Nourished. Hydrated. Moisturized. Replenished. Firmed. Plumped. All of these words are ones we hope will describe our skin. Using a serum every day is a vital part of your skincare ritual, as the right one delivers high concentrations of ingredients to leave your skin looking and feeling soft, smooth, and supple. Keep reading to learn more about this essential step in your skincare routine, and discover the best face serums for each skin type.
What Is Face Serum?
If you already moisturize (and we hope you do), you may not have realized the added benefits of incorporating serum into your skincare routine. Serums are highly potent skincare treatments that work to increase the overall effectiveness of your entire skincare ritual. These liquid or gel formulas contain high concentrations of ingredients, which are able to penetrate into your skin more deeply. At night, these concentrated and nutrient-dense formulas can also help to aid in skin repair while you sleep.
When Should You Apply Face Serum?
Serum should be the fourth step in your skincare ritual, and should be applied both morning and night to your face and neck. It comes after cleansing, exfoliating, and applying essence, and before applying moisturizer and sunscreen. This is because you should apply your skincare products in order from lightest to heaviest, so that each one delivers its maximum benefits to your skin. And, since serums help the ingredients in your moisturizer and sunscreen to work more effectively, you should always ensure that they are applied in this order.
Furthermore, anyone can benefit from introducing a facial serum into your skincare ritual. Whether you are in your 20s or your 60s, your skin can always use an added boost of nourishment, especially in drier months and drier climates.
The Best Face Serum for Your Skin Type & Needs
For Dry Skin
For those with dry skin types, we recommend using a hydrating serum with ingredients that will feed your skin with moisture, such as the ever-popular hyaluronic acid. Give your skin new life with The Dewy Serum, a hyaluronic acid and collagen amino acid serum. Hyaluronic acid and squalane seal in moisture, hydrolyzed elastin and collagen amino acids reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve skin elasticity, and Abyssinian oil nourishes and hydrates for a radiant glow. We suggest incorporating this serum into your morning skincare ritual.
In recent trials with this serum, it delivered 6x instant hydration* and +67% dewier skin instantly**. After four weeks, 87% showed improvement in elasticity†.
*Based on a bioinstrumentation study of 25 panelists.
**Based on a clinical study of 30 panelists.
†Based on a bioinstrumentation study of 45 panelists.
For Uneven Skin Tone or Fine Lines
Those with uneven skin tone or fine lines and wrinkles can benefit from a serum that features vitamin C. Our Brightening Serum combines 12-hour time-release vitamin C with Japanese plum and ferulic acid to brighten skin, visibly firm, and even skin tone, while a pro-glutathione antioxidant booster targets hyperpigmentation and visible post-acne marks. We suggest incorporating this vitamin C serum into your morning or evening skincare ritual.
For Firming and Healthy Aging
For skin that’s starting to lose firmness, look for a serum that strengthens the skin barrier and visibly smooths fine lines. The Longevity Serum is inspired by nuchi-gusui, the nutrient-rich Okinawan diet that fuels some of the world’s longest-living people. Its Okinawa Cellescence Complex helps restore skin’s youthful look, bio-active lipids visibly firm and reduce the look of lines, and a pro-AHA prebiotic boosts surface cell turnover for smoother skin. This multitasking serum is made for all skin types, and you can use it in your morning or evening skincare ritual (or both), on its own or layered with another serum.
For Deeper Wrinkles
For deeper wrinkles, try The Silk Serum, a wrinkle-smoothing retinol alternative. Its retinol alternative duo reduces the look of wrinkles and boosts radiance, tetrapeptide-4 and silk protein visibly firm and contour for a lifted look, and diglucosyl gallic acid visibly evens skin tone and calms redness. In an expert-graded clinical study of 41 panelists, 85% showed improvement in the look of undereye and forehead lines after two weeks, and 78% showed improvement in the look of deep wrinkles after four weeks.
For Sensitive Skin
If your skin is prone to redness and irritation, look for a gentle serum that calms skin and strengthens the skin barrier. The Indigo Overnight Repair is a serum-in-cream treatment with Japanese indigo extract to visibly soothe redness and irritation, a biomimetic ceramide blend to restore the skin barrier, and mondo grass root to help maintain the skin’s microbiome balance. Use it daily, morning and night, on your face, neck, and décolletage. In studies of 40 panelists, it calmed visible irritation and redness in one night, and 100% showed an improvement in the skin barrier after one night.
For Hydrating Touch-Ups Throughout the Day
As a matter of fact, there is. If you feel as though your skin is needing a touch of extra freshness during the day, reach for The Serum Stick. This touchup and treatment balm is formulated as a concentrated serum with 80% squalane and Japanese rice bran to target the signs of aging and dryness instantly and over time. Japanese rice bran helps reveal radiance, and sunflower seed wax provides a moisture-locking layer on top of skin. Meanwhile, all-natural squalane works instantly to richly moisturize, hydrate, and improve the skin barrier. It absorbs easily without clogging pores or leaving behind oily residue, making this balm ideal for those with combination skin or oily skin.
In addition, The Serum Stick is formulated with Hadasei-3™, our proprietary complex of double-fermented Uji green tea, Akita rice, and Mozuku algae. This trinity of time-tested ingredients work in harmony to deliver radiant, healthy-looking skin. Uji green tea is known to help reduce the signs of aging and to detoxify the skin. Protein-rich Akita rice nourishes the skin, leaving skin feeling plump and supple. Okinawa mozuku algae is packed with hydrating polysaccharides essential for skin water retention and renewal, helping your skin retain moisture and maintain a smooth, hydrated appearance. Rich in a symphony of essential amino acids, this trio supports the skin’s natural moisture-keeping factors while promoting natural skin surface turnover for brighter, beautiful skin at every age.
At Tatcha, it is our long-espoused belief that beauty knows no age. The Serum Stick supports healthy aging and treats the signs of accelerated aging that occur from environmental elements, lifestyle choices, and other factors. We believe that time is a gift, and to better align our language with our values, we talk about healthy aging in our marketing.
Patting on a face serum and drenching your skin with essential nutrients is an act of self-care you can perform for your skin each and every day. We welcome the opportunity to help you treat your skin with the utmost respect by incorporating these treasures into your daily skincare ritual.
*based on bioinstrumentation study conducted on 25 people
**based on an expert graded 4 week study, twice daily use on 45 people
