How to Choose the Best Anti-Ageing Serum for You

Whatever your age, it’s never too late (or early) to add an anti-ageing face serum into your daily skincare routine. Thanks to their lightweight structure and key ingredients including actives like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and niacinamide, these potent formulas can go where your moisturisers do not delivering active ingredients to target a range of skin concerns, from dry skin to dark spots, uneven skin tone and premature signs of ageing. 

What you need to know before choosing an anti-ageing serum 

Growing older is a privilege, but all those years of life, work, and fun in the sun take their toll and over time you might spot fine lines, forehead wrinkles, and dark spots. These signs of ageing are all natural, but when (or even before!) they start to crop up, it might be time to fine-tune your skincare routine with the help of targeted face serums. 

What is an anti-ageing serum? 

Consider anti-ageing serums your secret weapon in helping to keep wrinkles and fine lines at bay. Thanks to their high concentration of active ingredients and smaller molecular weight, they can be absorbed into your skin more easily and show visible results quickly for more youthful skin. Packed with the key ingredients that support your skin barrier including pre and probiotics, our potent Génifique Ultimate Serum hydrates skin and helps keep skin balanced, strong and healthy. 

How do serums for mature-looking skin work? 

There are many types of face serums on the market, including brightening, hydrating, and balancing formulas. Anti-ageing face serum is packed with ingredients that mature skin craves to restore the skin barrier back to health and give your complexion a smoother, more radiant glow.  

Over time, skin can become thinner, more wrinkled, dry, and dull. Natural stores of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin deplete, thinning the skin barrier and making it more prone to damage. Anti-ageing serums work by minimising these changes using active ingredients like antioxidants and peptides. Collagen face serums work directly to make skin more elastic and youthful, while vitamin C serums for the face protect against damage-causing free radicals.   

Because they’re made of smaller molecules than comparable creams or moisturisers, face serums penetrate more deeply into the skin’s layers. Each molecule of serum is packed with active, targeted ingredients designed to support ageing skin and restore its barrier, along with water-loving humectants to plump up each skin cell.  

When to use a face serum 

Apply serum to clean, dry skin every morning and evening directly after cleansing. Allow your serum to sink into skin for a few minutes before applying further skincare. We suggest following with a moisturiser, such as Rénergie H.P.N. 300-Peptide Cream in the day and a night cream, like our Advanced Génifique Night Cream in the evening. 

Top tips for anti-ageing serums 

As with most aspects of your skincare routine, to make the most of your anti-ageing serum you’ll want to use it consistently. A consistent, steady application, both morning and night, of nourishing ingredients gives continuous protection against environmental damage.  

Always apply serum to clean skin, giving it time to absorb before applying a thicker moisturiser to lock in hydration and benefits. And to maximise your serum’s anti-ageing potential, you should use it together with a broad-spectrum SPF. This guards against damage from UVA and UVB rays, which can accelerate the ageing process.  

What ingredients are important to look for in an anti-ageing serum? 

Beta Glucan 

If you’re a skincare aficionado, you might have heard a lot of buzz around this powerful skincare ingredient recently. Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hydrating and plumping, its benefits seem almost endless. It even boosts the skin’s natural immunity and helps protect the skin barrier! Plus, it can stimulate collagen production, further reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

Vitamin C 

Vitamin C not only supports our immune system but it’s key to our skin’s natural radiance. A powerful antioxidant which will help to protect skin against environmental damage. A daily dose of a vitamin C-rich antioxidant serum helps to encourage the production of collagen, which supports your skin’s structure and elasticity, encouraging a firmer, plumper and younger-looking appearance. Applying a few drops to clean skin before your moisturiser can also help to protect skin from damaging pollution, which can encourage fine lines and wrinkles to form. Try our vitamin C face serum, Rénergie H.C.F Triple Serum which also contains hyaluronic acid and powerful ferulic acid. 

Hyaluronic acid 

The more hydrated your skin is, the less noticeable fine lines are, dehydrated skin looks less plump and missing a youthful glow. Drenching skin with hydrating ingredients helps to keep it looking its healthiest and youngest. That’s where humectants come in, such as hyaluronic acid which helps to draw moisture to the skin’s surface and retain water. 

As we get older, hormonal changes and external factors, which can damage your skin’s natural barrier, can encourage dryness. Top up your hyaluronic acid levels, a molecule that occurs naturally in your body and can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, with a hydrating serum to make all the difference. Try our Génifique Ultimate Serum which helps to strengthen skin and contains hyaluronic acid alongside 7 pre and probiotic derived extracts. 

Niacinamide 

There isn’t much niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, can’t do. This impressive multitasker, which can benefit every skin type including sensitive skin, has been shown to help regulate oil production, reduce inflammation and redness, improve cell turnover, even out skin tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin B3 can also help to reduce the impact of environmental aggressors, particularly pollution, while repairing past damage and strengthening your skin’s natural barrier, making it a popular ingredient in anti-wrinkle serums and brightening serums. 

