How Does a “Pre-Serum” Fit Into a Skincare Routine? An Expert Explains
Dr Yumiko Kadota is an Australian-trained medical doctor with 14 years of clinical experience. She owns a cosmetic skin clinic in Sydney, performing treatments such as injectables, lasers, and chemical peels. She was born in Tokyo and loves using Japanese and Korean skin care in particular. You can find her on @dryumikokadota or @sydneyfacedoctor
If there’s just one thing you take away from this article, make it this: hydrated skin absorbs skincare better.
Depending on your skin type and concerns, you may have one or more serums in your routine. I consider serums the hard workers of any routine, but they can’t exist alone.
Here’s where “pre-serums” (also called boosters) come in to help support their functions...
What Is a Pre-serum?
The concept of pre-serums is not new.
In other cultures, such as J-Beauty, they are a well-established skincare category in their own right.
In Japan, we call them 導入液 (dou-nyuu-eki) which roughly translates to ‘introducing liquid’.
How to use a pre-serum? They are used after cleansing and before your first serum.
As aforementioned, we want skin to be well hydrated, so the first step is ensuring your cleanser doesn’t make your skin feel tight or stripped.
It’s also okay not to dry your face vigorously with a towel. I tend to gently tap my skin with a towel and keep my face a little damp.
Is pre-serum the same as toner?
If you use a toner, you can follow with a toner before your pre-serum. Occasionally I still see misinformed and old-fashioned beliefs about toners online.
In the past, there used to be astringent-heavy toners that could make your skin feel dry.
However, modern toners use hydrating ingredients like glycerin. Now that it’s getting a bit colder in Australia, my skin feels a bit drier, so I am definitely layering toner!
If you’re keen to use a pre-serum, there are three great options at Adore Beauty, let me tell you more...
Best K-Beauty Pre-Serums
1. COSRX The 6 Peptide Skin Booster Serum, $55.
This pre-serum is lightweight and absorbs very quickly – exactly what you need at the start of a routine.
The hydrating effect is immediate, and there are additional longer-term benefits to using this product. If you’ve heard of peptides and have been curious to incorporate them into your routine, this is a great option!
They are especially helpful if you can’t use retinoids but want skincare that helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
SH-polypeptide-121, copper tripeptide-1, and acetyl hexapeptide-8 are three of the peptides in this product that all help with firmness and elasticity. This booster also has ingredients that help sebum control, if you have combination or oily blemish-prone skin.
Last but not least, this product is unfragranced and gentle on the skin, with soothing ingredients like allantoin.
2. Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum, $146.
This best-seller from Korean luxury brand Sulwhasoo is worth the hype.
Over the last 30 years, the First Care Activating Serum has had a number of iterations to evolve with current technologies as well as play homage to traditional ingredients like fermented ginseng which are packed with antioxidants.
I like using antioxidant-rich products as part of my morning routine as they help protect skin from environmental stressors, and work well with sunscreen.
Like the CosRx booster, this product is also lightweight with a fast absorption. I personally enjoy the earthy fragrance, and find the product to be deeply hydrating.
The botanical extracts support the skin barrier, and the addition of ingredients like madecassoside are soothing.
It also has adenosine, which not only helps to reduce inflammation but also supports collagen production.
If you’re in a place to treat yourself to some luxury skincare, I highly recommend this one (I’m onto my second bottle!)
3. VT Cosmetics Collagen Reedle Shot, $88.
When used appropriately, this product can be transformative!
It was a viral sensation at the start of last year, and I have tried the 100, 300, and 700! However, a word of caution: this is not suitable for sensitive skin.
I’ve enjoyed microneedling treatments for several years, so my skin is very tolerant. The “reedles” are tiny needle-like structures that give you a prickly sensation.
Think of it as a manual exfoliator, but it stays on your skin (if you use it in the morning, you may even feel it when you’re applying your nighttime skincare).
Over-exfoliating can damage your skin barrier, so it’s one of those products that should be used sparingly, and avoid using together with a manual scrub.
As a general rule, I only exfoliate once or twice a week. I used the pink version of the VT Reedle Shot 100, which has collagen in it.
Collagen as a skincare ingredient is very moisturising. The 100 also comes in an orange version (vitamin C), blue (hyaluronic acid), pale green (retinoids: retinol and hydroxypinacolone retinoate, as well as bakuchiol) and dark green (soothing ingredients).
For those interested in trying it for the first time, the gentlest is the 50.
As pre-serums are designed to enhance penetration, I would also avoid using it together with strong actives like exfoliating acids, vitamin C, or retinoids, especially if you’re using the orange or pale green version of the 100 as they already include those actives.
My skin tends to get clogged, so a gentle mechanical exfoliation with VT Reedle Shot helps smooth out my texture.
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