Booster, serum, essence? The differences and how to use each product!

Until recently, you would wake up, apply your moisturizer and be ready to leave the house. Today, your beauty routine has more steps and the new products it must include contain the words booster, essence and serum.

But how is each product used, when and what exactly do you achieve by applying it?

Booster, the miracle worker:

You use it daily immediately after cleansing the face and before every other step in your beauty routine. So, you apply it before serum or essence or moisturizer. Each booster should be used after cleansing and toning the skin but before the serum or cream, while you can also mix it into your favorite moisturizer for extra hydration. 

The booster, like the serum, has active ingredients in a high concentration, but unlike the serum, the main purpose of the boosters is to strengthen the function of the epidermal barrier, which is disrupted daily by external attacks such as pollution and stress.

Unlike the serum that aims to strengthen specific areas of the skin, such as fine lines or redness, the booster is a treatment for the restoration of the epidermis and its main objective is to stabilize the strength of the epidermal barrier.

As you understand, the booster can strengthen the skin's natural defense against free radicals, toxins and other irritants. End, the booster, helps the rest of the beauty products you use to be properly absorbed, so the booster treatment takes the effect on your face to the next level.

The texture of the boosters is more fluid than the serum but thicker than the essence and could be described as a transparent and cool cream. Considering the purity of the booster, the use of the cream afterwards is required, in order to complete the beauty routine and alone cannot provide 100% of the hydration or rejuvenation of the skin that it promises.

As with the serum, the booster is suitable for all skin types and can be used by women of all ages. Of course, women who need additional hydration or antiaging can choose the booster that contains the specific active ingredients needed for each specific need.

Serum, the moisturizer:

When: Apply daily before moisturizer

What it is: It is an enhanced product that targets specific problems and has very high concentration of ingredients in its composition. In general, the serum that is always applied BEFORE the moisturizing cream, is richer and stronger in active ingredients compared to the creams. In some cases, the active ingredients of the serum are complementary to those of the cream, creating a synergy that maximizes the effectiveness of their combination.
 
At what age to start using serum: There is a theory that serum is purely anti-aging and should be applied by women at the age of 30 or older. The reality is that one serum with antioxidants can save you from the free radicals that destroy the skin and bring dark circles, wrinkles and premature aging. So, you can use the serum from the 20s!

Essence (oil), with an Asian aroma:

When: You apply it, before the moisturizer and after the lotion

The essence is always in a bigger bottle than the serum, has a thin liquid composition (something between an oil and a lotion), has anti-aging ingredients in a higher concentration than the serum, while at the same time it offers rich hydration. Thanks to its light texture, the essence does not clog the pores, is absorbed immediately and helps the products that follow in the beauty routine to penetrate immediately.

How to use it: After washing your face and applying lotion (if you use lotion), you apply the essence with your fingers, which gives you shine and prepares the skin for cream or sunscreen.

And what is the difference: Some schools argue that the serums of the Western world are the essences of the East, since the essence oils come directly from Asia. Their main difference is in the texture (thin in the essence while thicker in the serum) and in the fact that essences do not contain active elements in such a large concentration as is the case with serums.

In fact, the essence that goes in after the lotion, creates an extra layer of hydration on the skin, before you apply the serum or cream.

Finally, thanks to its ingredients, the essence can be used by both a young girl for hydration and an older one for additional hydration and antiaging.


What to remember:

-Remember that your skin evolves with you. Every time and while the needs of the skin change, you can choose a new beauty product. Try the serum, essence or booster of your choice and see which texture suits you and works for your skin.

-In general, regardless of the products you use daily in your beauty routine, follow the simple rule: use the most watery first and the thickest last but make sure to combine the products you use to get the maximum possible result.

 
 Booster options: