
We’re celebrating The Beauty 100, a collaboration between Insider’s Guide to Spas and Spirituality & Health magazine. Today’s focus is on the use and benefits of facial oils and serums, and we called in the expertise of Jeannie Jarnot, one of our favorite green beauty experts and founders of Beauty Heroes.
“With so many great healthy options in the face serum category, discovering your Hero product can be overwhelming,” Jeannie shares. “This is where a little ingredient intelligence can really come in handy. While botanicals work holistically on the skin with multiple benefits, you can look for a serum that has a foundation of ingredients you know best suit your skin type and condition, and build from there.” Here, are more of Jeannie’s great tips:
• For supreme anti-aging, look for prickly pear seed and rosehip seed oil.
• For acneic skin, look for skin clearing ingredients like tamanu seed, black cumin seed, and helichrysum oils.
• For brightening skin repair, look for jasmine, green-tea seed oil, and astaxanthan.
“I also recommend taking the time to learn about the company that makes your products and how they source their ingredients,” advises Jeannie. “As with anything that’s truly healthy, it begins with good ingredients!”
Serums Are a Treatment
Serums are targeted to treat a specific skin condition such as rosacea, hyper-pigmentation, acne, dryness, or age prevention. Due to ingredient concentration, the actives typically penetrate deeper into the skin, often referred to as a ‘booster.’ Because of this, they often cost more than a moisturizer.
Serums Can Be Layered
Yes, you can absolutely layer serums. I suggest applying one serum, wait several minutes until it is absorbed then layer the accompanying serum. I say this however with ‘Use Less. Love More.’ In mind. Use more than one serum if you are getting results from the combination, otherwise, find one that delivers results, or alternate.
Serums Can Replace Your Moisturizer
Serums can double as a hydrator, depending on your skin and the ingredients. I personally like the consistency of serum more than a moisturizing face cream, so I often use only a hydrating serum in place of a moisturizer. Things to consider are the season and climate, skin type, and if you are going with or without make-up. For instance, in the winter and when I am going to wear makeup, I will layer a moisturizer over a serum. In the summer and if I am not wearing makeup, I will often just use a serum followed by sun protection.
Find out which oils and serums made the 10 Best in The Beauty 100. Enjoy!

Mary Bemis
Mary Bemis is Founder & Editorial Director of InsidersGuidetoSpas.com. She is a pioneering spa journalist, most recently honored as one of the "Top 30 Influential Voices Transforming Wellness." She is an inaugural recipient of Folio's Top Women in Media Award, and was honored by ISPA with its distinguished ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award. In 1997, she launched American Spa magazine, and in 2007, Mary co-founded Organic Spa magazine. A pioneer in the sustainable spa and beauty worlds, Mary is co-curator of Cosmoprof North America's Discover Green Pavilion. She is a Global Wellness Day Advisor, and a co-founder of the Washington Spa Alliance.
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