Natural Facial Serums

What are natural facial serums?

Natural facial serums are packed with highly concentrated and potent active ingredients, which quickly penetrate the deeper levels of the skin. Usually of a light consistency, they are quickly absorbed. They consist of a fewer thickening agents, in comparison to creams, for example.

Natural facial serums address and target various skin types and conditions. Natural facial serums promote firmer skin texture, fresher and hydrated skin texture, less visible lines and wrinkles,…

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What are active ingredients and which ingredients are usually used in natural facial serums?

Active ingredients are those ingredients in a beauty product, which actually deliver the claimed and proposed benefits for the skin. They are represented in higher concentration in product formulation. Depending which skin concern they wish to address, active ingredients can be extracts, antioxidants, peptites, vitamins (A, C, E), skin-brighteners (kojic acid), hydrators ( sodium hyalurante), etc.

Peptides, biologically active compounds, are short chains of amino acids (chains of up to 50 amino acids are peptides, chains of over 50 amino acids are proteins), found in a body as enzymes, hormones etc.

Depending on the number of amino acids, the peptides listed on ingredients list would look like dipeptide (two amino acids), tripeptide (three amino acids) tetrapeptide (four amino acids), …

In skin care, peptides act like cell-communicating ingredients, sending the skin signals that it is damaged and needs to produce more collagen. Peptides can be derived from natural sources, by isolating a peptide chain from other peptide chains, but for this process, synthetic chemicals are used (like, for example, hexane is used in extraction of essential oils), which can remain in a peptide and cause skin irritation.

Most peptides in skin care products are synthetic, and therefore the skin may not react as favorably to unnatural and therefore not as easily recognizable peptides, and would take longer for the skin to receive cell-communicating signals from these peptides.

Some peptides used in skin care products: Acetyl hexapeptide-3, Acetyl hexapeptide-8, Acetyl tetrapeptide-9, Caprooyl tetrapeptide-3, Copper peptides, Hexapeptide-11, Nonapeptide-1, Oligopeptide-68, Palmitoyl dipeptide-5 diaminobutyroyl hydroxythreonine, palmitoyl dipeptide-6 diaminohydroxybutyrate, Palmitoyl oligopeptide, Palmitoyl penapeptide-4, Palmitoyl pentapeptide, Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, Palmitoyl-tripeptide, Palmitoyl tripeptide-38, Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2.

Extracts are potent plant derivates, obtained by supercritical CO2 method, using low temperature and no chemicals in order to preserve potent and fragile plant actives.

Sodium hyalurante is mostly used in serums promoting skin hydration. Sodium hyalurante has the ability to penetrate deep into the dermis of the skin, maintaining and attracting water, thus promoting a softer, smoother skin with less visible wrinkles and fuller appearance.

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Natural facial serums based on texture

Depending on the ingredients and therefore the skin’s concern they are aiming to address and target, natural facial serums come in a variety of different textures/consistencies : liquid and gel-like texture and oil texture

• Natural facial serums of a liquid and gel-like texture contain highly concentrated essential oils and extracts, in addition to peptides, sodium hyalurante, and are usually water-based products. They are very light, easily absorbed and great for a daily use, especially under the makeup. They can be used alone or layered with a moisturizer.
• Natural facial serums of an oily texture contain carefully selected potent and highly concentrated carrier oils, essential oils and mostly – plant extracts. Oil based natural facial serums are of a thicker consistency, and are mostly used as a night treatment. They can be used alone or in a combination with moisturizers.

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Natural facial serums based on skin type

Many natural facial serums can and do address various skin demands and problems all at once. If you have dry skin as well as fine lines, you can find a natural facial serum with hydrating and anti-aging properties. At the same time, you can use a hydrating facial serum during the day, while as a night treatment, you can use a replenishing and renewing serum. Just because you have oily skin, it does not mean the skin is also not in a dire need of hydration. Bellow you can find a selection of natural facial serums based on skin type as well as based on skin conditions.

Dry and dull skin
For skin that’s dull and in need of hydration, look for hydrating, rejuvenating, replenishing and revitalizing serums which contain hydrating ingredients, such as sodium hyalurante, ceramides and amino acids. For most with dry skin, using only a serum might not be enough, so combining a hydrating serum with a moisturizing cream or facial lotion is advised.

A selection of natural facial serums recommended for dry and dull skin:

• Avalon Organics Vitamin C renewal facial serum
• Green People hydrating firming serum
• Kelly Edwards rejuvenating serum
• A’Kin revitalizing cellular radiance serum
• John Masters Organics green tea & rose hydrating face serum
• Absolution moisturizing & antioxidant serum
• Luxsit hydrating serum
• Melvita rose plumping radiance serum
• MyChelle ultra hyaluronic hydrating serum
• Aurelia revitalize & glow serum
• Odacite night time repair serum
• Josh Rosebrook deep hydrating serum
• Osmia facial restoration serum

Mature skin
For mature skin, look for  anti-aging, firming, brightening and renewal serums containing anti-aging and antioxidant ingredients. Such serums may not offer enough moisturizing properties, so a light moisturizer applied after serum would benefit the skin greatly.

