Beauty Advice

Serum: before or after a moisturiser? We explain all.

A moisturizer is now an essential part of your beauty routine, but you might still be wondering about the benefits of other skincare products and the correct order in which to apply them, in particular a serum. A serum is actually one of the pillars of any beauty routine, along with a moisturizer. But should you apply your serum before or after your moisturizer? We explain the difference between these two products and how to combine them to best effect.

Serum and moisturizer: what is the difference?

A serum is the first product we apply to our skin and targets a very specific need. It contains a high concentration of active ingredients to provide a tailored response to a precise concern. Only a very small amount is needed to complement the action of a moisturizer. We therefore apply it before a day or night cream.

It differs from a moisturizer in its very thin and lighter texture, which is absorbed very rapidly by the skin and prepares it for subsequent products. A moisturizer, on the other hand, is a balanced mixture of water and oil (also called emulsion) that delivers an essential daily dose of comfort to the skin and helps to protect it from external aggressions.

From what age should you start using a serum?

There is no specific time to start using a serum and you can easily incorporate one in your routine from the age of 20. Simply pay attention to your skin and choose a serum tailored to its needs. For example, you might start with a moisturizing serum and then move onto anti-aging serums over time.

How should you choose your serum?

Serums come in different textures (aqueous, oil serums, ultra-light emulsions, etc.) and target different concerns. The most important thing is, of course, to choose your serum according to your preferences and your skin’s needs, which can vary with age, season, lifestyle, etc.

To target minor imperfections, reduce pores and counteract the effects of a busy lifestyle on the skin, choose the Crème Prodigieuse® Boost Energising Priming Concentrate.

For a firming and a lifting effect, choose the Merveillance® Expert Lift and Firm Serum, to replenish and renew, choose the Nuxuriance® Ultra Serum, and finally to nourish and provide a radiance boost for dry skin that has become more fragile with age, opt for the Nuxuriance® Gold Nutri-Revitalising Serum.

Finally, the ‘must-have’ anti-aging serum: Super Serum [10], a real universal age-defying concentrate with natural hyaluronic acid and micro-spheres of fractionated botanical oils that helps skin behave as if it were 10 years younger*!

For organic aficionados, the certified organic NUXE BIO Organic Antioxidant Serum will help to keep your skin looking youthful and boost its radiance.

The right serum for every skin!

What serum should I choose for my skin tone?

All NUXE serums have been designed and developed to suit all skin types and tones, so you can use any of our serums in your routine, whatever your skin color.

How should you apply your serum and moisturizer?

Rather than being interchangeable, these two products have complementary actions. So you should use them both in your daily beauty routine, applying the serum before your moisturizer: ideally, in the morning and evening for a more a more intense action and result.
In terms of application quantity, thanks to a serum’s more fluid texture and easier spreading, the equivalent of a grain of coffee is sufficient while a pea-sized drop of product is ideal for the creamier texture of a moisturizer.
Apply your serum over your entire face, just like a day cream, to cleansed and dry skin. You can apply it after preparing your skin with a toning lotion or essence, for example. Avoid the eye contour area and use specific products for this fragile zone instead.<br>
You don’t need to apply the same serum in the morning and evening, although you can do this of course. You could, for example, apply a moisturizing serum in the morning to give your skin a hydrating boost or an antioxidant serum to protect it from daily aggressions, and then use an oil serum such as our NUXE BIO Organic Ultimate Night Recovery Oil to nourish your skin overnight and help it renew. Bonus of an oil serum: you can use it either on its own or below your moisturizer.

Our tip: use a jade massage roller to encourage penetration of the serum, stimulate your skin’s micro-circulation and relax the facial muscles!

We will tell you more about the benefits of the jade roller for your skin.

*In vitro test.



NUXE

NUXE

Writer and expert