Ah, serums. I will admit that they are my weakness. Something lights up in some deep, mysterious part of my brain when I see those pretty, tiny, glass bottles in my favourite K-beauty shop, or perusing the aisles in Sephora. My vanity is so littered with them that my cats are afraid to walk up there, because they just embarrass themselves with the impossible task of navigating from one end to the other without knocking at least six things over.

After college, where I had a double major in Biology and something else totally useless, I was enrolled in cosmetology school (back in the Paleolithic era, when Grunge bands still roamed the earth) so I could get a real job to support my toddler son and myself, and the serum craze really hadn’t hit the beauty industry yet. Not like now, at any rate. And working in the field for numerous cosmetic companies, I knew how much snake oil was being hocked to the public in pretty jars and bottles, with high price tags. The technology just wasn’t there.

Hyaluronic acid wasn’t even a thing yet – that didn’t hit the market until I was already working the in the beauty industry for ten years. Which is not to say there weren’t a few things out there that were the genuine article; The first cosmetic company I ever worked for was considered to be at the top of the game, because they were the first to market ceramides as a revolutionary skincare product in serum form. For me, it was a revelation, because I discovered that it was helping to heal my adult acne by repairing my moisture barrier – who knew!

Then, cosmetic retinoids hit the beauty counters, closely followed by hyaluronics, and vitamin C. Suddenly, skincare and science were actually working together to create formulations that really did something! They were creating actives that literally created change within the skin’s structure. Working in the industry like I was, keeping up with modern advances in skincare became a bit of an obsession. And thus began my lifelong love affair with serums.

Serums are like power-packed, concentrated doses of skincare your face sucks up when it is in optimal condition to receive it – i.e., right after cleansing and toning, and before sealing it all in with moisturizer and a face oil or other occlusive.

As you can see in the second photo, I have an awful lot of serums – they’re all those little bottles with the dropper tops – and yes, I use every single one of them! Just not every day, and certainly not in the same routine. The rule of thumb most dermatologists agree on is that no more than three serums should be used in one routine. Which translates to six in one day, if you really want to pack a lot of different things on your face.

I did an inventory of all my serums, and as I suspected would be the case, the overwhelming majority of my stash were all hydrating in some way – if not as the main function, at least an auxiliary function.

Some of these help the skin to build collagen, some add hydration and help the skin’s elasticity, some help fight dynamic and/or static lines, some of them exfoliate, some are antioxidants, some help the skin’s ability to hold onto water, and some lock moisture in. Most of them help hydration and/or moisture levels in some way.

Why am I so obsessed with hydration? Because, simply put, dry skin is old skin. Dry skin is irritated skin. Dry skin is skin that will overproduce oil to compensate for the lack of natural moisture, then break out. Dry skin is uncomfortable, flaky, and rife with fine lines.

Dry skin is The Enemy. And serums are the heavy artillery.

All the tretinoin in the world is rendered utterly useless if you don’t properly hydrate and moisturize your skin while using it – in fact, it will have the opposite effect, aging skin at an accelerated rate and making existing wrinkles worse.

So, why the Hell do you need so many hydrating serums (I hear you asking, oh so judgmentally)? Well, let me tell you. They all serve different purposes; some lock water into the epidermis, some increase the skin’s ability to hold water, some help the skin to produce collagen, some help reduce fine lines, some increase elasticity, some are anti-inflammatory. I’ll go through the seven pictured below for you, and tell you which ones I use the most, which are my favourites, and why.

Top Sick Chick Hydrating Serums For Fall 2019 –

These serums are all appropriate year round, and certainly for the chillier weather coming up, when skin needs a bit more help holding onto moisture.

The Yeon Jeju Canola Honey Ampoule – Propolis and honey both have excellent moisturizing, soothing, and tightening properties for the skin, which this serum/ampoule has in spades. Flakes and dry patches, as well as irritation, disappear when I apply this stuff. It also contains adenosine, which has proven wrinkle-fighting benefits. This stuff definitely does its job, but it is a bit sticky (sort of exactly like putting a thin layer of watery honey on your face), so I use it only at night, right before moisturizer. I find it especially soothing after applying tretinoin – just wait 30 minutes or so beforehand, so the tret has time to do its job. Tip: it’s great under the eyes!

