In the last few years, the rituals of self-care that we perform in our daily lives have become incredibly popular through social media. With more people paying attention to their overall health and skin needs, skincare has become a major trend. Everyone, from well-known celebrities to small influencers is sharing insights into their skincare regimen and their skin's healing journey.

A serum is typically a potent shot of active ingredientsused to refine your skin's texture and designed to target a specific skin issue. Serums are replete with skin-treating actives that penetrate the layers of the skin and work to resolve these problems. Serums contain fewer ingredients than other products like moisturizers, but they are usually potent and must be used the right way to yield maximum results. They have a lightweight consistency and are meant to be layered with complementary products.

With the sheer abundance of serums available in the market catering to every possible skin concern, choosing a serum for yourself can be quite a daunting task.

When choosing a serum for yourself, it is imperative to take certain steps:

  • Identify your skin type
  • Identify your skin concerns
  • Identify thetypes of serum andingredients you want to incorporate into your routine
  • Purchase your perfect skin serum!

Identifying your Skin Type

Identifying your skin type will help you assess the needs of your skin. By categorizing your skin, you can tailor your skincare routine to cater to those specific needs and simplify your journey to healthy skin. The skin types are typically – dry, oily, combination, normal, and sensitive.

The sebaceous glands in our hair follicles produce skin oils(sebum) to lubricate skin fibersand protect the skin. The presence of these skin oils and how your skin reacts to products is the key to identifying your skin type.

  • If your skin generally feels tight, dehydrated, and dry, and never has any oil on the surface, you have dry skin.
  • If your skin produces a lot of oil throughout the day and all over your face, you have oily skin.
  • If your skin texture is normal and has a regular amount of oil, you have normal skin.
  • If your skin produces a lot of oil in the T-zone (Forehead, nose, and chin), but has dry patches in other areas, you have combination skin.
  • If your skin reacts harshly to new products or external factors like the environment and is prone to inflammation, you have sensitive skin. Sensitive skin may also be dry, oily, normal, or a combination.

Identifying Your Skin Concerns

Your skin type can help you map out what issues you may be dealing with and help you target and treat them accordingly.

Dry Skin:Skin that feels dry, dehydrated, and flaky craves moisturizing ingredients and hydration. Dry skin is also prone to inflammation and signs of aging tend to show up sooner and more prominently. Texture and inflammation problems are also exacerbated and more prominent in dry skin.

Oily Skin: Skin that produces a lot of oil is more prone to suffering from clogged pores, blackheads, and acne. The accumulation of oil in the pores can trap dirt and other impurities in them leading to painful acne infections. Oily skin is extremely prone to acne and scarring.

Normal Skin: Skin that has a normal oil balancedoesn't generally have texture problems, but it is essential to use sun protection, to prevent acneand protect the skin barrier.

Combination Skin:Skin that is dry in certain areas and oily in the T-zone can be tricky to take care of. Ingredients that treat oily skin can dry out parts of the skin, leading to more skin problems and overall skin dullness.

Sensitive Skin: Skin that is incredibly prone to irritation is really hard to select products for. It is essential to use gentle ingredients that protect and repair the skin without irritating it more.

Identifying the types of serums

Serums are designed to target specific concerns and are available in categories like hydrating, anti-aging, anti-acne,and brightening.

  • Hydrating serums are designed for dry and dehydrated skin. They are hydrating ingredients that moisturize and plump the skin. Humectantslike Hyaluronic Acid hold onto the moisture in the skin and prevent trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) are key ingredients.
  • Anti-aging serums are designed to reduce and prevent the appearance of signs of aginglike wrinkles, fine lines, and sagging skin. These usually contain Retinoids that are forms of Vitamin A – such as Retinol and Bakuchiol. These tend to be versatile and promote skin cell regeneration for more elastic and youthful-looking skin.
  • Brightening serums are designed to target skin dullness, hyperpigmentation, dark spots, anddiscoloration. Ingredients like Niacinamide and Vitamin Cpromote healthy skin cell turnover and block the enzymes responsible for melanin production, resulting in visibly brighter skin.
  • Anti-acne serums are designed to fight active and recurring acneand contain excess sebum production. Ingredients like Tea Tree Oil, Niacinamide,and Salicylic Acidare usually found in these serums and work to refine skin texture, control excess oil, and soothe inflammation and redness.

These are the general categories of skin serums that target these specific issues. While these categories target specific issues, some serums are enriched with potent actives that target two or more of these problems.

The Perfect Skin Serum for all Skin Types

SEREKO's Clarifying Serumis a product that promises a lot, and it delivers. It contains 15+ plant-powered actives that gently refine the skin's texture with its anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. It is suitable for all skin types and addresses a plethora of skin issues. Enriched with effective ingredients like Vitamin C (derived from acerola cherry), Bakuchiol, Sodium Hyaluronate (a form of Hyaluronic Acid),Niacinamide, Acai Palm Extract, and Tea Tree Oil,whichgently refines the texture of skin and promotes collagen synthesis that helps increase skin cell turnover.

The Clarifying Serumis a gentle yet effective product that addresses skin issues for all skin types – it hydrates and nourishes the skin, reduces and prevents signs of aging, balances skin oils, and fights active and recurring acne. This product doesn't just treat topical skin concerns but negates them from the root. It targets active acne, hyperpigmentation, skin dullness, dark spots, and acne scars, eases redness and inflammation, and increases the skin's tolerance towards painful acne by 55%.It is also infused with the benefits of NeuroCalm®and also enhances mood by reducing cortisol levels in the body and increasing serotonin output.

With so many benefits to offer, you'll regret not buying it sooner!

SEREKO and the science of Psychodermatology

Skincare can be incredibly complicated to wrap your head around, but new innovations and scientific research are driving forward the industry and working to demystify the secrets to great skin. Psychodermatology is a relatively new disciplinethat combines the studies of Psychology and Dermatology and studies the connection between the mind and the skin.Psychology examines the internal state of the body, while Dermatology examines the external state of the skin. Psychodermatology examines how the issues of the mindcan cause certain stress-induced skin problems andexacerbateexisting skin inflammation.

SEREKO, India's first Psychodermatology skincare brand, has an entire range of products that fight skin problems, alleviate stress, and work to reduce the impact of chronic stress. Their patent blend of NeuroCalm®is infused with actives and works to reduce cortisol output, increase serotonin output, and address skin problems like recurringacne, hyperpigmentation, inflammation, etc. SEREKO takes a holistic approach to wellbeing and soothes issues of the skin and the mind.