Morning Vs Night: When To Use Your Serum For Best Results

To help address underlying skin concerns, might we recommend adding facial serums to your daily skincare rituals? For those unaware – a serum carries a high concentration of one or more active ingredients. Owing to its water-like consistency, this formula seeps into the skin to nip problems like dehydration, dullness, and premature aging lines in the bud.

How To Choose Between Morning And Nighttime Serum Use

So, when should you apply your result-oriented serum (or serums) for optimal results? In your morning or nighttime routine? To answer this question, you need to understand the skin’s functionality.

You see, skin has a circadian rhythm – it is in protection mode all day and slips into the repair and rejuvenation stage at night. Experts suggest timing your active ingredients to support or expedite these AM/PM skin activities. For example, if you’re using Vitamin C for brightening, add it to your morning routine as it also helps shield the skin against pollutants, UV rays, and other aggressors. Alternatively, an AHA BHA serum is best applied at night as it helps shed old, dry skin and generate new cells.

Ahead, we explore the two categories of morning and night serum for your benefit

Morning Serums: What To Use And Why

Key ingredients for morning serums include -

1. Vitamin C: As discussed earlier, applying Vitamin C in the morning upholds overall skin health. In the AM, your skin bears the brunt of pollutants, aggressors, and free radicals that trigger premature ageing. Enter antioxidant Vitamin C. Moreover, adding a layer of Vitamin C adds to your sunscreen’s efficacy, ensuring maximum UV protection. Neat, isn’t it?

2. Niacinamide: Your sebaceous glands are most active during the day, giving way to a never-ending oil slick and open pores on the face. This is why we recommend adding Niacinamide to your AM routine. The active ingredient blots excess sebum for a healthy and balanced skin microbiome.

3. Hyaluronic Acid: Hyaluronic Acid is a powerful humectant that bodes well for your morning and nighttime routine. It binds moisture molecules to the skin and elevates barrier health, preventing pollutants, pathogens, and other allergens from harming your skin. HA also makes your skin appear incredibly smooth and soft.

Application Tips For Morning Serums

Once you pick a serum for your morning routine, here's how you can use it.

1. Start with cleansing to ensure better absorption of your serum or treatment. Use a gentle, non-drying, pH-balancing cleanser that removes dirt, grime, and other impurities from the pores.

2. Using a light hand, dab the serum on your face. Observe caution around sensitive areas like the eyes and the mouth.

3. Once the serum absorbs into the skin, apply a moisturizer. This formula locks the treatment and hydration into the skin while alleviating any flare-ups.

4. Last, but not least, apply SPF 30 or more to administer unerring sun protection. Active ingredients can make your skin photosensitive, therefore an SPF is non-negotiable in your morning routine.

Nighttime Serums: When To Use And Why?

Key ingredients for nighttime serums include

1. Retinol: Whether you wish to fight aging signs, improve skin texture, or reduce acne – Retinol is the way to go. According to experts and skincare pros, the form of Vitamin A guarantees the best results when used at night. This happens because Retinol enhances your skin’s innate turnover process for new, healthy cells.

2. AHA BHA: If you want to fight dullness, clogged pores, acne, and a gamut of other concerns, try AHA BHA in your routine. Your skin’s lipid barrier is the most absorbent at night, which is why we recommend adding these exfoliants to your PM routine. Additionally, this switch-up in your routine prevents damage to the new skin cells due to continued solar exposure.

3. Peptides: We know that Collagen is a protein indispensable for your skin’s structure and taut appearance. Well, this Collagen production is at its peak while you’re busy counting sheep – and the application of Peptides further boosts this protein synthesis.

4. Ceramides: The one downside to the lipid barrier being extremely absorbent at night – your skin loses copious water molecules to become dehydrated. To prevent this problem, we recommend the super ingredient Ceramides for your nighttime routine. That’s right. A thick cream with Ceramide prevents transepidermal water loss, boosts barrier functionality, and slowly reverses aging signs.

Application Tips For Nighttime Serums

To maximize the impact of your nighttime serums, adhere to this step-by-step guide

1. Double cleanse with an oil-based cleanser followed by a foaming face wash. This process removes every morsel of dirt, sebum, makeup, and SPF for better absorption of your serum. Use a hydrating kind as your skin is more susceptible to losing water in the PM.

2. Apply the serum to your face and neck. Don’t vigorously rub the formula as it may cause stress on the skin.

3. To prevent your skin from losing water, use a thick and rich moisturizer. Look for ingredients like Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid, and Peptides in the formula for best results.

Serums Dos And Don’ts

Serums can be a little tricky to incorporate into your routine, mostly for first-time users. Here are some pointers that you should bear in mind for maximizing the serum’s efficiency while reducing flare-up risks -

1. Always patch-test the serum: Before using a new serum on your face, patch-test the formula on your neck. Only continue if your skin responds well to the active ingredient.

2. Don’t go overboard: Follow the recommended frequency of application. Overusing the serum can lead to redness, inflammation, irritation, and other such flare-ups.

3. Layer serums correctly: If you’re using more than one serum, learn to layer them correctly. Remember, the order of application is thinnest to thickest consistency.

4. Never skip sunscreen: Some individuals may experience photosensitivity after using active ingredients like Retinol, AHA, BHA, Vitamin C, and more. To avoid any burns, pigmentation, and tanning – use an SPF without fail.

Conclusion

Wondering how to choose your morning and nighttime serum? Pay close attention to your skin’s circadian rhythm. Your skin is in protection mode all day, which is why ingredients like Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid work well in your AM routine. Additionally, Niacinamide helps blot the excess sebum from the overactive sebaceous glands. Alternatively, ingredients like Retinol, AHA, and BHA support your skin’s repair and rejuvenation activities at night. Peptides in the night boost Collagen production in the skin cells and Ceramides prevent TEWL due to an extremely absorbent lipid barrier.

FAQs

1. Can I use the same serum in the morning and night?

Yes, serums like Hyaluronic Acid and Niacinamide can be used in your morning and nighttime routine. If you are a skincare beginner, we recommend consulting a board-certified dermatologist first.

2. How many serums can I layer in one routine?

This would depend on your primary (and secondary skin concerns), your skin’s sensitivity, and the compatibility of the active ingredients in question.

3. What happens when I forget to use my serum?

Don’t fret if you forget to use your serum. Apply it the next morning or evening.

4. Should I change serums based on the season?

Not really. Serums target underlying skin concerns which are constant during the year. Having said that, you can add hydrating serums to your winter skincare routine. And an oil-blotting, pore-unclogging formula like Niacinamide in peak summer.

Srishty Singh

Passionate about beauty, Srishty’s body of work spans 5 years. She loves novel makeup techniques, latest skincare trends, and pop culture references. When she isn’t working, you will find her reading, Netflix-ing or trying to bake something in her k...

Srishty Singh