Tag: Serums

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13 Best Retinol Creams & Serums 2020 – Reviews


Ask anyone with glowing skin, and they’ll likely tell you it’s thanks to the best retinol creams (and, OK, maybe genetics). The ingredient is often hailed as the gold standard for both reducing wrinkles and fighting acne. But while retinol is extremely effective, it’s also notoriously tricky to get right.

First things first, it helps to know what is retinol exactly? It’s often used as a catchall term for topical products containing a vitamin A derivative, but technically retinol is a type of retinoid, of which there are several variations that work at different levels in your skin care. “Retinoids work by increasing collagen production as well as increasing the rate of skin cell turnover,” says New York dermatologist Shari Marchbein, M.D. “They also help treat acne, blackheads, and clogged pores by reducing the stickiness of the cells that clog pores, as well as speeding up the rate at which the skin turns over and regenerates.” Because of this, retinol creams and serums are ideal for improving your skin’s overall texture, minimizing fine lines and wrinkles, evening out skin tone, and decreasing pore size.

But all this turnover can also lead to irritation, including redness, peeling, and increased breakouts (known as “purging”). Most derms recommend easing yourself into retinol, starting with one or two applications a week to build up your tolerance. You can also try buffering—i.e., sandwiching retinol between two layers of moisturizer—to keep irritation at bay.

If used correctly and carefully, though, a good retinol product can truly revolutionize your skin care routine—something our editors can say with certainty. We polled Glamour staffers (and a few experts) and asked them to share the retinols that deliver results without the irritation. Read on for the best retinol creams, serums, and oils they swear by.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.



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17 Best Vitamin C Serums for Brighter Skin in 2019


No matter which skin issues you’re currently bemoaning, chances are your routine could benefit from a vitamin C serum. The antioxidant is one of the few skin care ingredients dermatologists will back for its noticeable brightening, protective, and collagen-boosting properties. “Vitamin C is an antioxidant,” says dermatologist Kenneth Howe, M.D., at Wexler Dermatology. “When ultraviolet light penetrates your skin, it causes lasting damage by producing free radicals. Vitamin C can prevent that damage by ‘quenching’ the free radicals as they form.” There’s just one caveat: “It has to be present within the deeper layers of your skin in order to do that.”

This is the main reason derms will often tell you to get your daily dose of vitamin C in serum form. “They typically have the highest concentration of active ingredients,” says Howe. In order to get maximum results, though, you’ll need these highly concentrated actives to be properly formulated. You might have heard experts debating the merits of various forms of the power ingredient. Here’s one to memorize: L-ascorbic acid. “It’s a pure form of vitamin C,” says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D.. “It’s typically highly unstable, so it must be adequately protected from sunlight and capped at an acidic pH.” Howe’s preferred form is also L-ascorbic acid, which he says penetrates more deeply than other forms, making it more likely to reach the layers of skin where you actually need it to work. And that’s not all you need to think about it when it comes to the best vitamin C serums; you’ll also want to consider its concentration.

“You should look for serums that contain 10% to 20% vitamin C,” says dermatologist and cofounder of LM Medical, Morgan Rabach, M.D. “Less than 10% is not as effective and over 20% causes more skin irritation.” A supporting cast of characters can also boost its efficacy. “Vitamin E stabilizes vitamin C for maximum skin protection, and ferulic acid helps lower the pH level of vitamin C so your skin can use the vitamins easily,” she says. “I also look for darkly tinted glass bottles with airless delivery, as air causes vitamin C to degrade.”

It seems like a lot to remember, so we did the heavy lifting of finding out where those multiple factors intersect. Below, the 17 best vitamin C serums (or products with serum-like textures, to use the term more generously) that meet this stringent list of criteria. Scroll through to find out which bottle delivers on a budget, which is perfect for packing in your carry-on, and which meets every single derm’s approval.

All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.



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The Best Face Serums for Adult Acne, According to Derms


Here’s a serum, there’s a serum—wherever you find yourself browsing an aisle of skin care options, you’ll almost definitely find a collection of little bottles promising to Terminator-style destroy whatever ails you. They talk a big game and usually cost a quarter of a month’s rent, since most serums rely on a potent range of active ingredients to moisturize where you’re dry, brighten where you’re dull, or exfoliate where acne’s left its mark. But all the marketing in the world doesn’t make it less frustrating when you use a serum day after day, only to see no change. It’s betrayal, plain and simple. To avoid the pain, we emailed trusted dermatologists far and wide for their opinion on the most pressing of subjects: the best face serums for acne-prone skin. Cheers to the eight below, and say hello to clearer days.



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The Best Vitamin C Serums on Amazon Under $50


To hear dermatologists tell it, if you’ve ever walked outside, your skin would be better for using a vitamin C serum. Years of sun exposure leads to free radicals, which over time make for skin that looks dull, uneven, tired, and generally not its best. Regularly using vitamin C, which is full of antioxidants (the trick to neutralizing free radicals), gives your skin a brighter, lit-from-within glow with good health. Seems like a no-brainer to use, no? The only downside is that historically vitamin C serums didn’t run cheap, and people would pay up because it was worth it. But thanks to Amazon, they’re both effective and affordable—almost suspiciously so. Given the shady sellers that can lurk online, it’s tough to tell which are legit. So Glamour‘s editors read the reviews, weighed the positives, and tested Amazon’s most-reviewed, reasonably priced, and generally beloved serums to find which ones deliver. Read on to shop our new go-tos.



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