I’m From Ginseng Serum – This is one of my staples. You will pry this lovely serum from my cold, dead hands. Or, face as the case may be. You’ve maybe heard of the cult product, the extremely expensive and coveted Ginseng Serum from Sulwhasoo? Well, this stuff is better, in my opinion. This one doesn’t contain any alcohol denat., for one thing, and fragrance is the last ingredient on the list. It also contains more ginseng than the (way overpriced) competition. This serum does so many good things for my skin, I’m not even sure where to begin. In Asian countries, ginseng has been used in beauty preparations for ages, because it does so much cool stuff. It hydrates, obviously, but it also works as an anti-inflammatory, softens wrinkles, and firms skin. When my face breaks out in the occasional autoimmune butterfly rash across my nose and cheeks, I slather some of this on, and by the next morning it’s pretty much gone. By the second morning, it IS gone. When I smooth it under my eyes, fine lines soften dramatically. Skin texture looks improved when used consistently. I honestly have nothing but good things to say about this stuff. Go buy some now.

Hylamide SubQ Skin – Ah, Hylamide. What was I doing before I found you? This line of products under the Deciem umbrella (the makers of The Ordinary) really nailed it with these elegant little babies. Every product in the line focuses on hydration, from the cleanser to the C-serum to the foundation. This little gem is the core serum, which has a bit of all you need for anti-aging and skin-plumping needs. It has collagen-building Copper peptides, plus a boatload of other advanced peptides, 5 forms of hyaluronics, and two forms of algae that prevent moisture loss. If you’re familiar with The Ordinary’s Buffet + Copper, it’s basically a slightly different, pumped up (it contains a gentle retinoid, which the other does not), more hydrating version of that. I have switched from that to this in the mornings, saving the Buffet + Copper for nighttime.

Hylamide Low Molecular HA – So, in theory, I really ought to love this stuff. And, in theory, I do. It goes on smoothly on dampened skin (always apply Hyaluronic Acid to moist skin! It needs it to draw the moisture from in order to work, or it will draw it from your skin and dry you out.) But. Like with all the HA products I’ve tried thus far under the Deciem umbrella, it pills under my moisturizers. And that’s just sort of a deal-breaker. That said, it’s a good, solid hyaluronic acid product. My skin looks nice and plump and youthful after I apply it. But what good is it if it’s peeling off my face five minutes after I apply it? I won’t buy it again. Next! (I did hear their NIOD HA is excellent…)

The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides – This is one of my all time favourites. It is just chock full of goodies for skin health – a plethora of peptides, including Matrixyl, for collagen synthesis, fibroblast production, anti-inflammatory responses, and Sodium Hyaluronate plus glycerin for locking in moisture. My skin, using this over time, just looks better.

Matrixyl 10% + HA – Shown to help reduce dynamic and static lines, this stuff is yet another peptide. It’s actually kind of redundant for me to own it, since both the Hylamide SubQ Skin, and the Buffet + Copper have it – so I gave it to my roommate and she loves it, and has already bought a second bottle. It also contains hyaluronic acid, so the hydration piece is there. It’s another one of those slow race deals, where you need to be patient and consistent to see results. Because it’s an HA product, you need to apply it to damp skin (right after your toner is ideal) so that it has moisture to draw on, and doesn’t draw it from your skin. *ETA – peer reviewed studies show that Matrixyl used at 12% can significantly reduce fine lines. At 10%, this serum comes awfully close! So mixed with The Buffet, or SubQ Skin, you’re pretty much there. Not so redundant after all!

Marine Hyaluronics – My sister in beauty (and perfume, and makeup) addiction, Shanel recommended this to me – and of course, she was right. Of all the HA products The Ordinary puts out, this one is the best. Not as gorgeously textured as the Hylamide one, but it’s also half the price. It still pills a little under moisturizer and drives me up the wall, but they all do, apparently. I’m going to have to look outside of Deciem to get an HA product that doesn’t do that, obviously. This one is derived from algae and other marine sources, has a bit of salicylic acid in it, so it’s good if you’re prone to breakouts as well. I’d say it would be a good nighttime serum, so the pilling wouldn’t be so much of an issue. I won’t purchase again, just because it doesn’t really suit my needs. But Shanel really loves it, and it works really well for her, so YMMV.

I’ll generally sandwich my actives, like my tretinoin or my vitamin C serum, between two hydrating serums – that way my skin is properly prepped beforehand, and then soothed afterwards. Because my skin is pretty dry, sensitized, and dehydrated, this helps to lessen irritation and further dryness. So far, it’s working out!

And that’s it for today’s hydration lecture. Obviously, I have many other serums that address other needs – I’ll be doing some posts on actives in the not too distant future as well.

Next, I’ll be talking moisturizers! Stay tuned…XO