Simply put, serums are powerful skin allies. Filled with concentrated doses of active ingredients, these elixirs can mitigate a number of issues, from dark spots to wrinkles. “Even if you don’t have any specific issues, everyone still needs a general antioxidant serum in the morning to protect from daily aggressors.  While there are “limitless options” for ingredients, Nazarian singles out her hardworking favorites. To handle specific issues, look for these products:

Hyaluronic acid to seal in hydration and strengthen the barrier function (the top layer of your skin) to prevent moisture loss.

Vitamin C to help brighten dull skin and decrease dark spots with continued use.

Retinol, vitamin B3, peptides to stimulate the production of collagen and elastin, proteins in the body that help prevent lines and skin sagging.

Colloidal sulfur, niacinamide to calm redness and irritation by decreasing inflammation, and improve acne with its antimicrobial effects.

Helpful Hints and Pointers

If you have multiple concerns, you might want to use multiple formulas. “I recommend treating different areas with different products “Maybe you’ll use a vitamin C serum all over but then dab on [another] for hyperpigmentation on just a few spots.” Just run any combination by your dermatologist to avoid any potential reactions.

To save time, don’t try mixing a serum into your moisturizer. This “lessens the ability of the serum to absorb effectively. “Products should be applied one by one.”

Not all serums are applied with the same frequency. “This varies with the ingredients.“I prefer antioxidants in the morning because they give you additional protection from the environment, and most of us don’t use enough sunscreen as is. Yet certain ingredients are best when slathered on at night. For example: “Retinols are not sun-stable and will degrade if applied in daytime.

Topical peptides are mainly classified as:

1. Carrier Peptides

These are X-50 Myocept, Copper Peptides, etc.

Carrier peptides help in carrying stabilized trace elements like manganese and copper to your skin. These trace elements help in boosting collagen development, improve your skin elasticity, and aid wound healing. Copper peptides are commonly used in anti-aging skin care.

2. Neurotransmitter Inhibitor Peptides

These are XEP-30, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-28 Argireline, Syn-Ake, etc.

Neurotransmitter inhibitor peptides inhibit your muscle contraction, giving your skin a botox-like effect. If your muscles do not contract, there is no scope for wrinkle formation. However, this peptide only works on the wrinkles formed by the expression lines and not the ones caused by pollution, sun exposure, and other factors.

3. Enzyme Inhibitor Peptides

These are Trylagen, Trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2, Silk fibroin peptides, Soybean peptides, etc.

These peptides inhibit all the enzymes that break down collagen in your skin. In this way, your skin ages slowly. Most of these peptides usually prohibit the functions of Matrix Metalloproteinases or MMPs. This is a group of enzymes that break down collagen when it develops rapidly .

4. Signal Peptides

These are Palmitoyl Oligopeptide-7, Copper Peptides, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Matrixyl-3000, etc.

As the name suggests, these peptides usually send signals to the skin to boost the production of elastin, collagen, and any other protein that the skin might need to stay fresh and young.