null

How to Choose the Right Types of Serums for Sensitive Skin? 

As we age, our skin often develops wrinkles and dark spots and loses its natural radiance. For combatting these signs of aging, skin serums are an excellent choice. Serums are light, easily absorbed oil or water-based liquids designed with key ingredients that can improve the appearance of skin. Their often highly concentrated formulations sink into the skin quickly, effectively addressing common concerns, such as visible signs of aging, imperfections, and uneven texture.¹ Using the right types of serums can address specific skin concerns, promoting noticeable results with regular use.

Woman applying serum to face

Introducing face and eye serums 

Skincare serums provide numerous benefits, making them a key addition to your skincare routine:

With a lighter consistency than moisturizers, serums are rapidly absorbed into the skin. Their thinner viscosity allows key ingredients to penetrate deeper into the surface skin layers, promoting maximum effectiveness.²

For skin barrier repair, some serums are infused with humectants, such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which help retain moisture, maintain the skin’s pH level, and strengthen the skin barrier.³

Many serums are enriched with vitamins, antioxidants, and ingredients like retinol and its natural alternatives like bakuchiol. These help protect your skin from oxidative damage caused by pollution and other environmental factors while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, promoting a smoother, more youthful looking complexion.⁴

Cetaphil has recently introduced new Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum and Cetaphil Ceramide Serum. If you are seeking a serum for dark spots and fine lines, Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum is a great choice. It hydrates the skin for 24 hours, helping the skin maintain its moisture barrier while boosting luminosity.⁵ The Cetaphil Ceramide Serum, on the other hand, supports skin-barrier repair while soothing discomfort and reducing the look of redness. It is also clinically proven to decrease visible signs of dryness and roughness.⁶

Understanding Cetaphil serum ingredients

Almost all types of serums are formulated with various beneficial ingredients that cater to different skin needs.⁴

Some of the common Cetaphil serum ingredients are:

As an effective humectant, glycerin draws water into the outer layer of the skin from both deeper layers and the surrounding air.³ It is an important serum ingredient as it helps hydrate and soften the skin, providing a visibly smoother and more supple texture.

Serums often include a range of vitamins that offer various skin benefits. Commonly used vitamins in serums are vitamin B5 (panthenol), B3 (niacinamide), vitamin E (tocopherol), and vitamin C.


Vitamin B5 or panthenol is known for its moisturizing and soothing properties, which can help with softness and elasticity. Niacinamide or vitamin B3 is shown to have anti-aging effects, helping reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Tocopherol or vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, helping protect the skin from surface free radical damage and environmental stressors while helping moisturize and strengthen the skin barrier. Vitamin C helps brighten the skin’s complexion, visibly reduces dark spots, and helps protect against pollution and other environmental factors.⁷

As we age, the amount of hyaluronic acid in our skin decreases, leading to reduced moisture retention and elasticity. In skincare, hyaluronic acid attracts and retains moisture, helping diminish the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin texture, and enhance overall skin resilience.⁸

Ceramides are essential components for maintaining the skin's barrier function, helping to form a protective layer against environmental stressors, such as irritants and pollutants. This barrier retains moisture and prevents water loss, promoting skin hydration and flexibility. Ceramides are valuable for reinforcing the skin barrier and restoring and maintaining moisture levels.⁹

In skincare serums, purified peptides help visibly improve skin firmness and elasticity while reducing the appearance of fine lines.¹⁰ By restoring skin vibrancy and luminosity, purified peptides help support a consistently healthy-looking complexion with minimal disruption.

Choosing the right serums for different skin 

When it comes to skincare, addressing specific skin concerns is essential, especially for those with sensitive skin. Cetaphil offers a range of serums tailored to various needs, such as:


Moisturizing serum for dry skin

Dry skin often appears tight, flaky, or scaly due to a lack of moisture. Selecting the right moisturizing serum can help lock in essential oils and lipids, providing lasting hydration and soothing dryness.¹¹ If you have dry skin, try the Cetaphil Ceramide Serum which can help restore your skin barrier and help lock in moisture, providing lasting hydration and comfort

Ceramide Serum

Serum for dehydrated skin

Dehydrated skin lacks water content, leading to dullness, fine lines, and a lack of elasticity. Choosing a hydrating serum that focuses on boosting water content within the skin is crucial.¹¹ The Cetaphil Deep Hydration 48 Hour Activation Serum offers long-lasting hydration that revitalizes the skin, enhancing its overall appearance and resilience.

