What Are The Best Ingredients To Look For In A Face Serum?

Face serums have recently taken the skincare market by storm. But with so many options available, do you really know what are the best ingredients for face serums to look for?

If the answer is no, or I’m not sure, do not worry! Dr Nina is not only an award-winning London Cosmetic Dental Surgeon and Facial Aesthetics Doctor, but also an expert when it comes to face serums. In fact, she just released the brand new Skin Sculpting Serum, the debut product of her own skincare line Dr Nina Skin.

This high-performance serum is over two years in the making and the passion project of Dr Nina. After more than 12 years spent looking after the cosmetic needs of thousands of patients. Dr Nina took her time to design her dream, must-have skincare product to complement any skincare regime and help you achieve your best skin yet.

In this post, we are going to talk about the best ingredients you should look for in a face serum to achieve your most radiant skin yet.

So if you have ever wondered what the best glow formula for your skin is, keep reading to find out all about the best glowing skin products and what makes them the best!

How to Choose a Face Serum

Serums are light, easily absorbed skincare products that contain a concentrate of potent active ingredients. They can be oil- or water-based and typically come in small bottles, as you only need a few drops to treat your whole face.

Compared to your regular cream or moisturiser, the level of active ingredients in face serums is much higher, usually around seventy percent or more. These active ingredients are made up of smaller molecules, which are able to penetrate the deepest levels of the skin and deliver results in less time than a face cream.

Serums work great to target specific concerns, from wrinkles, to brown spots, to general dullness, to acne, But while not all face serums work the same, how well they work always depends on the quality of the active ingredients.

Some face serums have just one main ingredient, while others, including those that target the wrinkles and signs of aging, are combination formulas. 

The first step dr Nina always recommends before choosing a face serum – or any other skincare product – is to get to know your skin type and implement a skincare routine that is effective for your skin.

This is why Dr Nina always recommends coming for an initial consultation before undergoing any facial aesthetic treatments or starting a new skincare routine. After a throughout consultation, she will be able to prescribe a course of treatment that is 100% bespoke, hence 100% effective for you.

Types of Serums

After establishing your skin type, the next step is to determine whether you have one or more specific skin issues you want to target. This is because, while certain serum formulations are universally beneficial, others contained active ingredients that are intended to treat specific skin concerns.

The following are the most common types of facial serums on the market, based on which active ingredients they contain and which specific skin issue they target:

• Anti-aging serums
• Hydrating serums
• Face Glow serums
• Anti-acne serums
• Calming serums

Do you have mature skin and are looking to prevent lines and/or minimise existing wrinkles? Then an anti-aging serum packed with retinoids, peptides, and hydroxy acids is what you’ll be choosing.

Is your skin oily and prone to develop breakouts? Look for an anti-acne serum that focuses on unclogging pores, rich in ingredients such as salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and niacinamide.

Finally, are you lucky enough to have normal skin with no specific concerns other than just to keep your skin radiant for a long as possible? Then the one face glow serum you should try is Dr Nina’s new Face Sculpt Serum.

Best Ingredients to Look for in a Face Serum

The combination and the quality of the ingredients make all the difference when it comes to choosing the best face serum, and Dr Nina knows this well.

In fact, a 6-week trial of 20 people aged 21-45 years using Dr Nina’s Face Sculpt Serum reported the following impressive results:

• 87% said their skin felt more hydrated and nourished in just two weeks of use
• 70% felt their skin was more radiant in just two weeks
• 73% felt their skin was smoother after the first six weeks
• 73% said their skin looked more refreshed after just two weeks use
• 75% reported glowing skin after just two weeks use

The formula of her Face Sculpt Serum has been specifically designed for most skin types to achieve immediate glowing skin. Moreover, all the ingredients of Dr Nina’s Face Sculpt Serum are guaranteed:

• Cruelty-free and not tested on animals
• 100% Vegan and Natural Ingredients
• Ethically Sourced Extract
• Dye-free
• Paraben-free
• Silicone-free

Here’s the complete list of the key ingredients found in the Face Sculpt Serum by Dr Nina:

AQUA, GLYCERIN, ALCOHOL DENAT, SODIUM POLYACRYLATE, PROPANEDIOL, DIMETHICONE, GLYCERETH-26, ISONONYL ISONONANOATE, NIACINAMIDE, GLYCOLIC ACID, PALMITOYL TRIPEPTIDE-38, SALICYLIC ACID, SODIUM HYALURONATE CROSSPOLYMER, CURCUMA LONGA CALLUS LYSATE, COMMIPHORA MUKUL RESIN EXTRACT, GOSSYPIUM HERBACEUM CALLUS CULTURE, ALTEROMONAS FERMENT EXTRACT, SODIUM HYALURONATE, SUCROSE PALMITATE, BUTYLENE

Let’s have a closer look at the best ingredients for face serums and explain what each of them is doing to your skin.