A selection of natural facial serums recommended for mature and skin in need of anti-aging treatment:

• Acure seriously firming serum
• Andalou Naturals revitalize age defying serum
• Barefoot SOS repair and renew ultimate youth serum
• Mel Millis rosehip & pomegranate repair serum
• Caudalie anti-wrinkle defence serum
• Green People age defy+ hydrate and renew serum
• John Masters Organics vitamin C anti-aging face serum
• Luxsit regenerating serum
• MyChelle peptite anti-wrinkle serum
• Trilogy age proof CoQ10 booster serum
• Absolution anti-aging booster serum
• Jurlique age defying firming and tightening serum
• May Lindstrom Skin the youth dew serum
• The Organic Pharmacy antioxidant firming serum
• Tata Harper rejuvenating serum
• La Bella Figura barbary fig renewal serum
• Laurel antioxidant serum
• One Love Organics eternal youth preservation serum
• Tammy Fender quintessential serum

Oily and acne prone skin
For oily skin, you should look for balancing facial serum, which will balance your skin’s oil production, but at the same time won’t strip your skin of its natural oils, thus making the skin to produce more oils. For acne prone skin, look for serums which will not contain comedogenic ingredients and will, at the same time, heal already existing acne (tea tree, white willow bark extract etc).

A selection of natural facial serums recommended for for oily, combination and acne prone skin:

• Andalou Naturals pure pore serum
• Kelly Edwards balancing serum
• John Masters Organics bearberry oily skin balancing face serum
• MyChelle clean skin oily blemish control serum
• Living Nature firming flax serum
• PAI Skincare balance blemish serum
• Laurel balance serum

Skin prone to redness and dark spots
For skin prone to redness look for anti-redness and calming serums which do not contain irritating ingredients. If you suffer from dark spots, whether from sun exposure or age, look for brightening serums, containing ingredients which inhibit melanin production or brighten the skin.

A selection of natural facial serums recommended for irritated, redness prone and skin suffering from pigmentation:

• Andalou Naturals enlighten and brightening serum
• Dr Scheller wild rose di-pigment serum
• REN evercalm anti-redness serum
• Estelle & Thild bio-calm anti-redness serum
• Luxsit soothing serum
• MyChelle apple brightening serum
• PAI Skincare instant calm redness serum
• S5 calm serum
• Jurlique redness rescue restorative serum
• Trilogy gentle calming serum
• Russell Organics soothing serum
• Kahina Giving Beauty brightening serum
• MUN brightening youth serum
• Tata Harper concentrated brightening serum
• Laurel sun damage repair serum
• Osmia facial brightening serum
• One Love Organics vitamin C brightening serum

Sensitive skin
Serums, due to their highly concentrated active ingredients, may prove to be irritating to those with sensitive skin. If you have sensitive skin, look for calming serums, and serums which may not contain many, if any, essential oils.

A selection of natural facial serums recommended for irritated and sensitive skin:

• Trilogy very gentle calming serum
• Russell Organics soothing serum
• Laurel anti-inflammatory serum
• Estelle & Thild bio-calm anti-redness serum
• Luxsit soothing serum

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The cost of natural facial serums: justified?

Out of all skin care products, serums tend to be the most expensive. Given high concentrations of expensive active natural ingredients, in most cases, the cost is justified. When using natural facial serums, you achieve fast, visible results, and the active ingredients, which penetrate deep into the skin, work in the long run as well. Of course, justifying spending, say, 100€ on 30ml or even 15ml of a product can be difficult, but you can find natural facial serums which will not break your wallet, bank account and your mortgage. It should be noted, however, that despite knowing the immense benefits of these highly concentrated expensive ingredients in natural serums, some brands do tend to go a bit overboard with the prices. Not naming any names, but a 5ml facial serum, containing only one carrier oil and a quite affordable essential oil with a price tag of 40€? While on the other hand, and here I will be naming names, Mel Millis 30ml Baobab & Immortelle serum, containing quite a lot of potent and expensive extracts, costs 57€? You be the judge.

Does a higher cost of a serum mean it’s superior to those which cost less? I’d argue that in most cases yes, but again, do not be persuaded based on the cost only – just because a serum has a high price tag, it does not mean it’s actually worth the price – look at the ingredients: are they precious and skin beneficial ingredients? If the answer is yes, then the product justifies its price – however, when you see a product which costs, say, 200€, then, unless you have an unlimited budget, I would suggest you skip on such serum. There has to be a reasonable line drawn somewhere, in my opinion. While natural facial serums, carrying a price tag of 100€ do, in most cases, contain many precious, skin-beneficial and very expensive ingredients, you can easily get a facial serum, which would address your skin’s needs, for a reasonable price of, say, 50€. Also, another aspect to keep in mind is the volume of a natural serum; for example: 50€ for 15ml vs. 50€ for 30ml.

