Just a few of our top Serums
Just a few of our top Serums~
Keina Yuan
K-Beauty Editor
Serums…. The hype around them is real. And everyone seems to be talking about the benefits of incorporating serums into routines and which serum worked great for what. So today, I’m going to break down what a serum generally is, and a few recommendations of some popular Korean serums.
Serums are generally a water or gel-based product usually stored in some sort of glass vial (with an applicator).
Just like we discussed in the article “Serums, Ampoules, Essences and First Serums… What’s the difference?!”, serums serve various purposes such as brightening, spot treatments, hydrating, soothing etc… To do this, they contain a concentrate of up to 10% (it can differ but usually no more than 20%) of some active ingredients.
Now onto our first recommendation!
COSRX’S AC Collection Blemish Spot Clearing Serum
The Blemish Spot Clearing Serum is known as a “total solution serum” with a unique 3-way-purpose function.
Calming: treats active breakouts and redness
Clearing: for dark spots and after acne
Recovering: improves scarring and skin texture
Packed with tonnes of goodness! In the order of concentration (high to low) these are: Propolis extract, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Allantoin, Tea Tree Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate (a form of hyaluronic acid) and the CentallAC – Complex – Asiaticoside, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid, Madecassoside.
The CentellAC-Complex is basically the 4 main components of the plant Centella. They help to soothe and help the skin.
I would recommend this serum for those with more combination to oily skin and would like to treat frequent breakouts and acne. It’s very lightweight and watery plus, it has tonnes of amazing ingredients for sensitive skin, so you can use it all over the face. If you really want to, you can also use it as a spot treatment for specific areas only too!
Benton’s Snail Bee Ultimate Serum
This luscious serum by Benton contains Snail Mucin Extract AND Bee Venom! Yup! Bee Venom.
It has multiple benefits including skin barrier improvement, increasing moisture retention, and boosting the skin’s vitality (increased collagen and elastin production).
Because this serum promotes skin cell turnover, it has a slight brightening effect and the snail and bee are both great sources of nutrients for the skin.
This serum is suitable for all skin types especially for those looking for skincare for premature aging. It is on the thicker side and is quite concentrated so I wouldn’t recommend it for those with extremely sensitive – instead, I would go for the Snail Bee Essence instead.
Yehwadam’s Pure Brightening Serum
This serum is actually part of an anti-aging brand and range. It is formulated to brighten and moisturise the skin with the use of Korean traditional herbs, ginseng, snow lotus and pearl powder.
The Pearl Powder actively brightens the skins completion to reduce hyperpigmentation and the appearance of age spots. Whereas the herbal ingredients provide nutrition to the skin to increase vitality and moisture retention.
Astonishingly, this product is also great for reducing redness! And the ginseng also helps to promote collagen and elastin production.
This serum is surprisingly suitable for all skin types as well. However, I would say it is more effective on mature skin. Yes, you can still use this on younger skin, but I wouldn’t recommend continuous use. Because it is packed with A LOT of nutrition, its quite thick and might overload your skin. But once in a while when your skin is craving something nourishing and brightening, this is your guy!
Dr Belmeur’s Vita Serine Tone Smoothing Serum
This hypo-allergenic serum is another one with a triple care complex! It improves skin tone, boosts moisture and helps with pore care.
It is formulated with a Serine, Hyaluronic acid, a bunch of nutritious oils and a Vitamin Complex consisting of Vitamin B5 derivative, Vitamin B3 derivative and Vitamin C derivative.
*Vitamin derivatives are just more stable forms of the ingredient.
It also contains Ceramide NP. This ingredient has an unique, incredible ability to form ceramide particles when applied to the skin, hence improving the skin’s barrier.
This is a great serum for those with sensitive, dry to combination skin. Although it is relatively lightweight, it contains a few comedogenic ingredients like squalene and stearic acid PLUS it is very nourishing.
So, you probably picked up, but serums tend to have MULTIPLE purposes and benefits. For example, one serum might be able to hydrate and brighten the skin. And you definitely do not have to limit yourself to the serums in this article either!
Everything is about trial and error and you can always find something lighter, thicker, more concentrated etc…
Just remember to listen to your skin’s cravings and fine tune your skincare to that!
Dr Belmeur’s Vita Serine Tone Smoothing Serum
Related Articles:
Serums, Ampoules, Essences, First Serums… What’s the difference?!
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