Back to Basics: Serums, Ampoules, and Facial Oil
This is probably one of the most important skincare products to have in your arsenal, dependent on the fact that you already have your cleanser, exfoliant, and moisturizers. They are a category of treatment products that target concerns in your skin like pigmentation and acne.
But what exactly are they and what’s the difference between them? Is it worth your money to invest in all of these (serums, ampoules, and facial oil) or just one? More importantly, do they work like they say they will? Most of these questions you should be able to answer after reading!
To begin with, we need to define what facial serums, oils, and ampoules are. A facial serum is going to consist of stronger, more active ingredients to address the skin concern it is labeled for. Facial oil is either a single oil or a blend that you apply with your moisturizer for added skin protection and hydration. And an ampoule, although not that common, are single-dose vials of highly concentrated ingredients to target Skin Conditions.
Let's take serums, for example, if you bought a serum for acne, you are going to see high-performance ingredients like salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and even lightning agents like arbutin ad kojic acids. The concentrations are going to be higher so that the product can really target that concern, which is where you would be applying it as well.
You wouldn’t need to apply an acne spot treating serum all over your face, just on the areas you are experiencing breakouts. On the other hand, if it is an anti-aging serum then definitely use it all over!
Facial oil is a totally different product and one that is becoming more and more popular. These are oils, either just one or a blend of two or more, that you would apply on top of your moisturizer to seal in hydration, act as an astringent absorbing excess oil, boost skin protection, or soothe down irritated skin. Here is a simple list of some oils out there on the market and their benefits:
Jojoba Oil- is a very common oil used a lot in massage or as a carrier oil for essential oil blends. Great for normal or combo skin, this oil will help to break down sebum and is extracted from a desert shrub giving it hydrating capabilities as well. Don’t be worried though, this oil won’t clog your pores!
Grapeseed Oil- a natural astringent that is a little more drying than jojoba, is also high in antioxidants and soothes irritated skin. This is great for oily skin types.
Rose Hip Oil- known for its moisturizing, astringent, and tonic properties, this oil is perfect for a combo/oily skin with acne and /or scarring. Also beneficial for reducing redness in the skin, Rose Hip Oil is more like a serum than in oil in how much it treats the skin!
Marula Oil- very high in antioxidants and essential fatty acids, this oil is a powerful player in the anti-aging skincare game. Very nourishing to the skin, this oil will absorb quickly quenching dry skin but not leaving it greasy.
Argan Oil- this little gem is loaded with Vitamin E which helps protect your skin from the harmful UV rays the sun gives off. Great for normal/combo/aging skin and us here in California where it’s sunny 362 days a year!
So you should now have a basic understanding of serums and facial oils, even though I could go on so much more about those two but we will save that for my Ingredients 101 Series! Ok, moving on, ampoules. What?!
You may have never seen these, you may have used something similar from VO5 on your hair (like me) when you were a frizzy kiddo, but no matter where you are at with them, they exist and we should know why.
An ampoule, according to my old beauty school textbook Milady’s Standard, is a small, sealed vial containing a highly concentrated one-dose application either in oil or water base.
We find these more in products for anti-aging or pigmentation reduction, my theory being that most times there are highly oxidizable ingredients used and therefore having a pump or dropper design would lead to the ingredient oxidizing faster.
Think Vitamin C, which is highly unstable and oxidizes quickly. In one product by Dermalogica, they have these little ampoules of powder ingredients you drop into a liquid shake and use, this keeps the Vitamin C stable until its time to use it.
It is not necessary to have ampoules if you have serums or to have one of each. What is most important is that you find a product line you love, stick with products targeted for your skin and your concerns and are consistent in your usage. Want to know more? Leave any questions about skincare you may have and who knows you might inspire an upcoming blog!
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri