by Amanda Beisel 

Is there any industry as overwhelming and confusing as the skin care world? I’d love to clear up one the most confusing issues. Somewhere along the line, skin care companies began labelling oils as serums. Seems like a simple issue of word choice, but the long-term effects of using serums and oils in the same way can be disastrous. Let me set you straight. Your skin depends on it.

Serums are water-based and this is important to know because only a water-based product can penetrate to your dermal layer—the level where your skin stores and regenerates collagen. Oils are good too—if you have particularly dry skin—but they will only combat dryness at the surface layers of the skin, and won’t do a thing to promote collagen synthesis.

When you’re shopping for a serum, before you buy, flip that puppy over and make sure the first ingredient you see is water. If it is, that means it’s actually a serum - not an oil. This is so important. If you’re not using a water-based serum, you’re neglecting your dermal layer.  Just to make things a bit more tricky it is important to know that a moisturizers first ingredient is also often water as well but you can visually distinguish a moisturizer and a serum by texture alone - a serum is a watery, thin texture and a moisturizer is a lotion or cream based texture. 

What’s so bad about neglecting the dermal layer?

Skin Starvation
As I mentioned, the dermal layer is home to your collagen, along with elastin, vitamin-A receptors and the water stored in your skin. If you don’t nourish and hydrate this layer, collagen begins to decrease and your skin takes on a sunken appearance and becomes prone to lines and wrinkles. A water-based serum is one of the most critical steps in a healthy, balanced, and effective skincare routine; without it your skin will be malnourished, and your collagen will be neglected and left to degrade. Your skin requires daily antioxidants, nutrients, and hyaluronic acid to look and feel its best. A water-based serum dives deep into the dermal layer of your skin, providing it with a high dose of restorative ingredients to ensure optimal performance.

Collagen Deprivation
The most effective skincare ingredient for promoting collagen formation is vitamin A. Your vitamin-A receptors are located in the dermal layer, the place that only a water-based serum can reach. Applying a vitamin-A serum, like our Empowered Collagen Revival Serum every evening is critical to healthy collagen maintenance and formation, and will ultimately make the difference in your skin's appearance and longevity. You also want to ensure your collagen is kept moist, rich and supple.  Our Awakened Hydrating Serum is packed with hyaluronic acid and a host of other nutrients. Together, Empowered and Awakened are truly the dream team products for youthful-skin seekers.  

Deyhdration
Dehydration begins in the dermal layer of your skin. It is one of the most common skin issues we see at my holistic skin clinic. This is because most people only use a moisturizer—not a water-based serum. You know better than that now! A hyaluronic- acid-rich, water-based serum resolves dehydration because of its ability to penetrate to the deep dermal layer. Hyaluronic acid attracts and binds water in the dermal layer, like a sponge that can absorb almost 1,000 times its own weight inside the extracellular spaces of the skin. This results in a super-hydrated skin.