As seasons change and we think about the warmer weather to come, we also may be taking stock of our skin and skincare. From November through March, you may have lotioned up after every shower, slathered on the moisturizer before bed every night, or just taken care of your skin when it crossed your mind. No matter how diligent you were in caring for your epidermis these past few months, it probably needs a little loving repair from the cold, central heating, and dryness of winter.
One way to repair and moisturize skin is by incorporating a body serum into your beauty repertoire. What is a body serum, you may ask? Body serums, like face serums, are packed with a blend of healing antioxidants that can help even out skin tone, firm sagginess and prevent discoloration and flakiness. In other words, body serums are higher performing than standard body lotions as they deliver more active ingredients to the skin.
However, body serums do not displace healing moisture lotion like Vaseline, CeraVe, or Dove. Instead, by adding a serum to your skincare, you target specific skin needs, in addition to overall moisturizing with lotions. For best results, use one after the other, layering lightest to heaviest. So, serum first, then lotion. And this doesn’t have to be an everyday step. When you notice particularly rough or splotchy patches, rub in some serum before your regular body moisturizer.
If you use body oil, serum may seem redundant. These two treatments tend to get thrown into the same category; it doesn’t help when they often both come with a bottle dropper, but they are different. Serums have a thin, watery consistency and are formulated with a high concentration of active ingredients, which allows the product to penetrate deep below the skin’s surface to target specific concerns, like dullness or acne. Oils, on the other hand, aren’t made with water and are thicker in consistency to keep the skin’s barrier smooth and nourished. So, when you look at the products’ functions, it’s lotion and body oil that are more similar (and interchangeable) than serum and oil.
Of course, not all serums are meant to achieve the same results. Again, they are jampacked with ingredients to target specific skin needs. What your skin needs can vary by season, activity, age, and current health. If you’re looking to add an anti-aging product to your beauty routine, consider SenAllis Cosmetics Hyaluronic Acid Serum. According to its Amazon description, this product delivers intense moisture while improving skin textures and contains anti-aging properties.
For sensitive skin looking to combat sagginess, check out Boscia’s Skin Nutrition Firming Body Serum. This vegan and cruelty-free product helps replenish firmness and elasticity. It can be applied to either damp or dry skin, making it a great post-shower product. To combat redness, roughness, and body acne, try FaceTory’s Soothin’ Vibes Refreshing Body Serum. This product purports to hydrate, smooth, and calm irritated skin and be applied on damp skin after showering or throughout the day as needed. The pump-style bottle also makes for easy application.
Another serum that fights body acne is Paula’s Choice Weightless Body Treatment. It contains salicylic acid for the back and chest. It also helps to minimize the appearance of keratosis pilaris, which is a condition causing rough patches and small acne-like bumps. To reduce stretch marks there’s Aurelia’s Firm and Replenish Body Serum, which features mandarin and bergamot for a fragrance-full treat with essential fatty acids and vitamin E to firm and minimize the appearance of stretch marks.
If you’re not looking to address any specific skin needs, but want to maintain skin health, try adding One Love Organics Daily Body Serum to your weekly beauty care. It has pumpkin-seed oil to help exfoliate the skin, and the easy-to-use spray cuts down on application time.
For those who are fans of multi-step routines for the face, body serum is a great way to incorporate better care for the skin below said face. Body serums deliver more powerful skincare ingredients than a moisturizer and have a lighter texture that sinks in quickly, with a little bit going a long way. Use serum on your legs, arms, neck, chest, shoulders, and torso. And for those of you gearing up for swimsuit season, try a bit on the backside as well.