Face Serum’s Best Ingredients Explained

The mission underlying Dr Nina’s new skincare line is to complement any skincare regime with top-notch quality products, which is why she packed her serum combining the best ingredients.

These ingredients are:

Arabian Cotton 1%

Dr Nina was adamant about this specific ingredient: having suffered from melasma, she has a very high appreciation for actives that protect against photo-ageing and photodamage.

• WHAT IS IT?

Derived from plant stem cells.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Broad-spectrum protection against photoaging.

• DID YOU KNOW?

It’s effective against UV, IR and visible rays, including blue light from electronic devices. 

Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid 0.1%

The king of all ingredients, hyaluronic acid (HA) is suitable for all skin types and can be used in basically any skincare product, However, even when powerful, individual ingredients alone are not enough to whip up the perfect skincare product.

The molecular weight changes how deep an active ingredient can penetrate into your skin. Since the same ingredient can act differently on different layers of your skin, it can be beneficial to have the same ingredient with different molecular weights. This is why you found two types of hyaluronic acid in this serum.

• WHAT IS IT?

A humectant naturally produced by skin cells.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Penetrates the stratum corneum, providing water to the deeper layers of the skin.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Humectants are substances used to reduce the loss of moisture.

Cross-linked 2% Hyaluronic Acid

Cross-linking molecules determines where they will be effective in the skin. So to target specific layers with the best ingredients for face serums we added this type of HA on top of the low molecular one,

• WHAT IS IT?

HA Molecules are cross-linked (or bridged) with other molecules to increase durability and water absorption.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Provides gradual hydration and improves the skin, balancing both hydration and oil production.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Cross-linking HA molecules also enable a firmer, more water-absorbent, and long-lasting effect.

EXO-P 2%

Think of this ingredient as an armour, shielding your skin against pollution, smog and free radicals, all elements that speed up the aging process. ⁠

• WHAT IS IT?

Aka exopolysaccharides, a sugar-based biofilm.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Prevents the fixation and penetration of particles with PM 2.5 & 10.0 heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Makes a barrier, or shield effect, preventing the penetration of pollutant particles.

Glycolic Acid 0.7%

This Alpha Hydroxy Acid is derived from cane sugar and works to break the bonds between the outer layer of skin cells (including dead skin cells) and the next skin cell layer. ⁠This creates a peeling effect that can make the skin appear smoother and more even. ⁠

• WHAT IS IT?

It is an acid with a very low molecular weight that penetrates the skin.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Softens and gently exfoliates the skin, whilst also hydrating.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Glycolic Acid is derived from sugar cane.

Matrixyl® 2%

A powerful peptide that fights skin ageing by stimulating collagen synthesis and repairing the damage. Compared to most other peptides used in the skincare industry, Matrilyx’s results are more long-lasting.

• WHAT IS IT?

A penta-peptide (penta= five, peptide= short chains of amino acids).

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Stimulates the production of collagen for an anti-wrinkle effect.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Launched in the skincare industry in the year 2000.

Niacinamide 1%

One of the very best anti-ageing actives that nature has ever given us, it’s part of the Vitamin B group and has a protective effect on the skin barrier.

• WHAT IS IT?

A water-soluble form of vitamiB3 found in food.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Balances skin tone improving the look of hyperpigmentation.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Found in many foods including yeast, meat, fish, milk, eggs, green vegetables, beans, and grains.

Redensin® 2.5%

It is a combination of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid and a plant extract that plumps the skin, filling in wrinkles, by increasing the size of the adipocytes.⁠

• WHAT IS IT?

Commiphora resin (plant extract) combined with sodium hyaluronate (a water-binding ingredient).

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

An in-depth skin re-densifier plumps up wrinkles from the inside.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Especially effective for eye and lip contour.

Salicylic Acid 2%

Salicylic acid is a type of BHA that belongs to a class of ingredients called salicylates and it’s the only BHA used in skincare products.

• WHAT IS IT?

A colourless crystalline organic beta hydroxy acid.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Softens and gently exfoliates the skin. Also has antibacterial and antiseptic action.

• DID YOU KNOW?

It is derived from the bark of the Willow (Salix) tree, from which it gets its name.

Turmeria Zen 1%

We’ve all heard the amazing properties of turmeric and we’ve found a way to incorporate the very best of them in our skincare. This active is fantastic for all skin types, as it helps lowering stress and sensitivity of your skin.

• WHAT IS IT?

A multi-active ingredient derived from turmeric stem cells.

• WHAT DOES IT DO?

Anti-inflammatory action that helps to support wound healing and improves the look of small scars.

• DID YOU KNOW?

Despite being known for its bright yellow colour, in this form turmeric is completely colourless.