Oils and serums with highly effective ingredients should ensure a youthful, pure, and even complexion. But what is the difference between the two types of products and what skin types and needs are they suitable for? We asked an expert.
Cosmetic cupboards and bathroom shelves have to withstand a lot: In addition to care classics such as a good day cream, there are now various other bottles, jars, and pump discs, including night and eye cream, facial cleanser, micellar water, and lotions. Serums and oils for the face have also become part of the standard beauty repertoire of many women. But what exactly is the difference between the two types of product – and do you really need both? Here comes our skincare guide with all the important facts about oils and serums for the face. see more info
Face Oil and Serum: What’s the Difference?
When it comes to the right products for daily skincare many women are confused even before buying them: What is the difference between skin oil and a skin serum? Or are they different names for the same cosmetic product? Trice Christiansen, fo the under of the natural cosmetics brand “RAAW by Trice”, knows the answer to this question: “ Serums are formulated from smaller molecules to penetrate deeper layers of our skin, while most facial oils do usually made up of larger molecules that provide moisture to the skin. Serums are therefore suitable for a deep treatment but do not hydrate the skin as much as oil. Both categories, serums, and oils are equally important in a beauty routine – unless you have a product that has both superpowers. “
Suitable facial serum
Besides, due to their highly effective active ingredients, serums are just as suitable for short-term skin treatment as they are for permanent integration into the care routine. Besides, with a suitable facial serum, it is possible to specifically address specific skin problems and needs – such as irritation, impurities, pigment spots, wrinkles with age and dryness, or skin diseases such as couperose. Classic face oils, on the other hand, are usually tailored to specific skin types, for example normal, dry, oily, mature, sensitive, or prone to blemishes. Face oil is suitable for short-term treatment of the skin, for example on particularly cold winter days, or as a permanent component of daily skincare.
An essential difference between oil and serum lies in the texture: serums are made on a water basis and therefore have a gel-like consistency that is somewhere between lotion and cream. As a result, they are quickly absorbed by the skin and can penetrate the deep layers. If a product is declared as an “oil-based serum”, it is an oil.
Face oil, on the other hand, forms a protective film on the skin. Facial oils are often composed of several essential oils. They lie like a protective layer on the surface of the skin and, due to the large molecules, stay there much longer than, for example, a serum. Because of this property, oils can protect sensitive facial skin from harmful environmental influences and prevent moisture loss.
Decision-making aid: facial oil or serum?
Serums and oils differ in their properties and effects and therefore form two different product categories in skincare. Do you need both or is it enough to include just one facial oil in your daily care routine, for example? Ultimately, the answer to this question depends on your personal cosmetic preferences: If you like to spend a lot of time in the morning and the evening for skincare, first apply a serum with a care effect and then massage in a few drops of facial oil after the day or night cream. You benefit from the powerful ingredients of the serum and, thanks to the oil, offer your skin additional protection and moisture.
Even with the decision for only one of the two product types you are not going wrong and giving your skin additional care. Due to the highly potent active ingredients contained in them, serums are the more effective choice to achieve care or anti-aging effect. A high-quality serum usually costs more than a good face oil, but it is very economical, as one pump is usually enough for the entire face.
Individual bottles in the cosmetics cabinet
A middle ground if you want to do without many individual bottles in the cosmetics cabinet: a product that combines the effect of oil and serum – like the “Blue Beauty Drops” from RAAW. How does that work? “The ‘Blue Beauty Drops’ contain active ingredients with different molecule sizes. This means that the product both nourishes deeper layers of the skin and is absorbed by the outer layers. One of the ingredients, for example, is jojoba oil, which, thanks to its fine molecular structure, moisturizes the skin deep down and is quickly absorbed.
This is how you can recognize high-quality face oils and serums
When the decision has been made for serum and oil, there are numerous products from various brands to choose from. But how do you find a good product in this skincare jungle? Trice Christiansen has expert advice on hand for this as well: “Study the list of ingredients and make sure that it is not too long or too complicated to understand. Make sure most of the ingredients are natural, organic, or wild-harvested. Do without cosmetics with aluminum and silicone – and choose a product in glass packaging instead of plastic if you can. “
