Today I had a question in my forums about why serums are special and why they are different from creams. I would imagine all of us would like to know if they’re worth adding to our daily regimen.

My best understanding of skincare treatment serum is basically this:
Serums today are usually formulated with concentrated ingredients such as vitamins, antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and even high tech science ingredients like Marine DNA and tissue nutrients just to name a few. What makes serums different today as opposed to skincare in the past is their delivery system. These potent ingredients can’t do a thing for treatment and repair if they just sit on top of the skin. Today’s better brands have the science to get the little goodies delivered well into the skin to do their individualized specific job. When you add a good serum to your daily regimen you are essentially treating whatever your skin issue is with a target based, indication focused product. Additionally you may be potentiating the work of the regimen you already use. For instance, your day cream may already contain anti-aging ingredients (if that is your focus, but also applies to whatever your specific regimen needs are) but by applying the thinner more concentrated serum underneath your cream you’re getting a boost (sometimes exponentially in my experience) in treatment action. Absorbability is key. If it can’t get in, it can’t work. Having said that there are plenty of times when product on the surface makes sense. You wouldn’t need a scrub to go any deeper (in general) than the scaly superficial layer because you’re basically trying to exfoliate dead skin cells. But when it comes to nutrition for your skin it needs to get into do its work. By the way, for added efficacy use serums on clean and exfoliated skin. However, take sensitivity into consideration as well as use as directed by manufacturer.

So as you can see, my vote goes to the use of serums!