The 3 serums everyone should have in their skincare routine

One of my favorite parts of running this blog is that relationship is allows me to have with others. I started this blog (almost) a year ago because I always had friends and family chatting skincare and beauty with me, asking for my thoughts or recommendations for products that might work best for their skin. I’ve had huge success with my own skin, and my skincare routine is a huge part of the reason why I have been able to dramatically change the texture and appearance of my skin.

There’s a question that I have been getting from people a lot lately, and I’ve had this post in draft for so long, it’s finally time to answer that question. This post is for the people who are ready to step up their skincare game – if you’re just starting out, you can absolutely incorporate these products, too, but my biggest advice is to find consistency with the basics, first, before you jump into adding more time and products and, let’s be honest, money into your routine.

There are three serums that I think everyone should have in their skincare routine, especially if you’re over twenty-five (prevention is key!): a retinol (derived from Vitamin A), a Vitamin C serum, and an AHA/BHA serum. The trick is, you should not use all of these together – each of these contains what experts call “active” ingredients, which means that they are really going to target the areas of concern you are trying to address and might work best when allowed to work on their own in your routines. Will it kill you to layer? No, but it might mean you strip your skin of hydration or irritate it, which could cause more harm than the good you are trying to do by using these products.

Clearly, I am by no means a doctor, so my advice here is only what has worked for me. But these 3 skincare serums are what I consider to be the greatest game changers in both the texture and pigmentation of my skin, which were my major concerns after years of hormonal acne scarring and sun damage had accumulated on my skin. When used in a rotation throughout the week, you can see huge results in tackling signs of aging, brightening, pigmentation and skin texture. Let’s break them down and find the right products for you.

Retinols

Retinols are one of the most powerful skincare products you can have in your routine, yet one of the most underused. They are actually made from Vitamin A, and meant to target the elasticity of skin, texture of the skin, and signs of aging. Even better? They also help to tame acne. Because retinols are so powerful, they can often have pretty intense side effects that make people give up on them quite quickly, or just prefer to leave out of their routine altogether. After I finished my six-month round of Accutane, my dermatologist’s biggest concern was keeping my acne at bay, while also started to target a lot of the damage that had been done to my skin by the acne scarring. Because of that, my doctor had my incorporate a prescription retinol into my routine (Tretinoin), and I have been using it ever since.

Here’s what you need to know – the retinol uglies are real. When you first start using a retinol product, you need to incorporate it s l o w l y into your routine, and accept that you skin will likely have some level of reaction to it. Retinols are going to go below the skin’s surface and purge/pushes out the junk that is not supposed to be there, which causes things like acne. The side effects? Dryness, redness and irritation on the skin’s surface that will make the texture of your skin feel weird as hell. When I first started using a retinol, I was concerned I was doing it wrong, and my skin was reacting weirdly, so I should stop. Don’t! Push through and persevere, because the results will be worth it. Just know, you need to hydrate constantly, limit the amount of makeup you try to cake on top, and if nothing else – SUNSCREEN IS KEY (this is true for any of these products, as the sun is the thing that will immediately reverse that hard work these products do for you).

My best advice is to simply let it happen, go with the flow, and start by incorporating it into your routine every other night to give the skin some time to rest in between. For me, I avoid the areas of my skin which are always dry, like around my nose. I always layer a hydrating ingredient with it, like a good hyaluronic acid, thick moisturizer, and a facial oil on top. Retinols should really only be used at night, and you can alternate them with these other two serums to avoid creating more irritation to your skin.

From drugstore to Sephora, here are my picks for retinol if you aren’t able to get a prescription from your dermatologist:

Vitamin C

I have already put together a whole post about vitamin C serums, but they are a must have and generally pretty easy product to incorporate into your skincare routine, in a variety of ways. From eye patches and creams, to oils and serums, there are tons of ways to bring vitamin C’s brightening and evening results into your daily routine. For me, the best way to incorporate Vitamin C into your daily routine is to use it during the daytime, rather than at night, so you can focus on alternating the other two actives then. Again, what you want to ensure is that you are wearing sunscreen if you are using a vitamin C serum, or you’re going to undo everything the product targeted.

Vitamin C serums are super reliable, but you want to make sure the one you are picking allows the product to remain active (it should be stored properly in a cool, dry place, and you want to look for a bottle that doesn’t allow too much exposure to the outside elements). With vitamin C, you’re looking for the brightening effects of its active ingredients, as well as work on any hyperpigmentation (although, I think AHA/BHAs tackle this better). It’s going to work as a preventative, and really just give your skin that extra boost that it needs to keep a healthy glow. Here are my picks for vitamin C serums for your routine:

AHA/BHAs

Another serum that I have already done a deep dive on (find my post here), AHA/BHAs, or chemical exfoliants are probably my number one must have in my skincare routine, by far. They are also the product that has made the BIGGEST difference in my skin’s texture and overall even tone since getting past my acne.

These products are so powerful, you can even feel them working, with a light tingly sensation. Using them over time, you are really going to see incredible results in the resurfacing of your skin, as these acids are able to get far below the surface of your skin in order to tackle skincare concerns from the inside out. These products are also going to really show continuous improvement over time; even now, I still see results from these products, especially as I continue to work on resurfacing the texture of my skin from deep scarring.

A warning, these products can dry you out, so you don’t want to use these every day. I suggest aiming for 2-3 times a week, alternating with a retinol, but focusing on layering hydration with these products is definitely a key. Again, avoid any super dry or easily irritated areas of your face, when you use these, or, if you find yourself more sensitive, try using them as a mask once a week instead. When I feel my skin is running on the dryer side, I will use these as a mask treatment for just about 10 minutes, so that I get those effects without letting them really work overnight. Any of these products can be used as a mask, but my first, most budget-friendly pick, should only be used as a mask. Here are my picks:

Value sets

Maybe you want to keep it simple, and you want to incorporate a few of these products, but aren’t sure which brand is the best or what you are really looking for. I think one of the greatest ways to build value and ease into your skincare routine is to try a combo set from one of these brands, available at multiple price points. While only the Paula’s Choice (probably the hottest skincare brand right now) incorporates all three recommended serums, I have tried and love the Versed set, and am currently using this BeautyRx subscription in my own skincare routine.

Thanks for shopping my blog post! For transparency, some of the links in this post may be affiliated, which means I may make a small commission off of any purchases made when using these links, at no additional cost or work for you. All of the products I share on Pretty Busy are those that I buy and love – thanks for your support!