Periorbital Hyperpigmentation: A Systematic Review", 2021 Jan
• Pattarawan Rattanawiwatpong, Rungsima, Akkarach Bumrungpert, Mart Maiprasert, "Anti-aging and brightening effects of a topical treatment containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract: A split-face, randomized controlled trial", 202 Jan
• Tian-Hua Xu, John Z S Chen, Yuan-Hong Li, Yan Wu, Yao-Jia Luo, Xing-Hua Gao, Hong-Duo Chen, "Split-face study of topical 23.8% L-ascorbic acid serum in treating photo-aged skin", 2012 Jan