Best Face Serums, According to Your Skin Type
These Facial Serums Make It Easy For You to Get Your Best Skin Ever
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Like baking macarons — or any dessert that doesn't come in a box — an effective face serum has everything to do with the ingredients. Finding the right recipe differs from person to person, depending on your individual skin type and concern.
Following a few basic guidelines on ingredients per skin type will make navigating the labels on your serums a breeze. Those with dry skin should look for hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamins (like E, which helps to retain skin's natural moisture), and oils. Oily types should look for exfoliating acids (like glycolic) and retinol to accelerate cell turnover and purge clogged pores. Those with combination skin should target a specific skin concern (whether it be parched areas, oily patches, or dullness).
Keep reading to check out our list of the best serums of all time for your skin type and concern.
— Additional reporting by Anvita Reddy
Best For Normal Skin: Bliss Renew & Smooth Serum
The Bliss Renew & Smooth Serum ($25) will give you an everyday glow while being gentle. On top of powerhouse antioxidants and AHAs, this serum contains niacinimide, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E.
Best For Normal Skin: BYBI Bakuchiol Booster Facial Treatment
The BYBI Bakuchiol Booster Facial Treatment ($10) plumps, smooths and improves skin texture with a gentle retinol alternative, bakuchiol. It's also super moisturizing since it contains squalane oil.
Best Serum For Combination Skin: L'Oréal Paris Hyaluronic Acid Serum
The bestselling L'Oreal Paris Hyaluronic Acid Serum ($24) is packed with hyaluronic acid to combat any dry patches or flakes, but without feeling too heavy on oilier spots like your t-zone. Plus, the formula is paraben- and fragrance-free.
Best Serum For Combination Skin: Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting & Refining Serum
If you have combination skin and want to minimize the appearance of pores, you're going to want to try the Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting & Refining Serum ($65). It contains a blend of acids and mushroom extract that clears out the pores, making them appear smaller.
Best Serum For Combination Skin: Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Serum
The Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Serum ($22) contains micro-encapsulated retinol and natural retinol alternatives to refine skin texture. Translation: you get the same smooth results without the irritation.
Best Serum For Combination Skin: Rosen Skincare Bright Citrus Serum
The Rosen Skincare Bright Citrus Serum ($18) is a 20 percent vitamin C serum that will diminish dark spots and give you a brighter complexion all while protecting your skin from environmental factors.
Best Serum For Dry Skin: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum
The lightweight First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum ($38) will leave dry skin feeling supple and healthy with its use of hydrating hyaluronic acid, calming aloe leaf juice and colloidal oatmeal, and firming collagen.
Best Serum For Dry Skin: The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA
For under $10, you'll get a hydrating serum that means business. The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA ($7) will brighten up your skin, take care of dark spots and hyperpigmentation, all while being gentle.
Best Serum For Dry Skin: Whimsy Halcyon Botanic Serum
The Whimsy Halcyon Botanic Serum ($95) gives your skin the same kind of glow you'd get from a trip around the Caribbean coastline, but we found it works especially well on drier skin types. The rich, oil-like texture hydrates like a dream, absorbs in a snap, and reduces redness and inflammation almost immediately. (It's so good, it even won a coveted POPSUGAR Beauty Award.)
Best Serum For Dull Skin: Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum 20% Vitamin C + 10% AHA
Tatcha Violet-C Brightening Serum ($88) uses fruit acids, vitamin C, and licorice extracts to fade dark spots and brighten your overall complexion.
Best Serum For Dull Skin: Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum
The Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA Resurfacing Night Serum ($58) earned its Power Your Pretty Award with an all-star list of brightening and hydrating ingredients including lactic, glycolic, citric, fruit, and hyaluronic acids.
Best Serum For Dull Skin: Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum
If you want a glow like Hailey Bieber, try the Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum ($145) formulated by her go-to aesthetics doctor. It features a potent dose of vitamin C and kakadu plum with none of the artificial citrus scent you often get with others (this stuff is totally fragrance free).
Best Serum For Dull Skin: Pixi Glow Tonic Serum
Lackluster skin need a boost? Try the Glow Tonic Serum ($24), which uses glycolic acid to purge clogged pores and resurface skin overnight so you wake up with a glow.
Best Serum For Dull Skin: Maelove The Glow Maker
The Maelove The Glow Maker ($28) will make your skin glow with it's antioxidant-rich, potent forumla. It's a powerhouse serum that contains 15 percent vitamin C serum containing ferulic acid, hyalrounic acid, and vitamin E. It's known for being a dupe of the the crème de la crème of brightening serums, Skinceuticals C E Ferulic.
Best Serum For Anti-Aging: The Inkey List Retinol Anti-Aging Serum
The Inkey List Retinol Anti-Aging Serum ($10) will keep your skin looking fresh and renewed while protecting it from pre-mature aging, all at an affordable cost. This retinol is released slowly to help promote a smoother complexion with less irritation.
Best Serum For Anti-Aging: SkinMedia TNS Essential Serum
Yes, we do realize that the SkinMedia TNS Essential Serum ($281) is far from cheap, but if you can swing it, you simply won't find a more effective elixir for combatting fine lines and wrinkles. That's thanks to its proprietary growth factor blend that works in combination with powerhouse peptides and antioxidants.
Best Serum For Oily Skin: Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum
The Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum ($90) contains 12 percent exfoliating AHAs and BHAs that are hard at work resurfacing the skin while you sleep.
Best Serum For Oily Skin: Aavrani Balance Restoring Serum
The Aavrani Balance Restoring Serum ($60) will calm your skin and minimize, thanks to its tea tree oil, cucumber extract, chamomile flowers, and witch hazel.
