SKINCARE TIPS:DO I NEED SERUM OR ESSENCE?

I wrote about the differences between skincare products Here and thank you every readers who love that post.  I really appreciate your support and thank you once again for all your lovely comments.

So, someone asked me this question about "whether she needs serum or essence" so I think why not I write a post about it.

Normally, even a skincare junkies like me would normally just use one whether it is serum or essence  at one time as I am not a person who loves to layer 10 products on my face.  Well, it is because my skin can't handle too many products with active ingredients in it.  I have sensitive skin so it is best not to aggravate it with too many skincare products.  Another reason is because I am plain lazy and thrifty.  I am trying the best to get best out of all the products and to keep track so I know which product can cause me allergic.

Okay so back to the question whether should one use serum or essence alone or use both at the same time.  I think I will break down the question into few parts.  I hope that it will answer or help you in your decision in buying skincare products.

The question here is whether you need to add serum or essence in your skincare regime.  You will still need the cleanser and moisturiser so don't take out of your skincare regime =)






Get the Serum
Serum is generally more expensive than essence but again it depends on your preference.
Serum has many varieties ranging from hydrating, anti acne/trouble skin, brightening and popular ones would be the anti-ageing type such as Vitamin C or retinol. They comes with heavier texture such as oil or gel but serum penetrate faster as the base is different from essence.

I am not sure about others but most of my friend above 25 years old are mostly incorporating/adding serum into their regime.  This include the ones that went to see the dermatologist as most anti-ageing products are in form of serum.

I have sum up the reasons here:
1.Willing to spend more money
2.Your skin can handle serum with higher concentration of ingredients
3.You prefer dermatologist advices-derm will normally recommend serum than essence
4.You want fast results (it won't be as fast as Botox, fillers and other cosmetics procedure though)

Normally, serum is for night as the skin can absorb the ingredients better.


Get the Essence
Essence is generally cheaper than serum so the concentration is also not so high.  You will need to be patient to see result from using essence.  It will take longer to see result in essence than in serum.

However, do not think that it doesn't work as it is not the same as moisturiser.  Generally, people who just start with skincare products or have never use serum before would be recommended to use essence.  I think generally someone in between 16-25 would use essence instead of serum in their daily regime.

There are many type of essence (brightening, anti aging, acne/skin trouble&hydrating) available in the market and also the texture range from watery to oil type so do not be shocked if the essence is in form of oil.  From my experience oil based essence works faster than water type.

I have sum up the reasons here:
1. Essence is cheaper than serum
2. New to skincare products&never use serum before
3. Water type essence could be use as essence for mask.

4. Your skin can't handle serum

5. You prefer 'slow and steady' kind of results


Can I use serum and essence at the same time?

As far as I know, most people WOULD NOT use essence or serum at the same time because both contains active ingredients and it might cause allergic to your skin.  You could still ignore my advise and try at our own risk.

We normally use essence in the morning while serum at night.  That is the common way of using skincare products.  Besides that, why use essence + serum when you can just use one product and save time?

Unless you are using the essence as mask which is a different story altogether, I would not recommend to use serum and essence at the same time.  Another thing is to make sure that your essence and serum is from the same brand and same type(anti-ageing) if you do plan to do layering. Make sure that the texture of the serum and essence are different from each other (oil essence and oil serum doesn't work together).



Do I prefer serum or essence?
I think both has its good points.  I use essence during the Day and serum at Night.  That is why it takes time for me to finish the products.  One only need a few drops of essence and also serum so they are really worth the money as they can last quite long.

Well, at my age, there is no choice but to start using serum and essence to actually help my skin condition.  After all, I am worry of looking older than my age and my skin is not easy to take care off.


Choose the serum and essence according to your skin condition and skin types.  I always stresses how important it is to know your skin types because it really helps to choose products for your skin condition.




Again, I am not a dermatologist, medical doctor or professional chemist and my opinions here are based on my past experience as a skincare products junkies.  I am just sharing my opinion here and please do not shoot me with a rifle if there is any changes to the world of skincare products in the future. XP

The opinions expressed here are my own and honest as always.