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By now, you’re probably well aware that in order to keep your skin looking and feeling its best, you should be incorporating a serum into your skincare routine — but what are the best serums for women over 50? Before we talk about the best serums, let’s break down what serums are, what they do, and how to use them.
What are face serums?
First things first, it’s important to note a common misconception about face serums — while they can contain hydrating ingredients, they are not moisturizers. Face serums are concentrated treatments used to deliver key nourishing ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, retinol, and peptides, directly to the skin. Penetrating deeper than a facial oil or face moisturizer can, they’re essential to keeping skin healthy, vibrant, and youthful.
Face Serums vs. Face Oils: How do they differ?
The main function of a face oil is hydration. Because of oil’s large molecular structure, it doesn’t penetrate as deeply as a serum can. This makes it great for locking in hydration, but not ideal for treating skin concerns on its own. Serums are more concentrated, which means they have a much smaller molecular makeup and can go deep into the skin’s layers, fighting specific issues, like wrinkles or dark spots, head on.
How to Apply Face Serums
To get the full effect of your serum, it’s important to make sure you’re applying it correctly. The best time to apply a serum is after thoroughly cleansing but before moisturizing. Clean skin that is free of dirt and debris makes the ideal canvas for deep penetration, meaning nothing (including a moisturizer) can block it from getting right to the root of the problem. Wet skin is more permeable than dry skin, so be sure your face is damp.
Since serums are super concentrated, always go by the adage “less is more.” In general, two to three drops should be enough to properly nourish your entire face. This way, you’ll only ever apply as much as you need, avoiding possible irritation and making that precious bottle last even longer!
The Best Serums for Women Over 50
As with any skincare product, the best serum for you is one that caters to your skin’s needs. There are hundreds of serums available for every skin condition imaginable. Looking for a way to banish wrinkles? There’s a serum for that. Want a way to soothe the redness and inflammation associated with your rosacea? There’s a serum for that, too!
To find the perfect formula for you, we put together a list of serums sure to put to bed all of your skincare woes. Keep scrolling to shopWoman’s World’spicks for the best serums to remedy any skincare worries.
We write about products we think our readers will like. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the supplier.
For this list, we're starting off with a heavy hitter. When Vinter Daughter's Active Botanical Serum first launched in 2014, its cult following developed swiftly. However, many women were still skeptical for two reasons. First, its price, and second, the fact that it was the company's only product. So why did this serum from a brand in its infancy become one of the most universally loved?
The secret lies in its blend of 22 active botanicals and essential oils. With such a high number of active ingredients, the power is real with this one. Known for its skin-firming, anti-inflammatory, and elasticity-strengthening properties, this serum penetrates deeply to leave skin clear, smooth, and restored to its optimal state.
From curing colds to healing wounds, we've heard of the power of vitamin C since we were children. So, it only makes sense that one of the most coveted serums for women over 50 would be a vitamin C serum — the iconic Truth Serum from Olehenriksen. A powerful blend of vitamin C and collagen, this anti-aging formula is antioxidant rich and known for its ability to help brighten, firm, and hydrate skin all day long. On top of that, vitamin C has also been shown to help with skin pigmentation issues, making it one of the best serums for melasma, a common skin condition that causes brown patches to appear on the face and body.
Searching for a serum that'll drastically help the look of deep wrinkles? Clinique's Smart Custom-Repair Serum has been many women's go-to for this very reason. Formulated with a blend of smart, calming, and smoothing ingredients, like red algae, it's a showstopper. But don't be quick to underestimate the reach of this serum — it wears a lot of hats. Not only does it help smooth out wrinkles, but it also helps lift sagging skin, evens skin tone, and brightens your complexion, leaving you with a radiant and youthful appearance.
