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Supplementing your skin care routine with the right treatment-oriented products for your skin type is tough — especially when you're not sure what your skin needs to begin with. That’s why when you try and think of the best serums for combination skin, it feels a little like an oxymoron. How can one serum be the best for skin that's both dry and oily? The truth is, it can’t be. It can, however, work in conjunction with your entire routine to keep your combination skin balanced, bright, smooth, and acne-free.
By definition a serum is a highly concentrated, high-performance gel or light lotion that’s designed to actively treat your skin and can have a wide range of benefits — anything from clearing acne and unclogging pores, to providing extra hydration, evening out your skin’s complexion and repairing sun damage.
For combination skin, where you deal with the folly of both oily and dry skin, a serum is a great way to target and treat your most pertinent skin issues without overdoing it. With a serum you can treat acne without drying out the rest of your skin, add hydration without adding pore-clogging ingredients and heavy moisturizers, and brighten your overall complexion without over-exfoliating. Unlike an acid toner or on the spot blemish treatment, serums are also chock-full of vitamins, nutrients, and active antioxidants that feed your skin instead and make it healthier, stronger, and more radiant. Below are five serums that benefit combination skin. They each work in a different way but all contribute the overall goal: balanced, healthy skin.
1
The Best For Brightening: A Certified-Organic Serum With Vitamin C
If you take a more organic approach to skin care or are simply looking for a budget-friendly vitamin C serum, try Andalou Natural's Turmeric + C Enlighten Serum. The fast-absorbing formula contains turmeric and vitamin C which are safe and effective for combination skin to gently renew skin cells for a brighter complexion. Vitamin C, in general, is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the skin to fight existing and future sun damage and keep skin looking firm and hydrated.
2
The Best For Hydration: A Serum With 75 Percent Hyaluronic Acid
Dry, dehydrated skin in need of a major moisture boost doesn't stand a chance against Peter Thomas Roth's Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud serum. The formula contains 75 percent hyaluronic acid which, if you don't know, improves hydration by attracting and retaining up to 1,000 times its weight in water! It also includes silk proteins and a mineral complex for smoother, softer skin.
3
The Best For Treating Acne: A Gentle, Gel Serum With Salicylic Acid
This lightweight no-frills serum from Mario Badescu is hands-down the best way to treat acne and breakouts on combination skin. It includes salicylic acid plus thyme extract to clear skin, slough away dead skin and unclog pores without over-drying the skin. Salicylic acid is great for combination skin because it's actually gentle enough to prevent breakouts, clear blackheads and at the same time, clear dry patches.
4
The Best For SPF Protection: A Two-In-One Antioxidant Serum That Doubles As A Sunscreen
This antioxidant-infused serum from La Roche Posay has all the benefits of a serum — including a concentrated dose vitamin E to hydrate and smooth skin, vitamin Cg to fight against oxidative damage and Baicalin as an anti-inflammatory — plus the protection of a daily sunscreen with SPF 50.
5
The Best Serum To Wear Under Makeup: A Concentrated Antioxidant Serum That Doubles As A Smoothing Primer
This lightweight serum from Paula's Choice RESIST line delivers a powerful dose of antioxidants and skin-restoring ingredients that are gentle enough for combination skin while providing extra hydration with the help of hyaluronic acid. The formula also includes niacinamide which smooths out your skin and pores making it a great choice for under makeup. Niacinamide also renews the surface of the skin to protect it against moisture loss and dehydration.
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