 

To understand dehydrated skin, read our article Dry Skin: What is Dry and Dehydrated Skin and How Can You Treat it?



Serum for uneven skin tone

Uneven skin tone shows up as patches of darker or lighter skin, often caused by hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation from sun exposure, aging, or hormonal changes. Using a brightening serum can help even out skin tone, promoting a more radiant-looking complexion.¹¹ Try Cetaphil Healthy Renew Face Serum, infused with purified peptides, that helps visibly brighten and improve your skin tone.

 

Learn how to manage this skin problem with our article What is Uneven Skin Tone and How Can You Manage It?


Serum for aging skin

Aging skin shows signs, such as fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness and elasticity, typically due to collagen and elastin depletion. Selecting an anti-aging serum can help minimize these effects and restore a youthful-looking appearance.¹¹ The Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum is an effective solution, combining vitamin C to help visibly reduce signs of aging, boost skin radiance, and visibly improve overall skin texture. Another great option is the Cetaphil Healthy Renew Face Serum which also supports surface skin cell renewal for a smoother, more even-looking texture.

 

Discover the best time to start an anti-aging skincare routine in our article, When is The Best Time to Start an Anti Aging Skincare Routine



Eye serum for dark circles and fine lines

Due to aging, fatigue, or genetics, dark circles and fine lines can appear around our eyes. Opting for a serum that reduces the appearance of fine lines can be highly beneficial.¹¹ Try Cetaphil Healthy Renew Eye Gel Serum with its lightweight formula that hydrates, firms, and helps reduce the appearance of dark circles and fine lines, promoting a visibly refreshed and youthful-looking eye contour.


All-around serum for dull skin

Dull skin lacks radiance and appears tired, often due to environmental stressors or a buildup of dead skin cells. Choosing the right serums for sensitive skin can significantly help visibly improve skin texture and overall appearance.¹¹ The Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum is a multitasking serum that hydrates, provides antioxidant protection, and helps visibly even skin tone and texture while enhancing luminosity and reducing the appearance of dark spots and fine lines. It's an effective all-in-one solution to help restore radiance and promote healthier-looking skin.

Vitamin C Serum

How to use serums in a skincare routine

It’s important to consider both the ingredients and formulation types of serums, such as water-based or oil-based, for your desired purpose.¹


Water-based serums like the Healthy Renew Face Serum and the Deep Hydration 48 Hour Activation Serum are best applied in the morning or evening before sunscreen and moisturizer due to their light texture, which is ideal for layering. Oil-based serums, such as Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum and Cetaphil Ceramide Serum can provide additional hydration and are typically applied in the evening. However, the Cetaphil Vitamin C Serum is also an excellent choice for morning use to help protect against environmental damage.


For maximum effectiveness, apply the serum after thoroughly washing your face. This step will remove dirt, oil, and impurities that can accumulate on the skin's surface, allowing the serum's key ingredients to penetrate into the skin.¹² Continue with these steps: 

Take a pea-sized amount of the serum: Apply a pea-sized amount (2-4 drops) of face and eye serum and ensure it spreads evenly across the skin’s surface.

 

Dab the serum: Now, use your fingertips to apply the serum in small dots across your face and lightly press and dab it into your skin until fully absorbed.

 

Apply moisturizer: Once the serum is applied, follow up with your regular moisturizer to seal in the serum's benefits and provide additional hydration and nourishment to your skin.¹³ If you are using a serum to help restore skin barrier, this step is even more important as it helps prevent moisture loss. Choose a moisturizer suitable for your skin type and apply it evenly over the serum-treated areas for optimal skincare results.