If hydration is what you're looking for, reach for Estée Lauder's Advanced Night Repair serum. This beloved product is a powerful nighttime serum designed to give you the hydrated and luminous skin you've been craving by morning. Formulated with their exclusive ChronoluxCB technology, this serum works not only to provide intense hydration, but it also helps to smooth skin, fading the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
While there are many ways to treat rosacea in mature skin, one of the best ways is with a serum, like this one from organic skincare brand Éminence. Made especially for those with hypersensitive, rosacea-riddled skin, this Couperose-C serum comes loaded with soothing botanicals to help you say goodbye to redness in no time. Featuring ingredients like rosehip oil (to soften and hydrate), lavender (to heal broken capillaries), and a unique Bicomplex blend (to nourish skin), this antioxidant-rich serum will have you skin looking its best in no time.
If there's one serum on this list you're probably already familiar with, it's Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Much like a night cream would, this serum boosts the skin's natural repair and replenishing process that happens as we sleep. With a blend of pure essential oils, like evening primrose, squalene, and keynote lavender, this elixir delivers intense hydration to the skin to ensure it's smooth, supple, and bright the next morning. And beside its skincare properties, this serum is also a great way to help lull you to sleep thanks to the naturally calming effect of lavender. A nighttime serum that can also help you sleep better? What more could you want!
Whether it's due to naturally sparse lashes or years of wearing and taking off mascara, chances are your lashes could use a pick-me-up. For thicker and longer lashes, a serum is a great option, especially this one from Belle Diary. Gentle and safe for all skin types, this 100-percent organic growth serum is rich in Myristoyl pentapeptide-4, a powerful peptide known for its ability to activate keratin and stimulate lash growth. With a couple daily swipes at the lash root, you'll be batting longer, stronger, and healthier lashes in record time.
While treating your face to an A+ serum is more than a good idea, there's one part of the face you should be paying extra close attention to — your eyes. It's one of the first areas of the face to show signs of aging, and eye wrinkles are incredibly common and a natural part of getting older. While they're nothing to be ashamed of, people who are looking for a way to smooth them out a tad will love this serum for eye wrinkles from LilyAna Naturals. This healing and calming serum doubles as a cream and is loaded with ingredients that gently nourish the delicate skin around your eyes, like vitamin C, vitamin E, rosehip seed oil, and organic hibiscus flower extract to name a few. And with no parabens, artificial colors, or artificial fragrances, you rest assured that this product will be more than safe to use.
For those dealing with dark spots and acne scars, a clearing serum is the way to go. For a natural yet powerful option (complete with anti-aging benefits), try InstaNatural's Age-Defying & Skin-Clearing Serum. With key ingredients like retinol, salicylic acid, niacinamide, tea tree oil, and vitamin C, this serum not only talks the talk, it walks the walk. But don't take it from us. Amazon buyer Yadira Gonzalez says, "This product really changed my skin drastically! I couldn’t find any product to clear up my skin from old acne dark spots until I tried this product. My skin has never looked better."
Looking for a serum with anti-aging benefits that won't be harsh to your delicate skin? An herbal alternative to a retinol serum, Moonlight Catalyst from Kypris gently revitalizes your skin while you sleep without the symptoms commonly associated with retinol use, like irritation, redness, or peeling. Made with a blend of natural enzymes and botanicals, this serum hydrates, softens, and lightly exfoliates skin to reveal the plump, luminous skin of your dreams.
Have you tried the anti-aging wonder treatment that is derma rolling yet? Derma rolling, also known as microneedling, is a virtually painless, collagen stimulating skin-care treatment that involves rolling a small tool covered in hundreds of tiny microneedles across your face. But before you can get to rolling, you'll need to apply a serum — and there's no better serum than this hyaluronic acid serum from InstaNatural. Known for its ability to tackle dry skin and wrinkles, hyaluronic acid is a fantastic option for mature skin. This particular serum also comes with an added dose of vitamins C and E, making a bright, supple, and youthful complexion drops away.
Whether it's due to overplucking or simply natural hair loss that comes with aging, we could all use a little help when it comes to thickening up and filling in our eyebrows. So if bold brows are what you want, bold brows are exactly what you'll get with the RevitaBrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner. Thanks to its BioPeptin Complex blend, this peptide and extract-rich serum not only helps grow your brows, but it helps maintain them, too, defending against breakage and fallout for brows that could only envy those of Elizabeth Taylor.
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