Serums and moisturizers have different benefits for the skin. One might be able to get away with just using a serum on their face, particularly those who do not suffer from dry skin. At other times, such as when your skin is dry or when the climate is drying, you will discover that you require both a serum and a face moisturizer to adequately care for your skin.
Is there a difference in the benefits that a serum and a moisturizer provide for your skin? Should you start by applying the serum, or the moisturizer? What are the advantages of using face serum? What exactly are the advantages of using face moisturizer?
Any answers to these questions are obscured by the little but discernible shifts in consistency. This article tells you the difference between serums and moisturizers for your face so you can decide if you only need one or if you need both. Keep reading to find out more.
What is serum?
When compared to face moisturizer, a facial serum is a lightweight skincare product that has a higher concentration of active ingredients (such as hyaluronic acid, salicylic acid, and vitamin C). Face serums are frequently used to control certain facial concerns such as wrinkles, acne, dry skin, and dullness.
Depending on the type of serum you use, they can make your skin look brighter, make it feel more hydrated, and provide a range of other advantages. A serum intended for the skin can be found in a range of formulations, including gels and oils; some serums may even have the consistency of water.
Also Read: How To Treat a Maskne
What is Face Moisturizer?
Moisturizers can come in the form of lotions or creams and work to prevent dry skin. It is primarily composed of water and works to lock moisture into the skin’s surface layer, giving the appearance of more hydrated skin.
Hydration is increased in the skin by using moisturizers. They come in a variety of forms, and the substances in them may also help heal wounds and reduce skin inflammation.
In the routine maintenance of the skin, facial moisturizers serve a special and important role. In addition to keeping the skin moisturized, they shield it from the damaging effects of the environment, including pollution, dust, humidity, severe temperatures, and ultraviolet rays.
Difference between Serum and Face Moisturizer
- 1. Consistency
The consistency of serums is thinner, almost watery. In comparison to serums, moisturizers typically have a creamier consistency and a higher thickness.
2. Purpose
Serums are formulated to go very deep into the skin and deliver their active components just where they are needed. Moisturizing creams, on the other hand, help strengthen the skin’s surface, bind skin cells together more effectively, and work at the skin’s surface to make it more hydrated.
3. Molecule Size
Serums have smaller particles, so they reach deeper into the skin’s cells. Moisturizers may also contain molecules that are bigger than those seen in serums. Because of this, a moisturizer will typically not be able to permeate the skin quite as rapidly or as deeply as a serum will be able to do so.
4. Working Mechanism
Serums are intensive yet lightweight skin care products that are formulated to penetrate deeply into the skin. This allows the active ingredients in the serums to combat free radical damage, skin pigmentation, aging, acne, and scarring by delivering nutrients and vitamins directly into the skin cells. The radiance of the skin can be dramatically improved by using serums that contain antioxidants, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C. These serums work by brightening, exfoliating, and moisturizing the skin respectively.
Cellular repair is the goal of serums, but they also target a wide range of skin health factors at once. Serums are your best bet if you have aging, damaged, scarred, or sun-damaged skin and want to minimize the visual effects.
As the name suggests, moisturizers are lotions or creams that include emollients that help keep the skin hydrated. Larger molecule sizes in moisturizing products prevent them from penetrating deeper into the skin’s epidermis or top layer. They seal the skin, preventing water and nutrients from escaping, and this is their primary advantage.
Moisturizing creams have thicker, heavier ingredients that form a barrier on your skin that is meant to keep moisture in. But it can also keep the moisturizer’s active ingredients from getting to the skin, making them less effective.
How to use them?
You should always apply a serum immediately to your skin after cleansing or toning and before applying a moisturizer or sunscreen since serums contain the active elements you want to penetrate as deeply into your skin as possible. It is not necessary to apply your serum once you have moisturized. The denser, more substantial components that are found in moisturizers are intended to create a barrier on your skin. But they can also prevent the entry of active substances.
Both morning and nighttime are acceptable times for applying your serum(s). They do not necessarily take the place of your moisturizer, but they might increase the moisturizing properties that your moisturizer already has.
Moisturizers have a more straightforward purpose; they are designed to moisturize the skin and stop it from losing water. The primary purpose of these products is to deliver moisture to the skin and ensure that it remains there. However, some of them also contain anti-aging chemicals, which means that they can perform double duty for your skin.
In order to effectively treat a challenging issue with your skin, such as hyperpigmentation, acne, dry skin, and uneven skin tone you should combine your moisturizer with a good serum. This will allow you to achieve the best possible results.
Final Thoughts
Your skin will become more supple and flexible after using moisturizer because it creates a barrier that prevents moisture loss and seals in existing moisture. A serum is a concentrated liquid that is applied to the skin to treat skin conditions such as dark spots and blemishes. Serums are very lightweight, and their active ingredients are quickly absorbed by the skin. To achieve soft, supple skin, you can combine serum with moisturizer.
