What Is Tinted Serum and Is It Better Than a Regular Serum?

Tinted serums are a popular beauty and skin care product. This hybrid beauty product delivers a one-two punch. It gives you natural medium coverage while infusing your skin with helpful anti-aging actives. You can look good and help your skin at the same time. Read on to learn how to select the right tinted serum and how to use it.

What is a tinted serum?

Serum is an oil or water-based liquid that applies directly to your skin. They are lightweight, so they quickly and easily absorb into the skin. Serums deliver a high concentrations of active ingredients to give you faster and better results.

However, because they contain high concentrations of these actives, they can also irritate the skin, so be careful. Serums contain a variety of ingredients based on your skincare desires and goals. Some have antioxidants to protect the skin, while others have anti-inflammatories to soothe it.

Tinted serums are exactly what their name suggests. They are a hybrid between a serum and a light to medium foundation. Some are even buildable to give you enhanced coverage. Tinted serums can give your skin a luminous glow and help to conceal minor imperfections, like mild acne breakouts.

Like traditional serums, they contain actives that can hydrate, protect, and nourish the skin. In addition, they possess all the benefits of a serum but with the added ability to hide skin imperfections.

Benefits of a tinted serum

Tinted serums are multitaskers that combine the benefits of a serum with the coverage of a light to medium foundation. There are numerous potential benefits to using a tinted serum that vary based on the actives in the serum. You can select the tinted serum based on your skincare needs and preferences.

Here are some benefits:

• Antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals emitted by the sun. These free radicals damage the skin by destroying collagen and elastin, which leads to wrinkles and sagging skin. Antioxidants are great additions to your anti-aging armamentarium. Look for ingredients such as vitamin C and niacinamide.
• Hydration. Many tinted serums contain ingredients that hydrate the skin, such as hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid draws water into the skin to give you an immediate plumping effect.
• Nourishment. Some tinted serums have nourishing ingredients that support the health and proper function of the skin. Squalene is a popular one that repairs damage to the skin's protective barrier, which is responsible for preventing water loss and the entrance of bacteria. Some tinted serums also contain different types of peptides that can help with anti-aging by fading wrinkles and tightening sagging skin.
• Anti-inflammatory. If you have irritated or sensitive skin, look for a tinted serum with soothing ingredients like prickly pear, white sage, or rose oil. They can calm the redness and irritation to give your skin a healthy and radiant glow.
• Protection. You can also select tinted serums that contain sunscreen ingredients, like zinc oxide, that protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. Zinc oxide is a powerful broad-spectrum sunscreen that is usually safe, even for people with sensitive skin. Daily sunscreen use can prevent the sun from causing wrinkles, sagging skin, brown spots, and skin cancer.

Tinted serum vs tinted moisturizer

Tinted serums and tinted moisturizers are similar in that they both offer minimal coverage of skin imperfections. However, that is where the similarities end.

Tinted moisturizers deliver moisture and hydration to the skin. They are usually cream-based, so they are thicker than serums and lotions. Tinted serums can also offer hydration, but they are not as moisturizing or thick as a tinted moisturizer.

Tinted serums also offer other benefits that tinted moisturizers don't, such as sun protection and nourishment. They can also provide anti-inflammatory properties to soothe the skin and anti-aging antioxidant benefits. The selection of tinted serums is tailored to your personal skincare concerns.

Tinted serum vs tinted sunscreen

Tinted serums and sunscreens offer some coverage of skin blemishes but not full coverage like a foundation. With the right ingredients, tinted serums with SPF can give you some sun protection similar to tinted sunscreens. However, they differ in their texture and added benefits.

The consistency of tinted serums is more liquid than tinted sunscreens. If you pick the right tinted serum, you can gain the benefits of anti-aging ingredients, which you may not be able to with tinted sunscreens.

How to incorporate a tinted serum into your skincare routine

It is easy to incorporate tinted face serums into your morning skincare regimen. You can apply them after your cleanser, toner, and sunscreen. Tinted serums spread easily. Some apply setting powder after the tinted serums to give you a long-lasting makeup look. To facilitate this, some use a primer before the tinted serum. For extra coverage, apply concealer or foundation after your tinted serum.

How to apply a tinted serum

The way in which to apply a tinted serum is a personal preference. Since they glide so easily over the skin, you can use clean fingertips. It doesn't take much of the product to get sufficient coverage. All you need is a pea-sized amount. Because tinted serums have high concentrations of ingredients, too much could irritate your skin. If you do not want to use your fingers, you can try a brush or makeup sponge.

Who should use a tinted serum?

Everyone can benefit from using a tinted serum. It offers light to medium coverage of skin imperfections plus all the added benefits of the active ingredients in the serum, which can be tailored to your specific needs.

If your skin is irritated, look for one with anti-inflammatory ingredients. Tinted serums are especially useful during the hot, humid summer months because they are lightweight. They do not feel greasy or heavy on your skin like foundation can.

However, if you need heavier coverage for severe acne breakouts or scarring, tinted serums may not give you the full coverage that you desire. You may need a true foundation.

The downside of tinted serums

No product is perfect, but tinted serums are close. However, there are a few downsides to using them.

• They do not offer full coverage, which is necessary for some imperfections like severe acne breakouts or scars.
• The choice of colors is not as extensive as a true foundation, so it could be difficult to match it perfectly to your skin.
• Tinted serums may not give you enough hydration like a true moisturizer because they are not as thick as a cream. If you need more hydration, just layer a traditional moisturizer over the tinted serum.

Tinted serums are the new stars in the beauty and skincare world. They offer light to medium coverage of skin imperfections, with the added benefit of a high concentration of active ingredients. These actives can help with many different skin issues, such as hydration, anti-aging, and nourishment of the skin. You can tailor your selection of active ingredients to your skin's needs and your personal goals. If you are unsure of which tinted serum to select, ask your dermatologist for help and product recommendations. These products are safe, so be consistent with using them so can reap the full benefits.