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Natural facial serums based on price

When looking for beauty products, the first rule should be what ingredients they contain and how they’d benefit your skin. Usually, the better ingredients means the higher the cost, but it’s not easy to shell out 100€ for one beauty product. So here’s a selection of natural facial serums based on price. The categories are based on prices in three currencies: €, $ and £, so 20$ would be substantially less than, say, £20.

• Natural facial serums up to 20:

Thesis Lullaby for dry skin serum |  Nourish protect replenishing peptide serum |  Andalou Naturals pure pore serum |  Acure Organics seriously firming serum |  Kelly Edwards rejuvenating serum |  Logona rose serum |  Avalon organics age – less illuminating serum |  Green People hydrating firming serum |  Aura Cacia essentials facial oil serum |  Dr Scheller depigment serum |  Kneipp intensive regeneration serum

• Natural Facial Serums from 20 – 30:

Barefoot SOS repair & renew ultimate youth serum |  Paul Penders hydrating control serum |  REN vita mineral optimum skin serum oil  |  REN evercalm anti – redness serum |  John Masters Organics green tea & rose hydrating face serum |  A’Kin revitalizing cellular radiance serum |  The Grapeseed Company rose & grape serum |  John Masters Organics bearberry oily skin balancing face serum |  Burt’s Bees radiance serum |  MyChelle clear skin and oily blemish control serum |  Mel Millis rosehip & pomegranate repair serum  |  Jason hyper – C serum

• Natural Facial Serums from 30 – 50:

Intelligent Nutrients anti-aging serum |  Estelle & Thild bio-calm anti-redness serum |  MyChelle vitamin A plus serum |  Absolution moisturizing & antioxidant serum |  Antipodes worship superfruit antioxidant serum |  Caudalie vinexpert firming serum |  Mel Millis baobab & immortelle age defying serum |  REN radiance perfection serum |  S5 replenish skin serum |  Luxsit regenerating serum |  Osmia facial calibration serum |  Melvita rose plumping radiance serum |  Living Nature firming flax serum |  John Masters Organics vitamin C anti-aging face serum |  Soapwalla restorative face serum |  Trilogy age proof CoQ10 booster serum |  Beaut – Boutique stem – cell serum |  PAI instant calm redness serum |  Green People age defy+ hydrate and renew serum

• Natural Facial Serums from 50 – 70:

Absolution radiant booster serum |  Life Extension skin stem cell serum |  Russell Organics vitamin C serum |  Laurel facial serum balance |  Jurlique redness rescue restorative serum |  Primavera intensive serum |  Caudalie vinoeperfect radiance serum complexion correction|  Jurlique herbal recovery advanced serum |  Anipodes joyous protein-rich night replenishing serum |  Russell Organics soothing serum  |  Osmia facial restoration serum |  Elemental Herbology cell food radiance and vitality serum

• Natural Facial Serums from 70 and up:

Lina Hanson global face serum |  MUN brightening youth serum |  Kahina Giving Beauty brightening serum |  Laurel antioxidant serum |  Osmia facial brightening serum |  Aurelia revitalize & glow serum |  Odacite night time repair serum |  Jurlique purely age-defying firming and tightening serum |  Oskia super 16 pro-collagen super serum |  Bottega Organica ultra concentrated face serum |  Josh Rosebrook deep hydrating serum |  One Love Organics springs eternal youth preservation serum |  Tata Harper booster contouring serum |  Amala rejuvenating serum |  Absolution revitalizing booster serum | La Bella Figura barbary fig renewal serum |  Tammy Fender quintessential serum |  The Organics Pharmacy antioxidant face firming serum |  May Lindstrom Skin the youth dew – hydrating facial serum

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My wishlist of natural facial serums

I am a big fan of facial oils and facial serums. I’ve tried quite a lot of them, but, as always, there’s still a long line of those which I haven’t and are on my never ending wish list of natural beauty products.

