As if Monday’s weren’t tiring enough as it was, now we’re going to boggle your brains over serum – thank us later.

Serum. If you’re like us, that word hasn’t been part of our vocabulary for too long. It seemed to appear out of nowhere, but now serum (the word and the product) is being thrown all over the place and being labelled as ‘lifesavers’ for skin and every beauty brand around the world is developing them. But what on Earth do they do? Well, each one does something different, but here’s a little insight into these small bottles of magic potions.

A serum is a highly concentrated treatment that you apply to your face post-cleanse but pre-moisturise. They feature powerful ingredients, and due to it small molecules, these ingredients are penetrated directly into the skin. The high concentration of active ingredients mean they’re useful for targeting specific skin conditions or areas of concern, like acne or wrinkles. Yay!

The difference between a serum and a facial oil is that serums are formed of water, and oils are made of, well, oil. Although, as face oils are on the rise in the beauty industry, many serums are now featuring or being made of oil instead of water. There are so many products that it can get confusing and hard to know what to do with them all. Serums are used under the moisturiser, oils are used on top – we’ll keep it that simple.

The good thing about the amount of serums available on the market (they aren’t just there to confuse things, we promise) is that it means there is something for everyone’s individual skin type.

For acne prone skin, look for ingredients like Vitamin C, retinol and salicylic acid which will brighten your skin and reduce inflammation.

If you have dryer skin, be on the hunt for Vitamin E, glycolic acid and hyaluronic acid which will help to gently exfoliate while retaining moisture in order to not dry it out further.

If you want to brighten your skin up, focus on ingredients like green tea extract and lactic acid. These will help your cells to repair throughout the day and/or night.

When using serum, you have to remember that it’s a strong substance. It’s highly concentrated and so be careful when using it. Don’t exceed the recommended amount, and if your skin has a tendency to be sensitive, perhaps use even less. Even better – patch test before you use!

So, now you know what serums do. Treat yourself this Monday evening to some of our favourites here at Indulge Beauty.

All prices are correct as of date published.

Feature image: The Honey Combers