Do I Need A Serum In My Skincare Routine?
Do you really need a serum, or is your routine already doing enough? Here’s how to know when adding one actually makes sense.
Do I Need A Serum In My Skincare Routine?
One of the most common questions I get asked when talking to patients about their skincare routine is "Do I need a serum in my routine?"
And I think the reason this question comes up so often is because somewhere along the way, we started treating a serum like it is its own category of skincare.
Almost like:
• Cleanser
• Vitamin C
• Serum
• Retinoid
• Moisturizer
• Sunscreen
And if there isn’t a serum somewhere in that lineup, it feels like something is missing.
But a serum is not really a type of skincare product in the same way a vitamin C, retinoid, moisturizer, or sunscreen is.
A serum is a form of delivery.
So, What Does a Serum Actually Do?
When we call something a serum, we are usually talking more about the vehicle and texture of the product than what the product actually does.
Serums tend to be lightweight, fluid, and easy to layer—but the ingredients inside of them can be doing completely different things.
A vitamin C can come as a serum. A hydrating product can come as a serum. A pigment treatment can come as a serum. A retinoid can come as a serum.
But those same types of products can also come as creams, lotions, gels, emulsions, or other formulations.
So if you look at your routine and think, Wait...I don’t have a serum, that does not automatically mean you need to go buy one.
Your Routine Needs the Right Products, Not Every Product Format
This is the part I think gets lost.
There are certain functions I care about in a skincare routine. I care about whether we are protecting your skin from the sun. Whether we are supporting your barrier. Whether we are using the right active ingredients for your specific goals, whether that is acne, pigmentation, aging, texture, or something else.
I care much less about whether one of those products happens to come in a serum bottle.
If your vitamin C is a cream, your retinoid is a lotion, and your pigment treatment is an emulsion, your routine is not somehow incomplete because none of them are technically “serums.”
You already have the products doing the jobs they are supposed to do. Adding a random serum just so you can say you use one is not improving your routine. It is just adding another step.
When I Would Add a Serum
There are absolutely times when I add a serum to someone’s routine, but it is because there is something specific I want that product to do, not because I think every routine needs a serum.
Let’s say you have a solid routine and you’re using a good moisturizer, but your skin still feels tight or dehydrated throughout the day. That’s when I might add HA HydraSerum+ for an extra layer of hydration.
Or maybe you’re already using a retinoid at night, but fine lines and other visible signs of aging are still a concern. That’s where I might bring in something more targeted, like DEJ Daily Boosting Serum or Revox Line Relaxer.
And if you’re consistently using Tonic and Vitamin C but that pesky pigmentation still isn’t budging? Advanced Pigment Corrector+ might be the next step.
The point is, I’m not adding a serum just to add a serum. I’m thinking, There is still something I want to improve, and this particular product is the right tool for the job. It just happens to come in serum form.
So, Do You Need a Serum?
Not just because you don’t already have one.
You need the right products for your skin and your goals, and sometimes one of those products will happen to come in serum form. Sometimes it won’t.
So instead of asking, “Do I need a serum?” I would ask, “Is there anything my current routine still isn’t doing for me?”
If the answer is yes, then we figure out the best product to fill that gap. And if that product happens to be a serum? Great.
But your skin does not care whether you checked the “serum” box. It cares whether the products you are using actually have a reason to be there.
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