Ferulic acid 

Like vitamin C, ferulic acid is a powerful antioxidant and regularly used in the best serums for mature skin. It helps to fight off free radicals, which can encourage signs of premature ageing including uneven tone. It's a key ingredient for those looking to prevent premature wrinkles and fine lines forming. 

Humectants 

While there are many types of face serums out there, most will include humectants, of which hyaluronic acid is a prime example. These water-attracting ingredients draw moisture and bind it into the skin’s top layer for lasting hydration. When used in skincare products like anti-ageing face serums, humectants typically draw this moisture from the skin’s deeper layers. However, in humid environments they can also draw in water from the environment to hydrate skin at the molecular level. This gives a plumping effect to fine lines, while smoothing dry, dehydrated patches.  

Peptides 

Peptide creams and serums are among the best to target visible signs of ageing and help to improve skin tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Peptides are made up of the body’s building blocks (also known as amino acids), which make up collagen and elastin and contribute to your skin’s firm and younger-looking appearance. Peptide-rich products help to replenish your body’s supply. We recommend first applying Rénergie H.C.F Triple Serum, waiting a couple of minutes and following with Rénergie H.P.N. 300-Peptide Cream. Your skin will be receiving key ingredients including peptides from the moisturiser. 

The benefits of anti-ageing skin serums 

There’s a multitude of reasons why face serums are so beneficial for mature-looking skin, particularly when compared to face creams with similar ingredients.  

Fast and effective absorption 

Because skin serums are made with featherweight formulas and a small molecular structure, they can penetrate more deeply than lotions and creams. This delivers a potent dose of anti-ageing collagen boosters and protective antioxidants. Lightweight, liquid formulas also ensure a rapid absorption, saving time spent on skincare. 

They stimulate cell renewal 

Over time, we lose the ability to manufacture collagen at the same rate as when we were young. A collagen face serum boosts this process by regulating metabolism and production using ingredients like retinols and peptides. This increases cell renewal and turnover, for a fresher, smoother complexion.  

They hydrate and protect skin 

Ageing skin is often dry and even damaged due to environment irritants and sun exposure. With an anti-ageing serum, you can moisturise day and night, with active humectants acting as a sponge to draw water directly into each skin cell. The result? Softer, less irritated skin.  

Our best anti-ageing serums 

Key takeaways for choosing effective anti-ageing serums 

While you can’t turn back time, you can absolutely combat the visible signs of ageing with the right skincare routine. The best, most effective anti-ageing serums will bend multiple active ingredients in one lightweight formula.  

There’s no need to choose between a collagen face serum and vitamin C serum for your face when you use products like our Rénergie H.C.F Triple Serum. Combining vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ferulic acid all in one, it brightens, refreshes, and restores skin to its natural radiance.  

FAQs

How do I choose the right anti-ageing serum for my skin type? 

Facial serum is a lightweight skin treatment formulated with active ingredients to target specific skin issues. Our Génifique Ultimate Serum is ideal for all skin types and works to restore healthy, younger-looking skin with a blend of hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and 7 pre and probiotic extracts. Apply your serum after cleansing and before moisturising twice a day. You can book a live video consultation with one of our skin experts for personalised guidance on finding the right serum for your skin type. 

When should I start using an anti-ageing serum? 

It depends on your lifestyle and needs, we usually suggest our Génifique Ultimate Serum for anyone starting out on a serum journey. It is suitable for all skin types and helps to improve the health of the skin barrier. For personalised advice, please book a live video consultation with one of our skin experts. 

How often should I apply an anti-ageing serum? 

When it comes to skincare, consistency is key, so apply your serum every morning and evening for best results. Always apply after cleansing. 

Are there any side effects of using an anti-ageing serum? 

Most anti-ageing serums are tolerated by all skin types, and there are options like Génifique Ultimate Serum for those with sensitive skin. However, active ingredients like retinoids and peptides can cause redness or irritation in some individuals. It’s always a good idea to read and understand the ingredients in your anti-ageing products, and consider booking a live video consultation when in doubt. 

How long does it take to see results from an anti-ageing serum? 

Results depend on a host of factors including the environment, consistency of use, stress and even the other products being used, but we usually say around 4 weeks of consistent day and night use. 

Can I use an anti-ageing serum if I have sensitive skin? 

Absolutely, a serum like our Génifique Ultimate Serum is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin. The balancing formula calms and strengthens the skin barrier with a blend of gentle, yet hardworking active ingredients. 

Can I use anti-ageing serum if I have acne-prone skin? 

Choose a serum that will support strengthening the skin barrier such as Génifique Ultimate Serum. For personalised advice, please book a live video consultation with one of our skin experts.