The bottom line

Different types of serums offer concentrated solutions to various skincare concerns, penetrating into the skin for effective results like improved hydration, reduced signs of aging, and a more even-looking complexion. Try the new Cetaphil Vitamin C and Cetaphil Ceramide serum for sensitive skin and discover smoother, more radiant-looking skin with a visible reduction in fine lines.

FAQ

Serums and moisturizers serve different purposes. Serums are lightweight formulations, often with high concentrations of key ingredients to target specific skin concerns, such as fine lines and dark spots. Moisturizers, on the other hand, focus on hydrating and sealing moisture into the skin, often with thicker textures that provide a protective barrier.¹³

Serums contain smaller molecules that penetrate deeper into the skin’s surface, delivering key ingredients effectively. Applying serums first allows them to work directly on specific concerns, while moisturizers later lock in hydration and provide additional nourishment and benefits.¹³

When choosing a serum with hyaluronic acid, consider your skin type and the serum's formulation, including its concentration and additional ingredients. Opt for a serum that suits your hydration needs and complements your skincare routine effectively. This ensures you get the maximum benefits of hydration and overall skin health support.

Yes, a serum containing hyaluronic acid and a serum with vitamin C can be used together when formulated the right way, even for sensitive skin. Hyaluronic acid helps hydrate the skin, while vitamin C helps improve the visible signs of skin aging and the appearance of pigmentation.¹⁴ In general, it's suggested to apply serums from thinnest to thickest, allowing time for each product to absorb.

Yes, all Cetaphil serums are suitable for sensitive skin. They are dermatologically tested and free from common irritants, providing scientific skincare designed for minimal irritation.

References

1. Harvard Health Publishing. Skin serums: What it can and can’t do. 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/skin-serum-what-it-can-and-cant-do-2018061214029 Accessed July 05, 2024

2. Khan TN et al. Formulation and Evaluation of Herbal Face Serum. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Communication and Technology (IJARSCT). 2020;11(1):2581. doi:https://doi.org/10.48175/568 

3. Medical News Today. What are humectants, and what do they do? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/humectant Accessed July 05, 2024

4. Gurjar P. Foldscope & its Applications (Volume-2). Published online 2022. doi:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7694319 

5. Cetaphil. Vitamin C Serum. Product description. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1weFMF7xquBOGUroHuvZBlYjfswOipwTr/view?pli=1

6. Cetaphil. Ceramide Serum. Product description. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s6o5nJSsEt--8UOg0hmHDpVLEEj5wwZu/view?pli=1 

7. Kokande AM et al. Vitamins as Nutraceuticals for Skin Care. Apple Academic Press eBooks. Published online January 12, 2024:235-252. doi:https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003414025-17

8. Papakonstantinou E et al. Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging. Dermato-endocrinology. 2012;4(3):253-258. doi:https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.21923 

9. Baker P et al. Skin Barrier Function: The Interplay of Physical, Chemical, and Immunologic Properties. Cells. 2023;12(23):2745-2745. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12232745 

10.Ngoc LTN et al. Insights into Bioactive Peptides in Cosmetics. Cosmetics. 2023; 10(4):111. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics10040111

11. Khan N et al. Pharmaceutical based cosmetic serums. Profiles of drug substances, excipients, and related methodology. Published online January 1, 2023:167-210. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.podrm.2022.11.006 

12. Jürgen B et al. Five dimensions of cleansing: A holistic view on the facets and importance of skin cleansing. International Journal of Cosmetic Science. Published online July 31, 2023. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/ics.12879 

13. Medical News Today. Should serum or moisturizer go first in a skin care routine? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/serum-or-moisturizer-first Accessed July 05, 2024

14. Pattarawan R et al. Anti‐aging and brightening effects of a topical treatment containing vitamin C, vitamin E, and raspberry leaf cell culture extract: A split‐face, randomized controlled trial. Journal of cosmetic dermatology. 2020;19(3):671-676. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.13305 

null