What are the benefits of using a serum and a moisturizer, you ask? Do you really need both to get softer-looking fine lines and a dewy glow? How do you know which to apply first?
These are all good questions, and they all come back to one thing: layering. The order you put your skincare on is the most important tip of them all.
Serums and moisturizers both have a job in your routine. They do different things, and they work best together. A serum isn't there to replace your moisturizer. It's there to add hydration and the ingredients your moisturizer can't carry, as long as each one goes on in the right order. So let's take it layer by layer (pun intended).
The role of a serum.
First, serums are thin. Most are water-based, so they spread fast on clean skin and sink in before anything heavier goes on top. That's why a serum goes first: nothing sits between it and your skin.
A serum is also where the hard-working ingredients live. Ours, PDRN Glow Serum, is a light gel with salmon DNA (PDRN) and a peptide (acetyl hexapeptide-8), plus hyaluronic acid, glycerin and sodium PCA, which pull water into your skin and hold it there. It's made to reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles and give skin a plumper, bouncier look with consistent use. That's the other reason a serum belongs in your routine next to your moisturizer.
The role of a moisturizer.
Ah yes, the trusty moisturizer. Most of us can't go a day without one. It makes skin feel good right away, and it does more behind the scenes. Moisturizers are thicker creams and lotions. They sit on the top layer of your skin and help hold in the hydration your serum just delivered.
So don't skip it. A moisturizer won't do a serum's job, and a serum won't do a moisturizer's. You want both. If you're shopping for one, our DMAE Firming Cream is a richer cream with hyaluronic acid, aloe and vitamin E, made for skin that looks firmer and more toned with consistent use.
Let's sum up the difference.
The difference can seem obvious and not so obvious at the same time. The one you notice is the texture: serums are thin, moisturizers are thick. The one that matters is the job: a serum brings in the water and the actives, and a moisturizer holds them in.
To keep it simple:
Serum: goes on first, on clean skin. Light and water-based, it carries the actives.
Moisturizer: goes on after. Thicker, it holds the hydration in.
How do I know which serum or moisturizer to choose?
It can feel like a lot. Start with your skin type and the one thing that bugs you most. Dry or tight skin? Fine lines? Makeup that settles into your lines by lunchtime? Dull skin? Naming it narrows the choice fast.
Then look for the ingredients that match. If your skin is dry or tight, look for hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which pull water into the skin. If fine lines are what you notice first, look for peptides, and for PDRN, the salmon DNA ingredient K-beauty made famous. PDRN Glow Serum has all of them in one fragrance-free bottle.
One more thing before you go...
Layer from lightest to heaviest: serum first, then your moisturizer, then a face oil if you use one. That order keeps each layer doing its job. Easy, right?
Start tonight. PDRN Glow Serum is at its launch price until Sunday, November 22: 2 bottles for $69, or $34.50 a bottle. Love it, or get your money back within 30 days.
Want the full routine? The Glow and Firm Set puts PDRN Glow Serum, DMAE Firming Cream and Peptide Eye Gel-Cream together for $89.
A cosmetic, not a medical treatment. Results vary.