• Andalou Naturals pure pore serum ($19,96): antibacterial witch hazel and natural salicylic white willow bark are great for oily and acne prone skin, along with potent antioxidants. Also very affordable.
• REN vita mineral optimum skin serum oil (€35,25): given I like using REN vita mineral cream as a moisturizer before applying makeup, this serum is on my wish list due to essential acids, which hydrate and promote collagen formation while Vitamin A promotes skin’s renewal process. Affordable.
• Melvita rose plumping radiance serum (€47,94): I really like Melvita’s moisturizing rose nectar day cream, and since most of the Melvita’s rose collection is on my wish list, so, too is this serum. There are a few ingredients I am not that fond of in this serum, however, there are many plant extracts including those of roses. Given there are quite a lot of “fillers” in this serum, the price seems a bit high.
• Trilogy age proof CoQ10 booster serum (£29,50): based on ingredients, this serum would be great for the times when the skin feels tired and in a need of some boosting. CoQ10 promotes skin’s renewal process. Even though there’s only 20ml, this serum is nonetheless affordable.
• Antipodes worship superfruit antioxidant serum (€47,93): given it’s water-based, this serum must feel light on the skin, and thus perfect for applying before makeup. It contains many concentrated antioxidant fruit extracts and essential fatty acids. Somewhat affordable.
• Luxsit regenerating serum (£43,00): bilberry seed oil promotes collagen production and skin’s elasticity, and while this oil-based serum does not contain any “fillers” I still think it’s a bit too expensive.
• S5 replenish skin serum (£44,00): while mainly targeting dry skin, it would be useful for harsh winter days under the makeup. A bit too expensive.
• Mel Millis baobab & immortelle age defying serum (£45): it’s no secret I really like potent precious formulations of Mel Millis, so this serum, containing precious and expensive immortelle would naturally be on my wish list. It also contains concentrated extracts and Vitamin A with carrot extract. Price is justifiable.
• Laurel antioxidant serum ($80): this brand uses highly skin-beneficial, precious and expensive ingredients in their formulations – it’s an absolute delight for any fan of truly natural beauty products. Promoting collagen production and having chock-full of potent antioxidant ingredients, this serum must be something else for the skin. A price falls rather heavy on the wallet, but it is still justifiable.
• MUN brightening youth serum ($95): containing the luxuriously precious prickly peer oil, which is a very potent antioxidant, anti-aging and skin-brightening agent, this serum, along with argan oil and rosa damascena, does not contain many ingredients, but I’d wager they are very concentrated. With its price of $95 for 20ml, I would have a hard time justifying the purchase.
• Kahina Giving Beauty brightening serum ($90): has quite a good number of potent extracts, promoting calm skin, as well as regenerative and hydrating properties, but I am not sure why there’s the need for preservative, given there’s no water in this oil – based serum. A bit on expensive side.
• One Love Organics springs eternal youth preservation serum ($75): marine plants based serum, promoting skin’s revitalization, while at the same time having a calming effect and antioxidants to boost. Containing just carrier oils and extracts, and no preservative – which is always a plus. Price somewhat reasonable.
• Aurelia revitalize & glow serum ($84): full of potent extracts, promoting healthy and glowy looking skin by way of probiotics, but given it also contains water, there are also emulsifiers and preservatives. It would be probably great for dry skin and used under makeup, but for my oil skin, it would be used as a night treatment. Price somewhat reasonable.
• May Lindstrom Skin the youth dew – hydrating facial serum ($120): containing many carrier and essential oils, but none of them, in my opinion, should amount to such high price for 20ml. Yes, all these oils are skin-beneficial, and I am sure the final formulation is a treat for the skin, but nonetheless, based on ingredients alone, I cannot see myself justifying spending €120 for 20ml of this serum. Curiosity still remains, though.
• La Bella Figura barbary fig renewal serum ($125) : containing somewhat exotic ingredients, leading with expensive, precious and skin-beneficial barberry fig oil, this serum, too, falls on the very expensive side. It contains no preservative, it’s purely an oil-based serum, and the ingredients each carry skin-beneficial properties, addressing various skin demands, from anti-aging with Vitamin A to moisturizing. Not sure how I’d justify spending that much on one beauty product, even though the ingredients are worth it.
• Tata Harper booster contouring serum ($185): not sure what to think when looking at the long list of ingredients and steep price. Sure, the carrier oils and extracts are bountiful and carry many skin-beneficial properties, which I think could suit almost any skin type, and the promise of a tighter, firmer and contoured skin most definitely sounds very appealing, but the price is a bit out of this world; – splurge in its most precise sense of the word. Maybe, somewhere down the road I’d put a mortgage on my house for this serum, hehe, because the intrigue most certainly exists.

So, why should you use natural facial serums?

Natural facial serums, containing highly concentrated active ingredients can be a quick as well as an answer providing long term solutions for myriad of skin problems. On one hand, they tend to be quite expensive, but on the other, they actually deliver the promise, since, in most cases, the precious active ingredients are not only concentrated, but not lost among ingredients, such as (too much) water, emulsifiers etc. Only a small amount of a facial serum is needed in order for the product to work, and a facial serum can last for a long time – all this combined, a facial serum can replace various other facial skin care products.

Look at the natural facial serums from a point of an investment view.

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Do you use natural facial serums and if so, which ones are your favorite? What is your take on the cost of natural facial serums? Would you spend 200€ on a natural facial serum?