Facial serums. Often overlooked in favour of a simple cleanse-exfoliate-moisturise skincare regime, incorporating a good men’s face serum into your skincare routine can provide your skin with immense benefits for minimal effort.
When used correctly, facial serums are a powerful addition to your skincare arsenal; applied one or twice a day (after cleansing, before moisturising), serums penetrate into the deeper layers of your skin. With a typically high percentage of active ingredients including botanicals, nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids, serums provide targeted corrective action to the skin, delivering results that just can’t be matched by moisturiser alone.
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The best men’s face serums are formulated to target specific skincare concerns, from fighting acne and shrinking pores to reversing fine lines and brightening a dull complexion. Without further ado, here are the 6 best men’s face serums for every skin concern.
The best face serums for men
1. Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum
A potent antioxidant, vitamin C works to even skin tone, stimulate collagen production, and protect your skin from harmful environmental free radicals. Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day Serum is loaded with 15% vitamin C, making it a powerful tool to brighten your complexion and the perfect starter serum for guys who just want a good all-rounder. Plus, the new ‘fresh’ formula is designed to be mixed by you prior to your first use, ensuring your vitamin C stays fresh and potent for longer.
2. The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane Face Serum
The ultimate fine line fighter, retinol is a form of vitamin A, used to eliminate wrinkles, reverse dark spots and fine lines, and help clear acne. Retinol takes some time to work (around three months), however, the results are worth it. This budget buy retinol serum from cult brand The Ordinary packs a punch, with squalane added to provide moisture. As retinols are light-sensitive, it’s best to apply this product at night.
3. Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Facial Serum
Packed with potent hydrating and nourishing antioxidant-rich actives, this lightweight serum is the ideal way to hydrate and soften the skin while providing protection from environmental aggressors. With an easily absorbed texture, Aesop’s serum is soothing and calming, forming an invisible film over the skin to protect against pollution in urban environments while providing your skin with gentle nourishment and effective hydration.
4. Anthony High Performance Anti-Wrinkle Glycolic Peptide Serum
Containing glycolic acid – the holy grail for exfoliation – and peptides, this serum works to plump the skin and correct the appearance of deep lines and wrinkles, while also improving overall skin texture. The addition of algae extract aids in repairing and hydrating the skin, resulting in more youthful-looking skin.
5. Kiehl’s Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate
Formulated for acne-prone skin, Kiehl’s calming lightweight facial oil uses non-comedogenic (meaning they don’t clog your pores) cannabis and oregano oils, which work to soothe stressed skin. Safe to use over blemishes, Kiehl’s Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate provides relief from discomfort, calming redness and irritation while balancing out oil production.
6. Paula’s Choice Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Face Serum
Designed to smooth wrinkles and fine lines, this silky serum combines powerful retinol with vitamin C and nourishing plant extracts, to lessen fine lines while brightening, hydrating and soothing your skin.
FAQ
The best face serums for men are Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum, Anthony High Performance Anti-Wrinkle Glycolic Peptide Serum, Kiehl’s Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil Herbal Concentrate, and Paula’s Choice Intensive Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum.
Serums provide targeted corrective action for your skin, addressing concerns like acne, wrinkles, fine lines, sun spots, and dryness. Plus, face serums also penetrate the skin deeper than moisturisers.
Serums composed of small molecules work to penetrate deeper into the skin, using active ingredients to address specific concerns.
Yes, you should apply a facial serum first, and follow this up with moisturiser and SPF.
You should use a face serum twice daily – once in the morning and once at night.
Apply the serum with your fingertips and lightly pat it in.
Words by John Deckard
