Face Serum vs. Face Oil: Why the Labels Are So Confusing?!
Does it get more confusing than staring at two bottles with similar oils on the ingredient list BUT one of them says it's a serum and the other says it's a face oil?
I see this consistently, at markets, in reviews, scrolling skincare stuff at 11pm when I should be sleeping and not nerding out lol. Two nearly identical ingredient lists. Jojoba, sunflower, maybe a splash of essential oil for scent. One bottle says "serum." One bottle says "face oil." Same price range. Totally different vibe on the label.
So what's actually going on?
The short answer: it's a labelling choice, not a true lie
"Serum" isn't a regulated term in cosmetics. There's no legal definition, no governing body checking whether a product qualifies. Any brand can put "serum" on any bottle of oil, water, gel, doesn't matter. So when you see two nearly identical oily ingredient lists with two different product names on the front, there’s no rules broken. They just made a marketing decision, and "serum" tends to sound more advanced, more science-y, more worth the price tag.
I'm not here to shame anyone for a marketing choice but I do think from a consumer standpoint (and in an age of reading labels) that understanding what’s inside the bottle helps a lot of people make an informed call about what goes on your skin and what you are picking up with your money.
What a true serum actually is
In the function-first sense of the word, a serum is a fast-absorbing, water- or gel-based formula built specifically to carry active ingredients into the surface layers of your skin. Think niacinamide, vitamin C, alpha-arbutin. A true serum uses these water-soluble actives (they dissolve in water, not oil) in a watery base so they can actually be delivered and absorbed by the skin.
Ok but then. . . What’s a face oil?
A face oil is a an oil based formula that sits on top of the skin and softens it as well as provides occlusion (which means it seals all the moisture inside so your skin stays hydrated). That’s a big job and I honestly love me a face oil because they really do feel so soft and smoothing and are wonderful for skin. BUT a plain carrier oil with a splash of essential oil for scent isn’t delivering “actives” in a clinical sense. It’s providing fatty acids and sealing the barrier beautifully. And that’s just a face oil.
So can an oil ever have actives?
Heck yes! And now we add another layer on to the serum vs oil mystique. Because oils can absolutely carry active ingredients. They just have to be the oil-soluble kind. So that means things like bakuchiol (a plant-based retinol active), tocopherol (Vitamin E), bisabolol (a soothing botanical from chamomile) are a few that I love using in face oils. Oils just can’t carry the water-soluble stuff like niacinamide or vitamin C.
So the real dividing line isn't oil versus water. It’s more of whether the product carries a meaningful amount of active that you are looking for your skin AND can it deliver it (ie. water soluble actives in true serum, or oil based actives in face oil).
Serum? Oil? How do I use them then?
Let’s chat about building up a skincare routine because I love face oil and my whole face oil line is built on that passion. And I don’t want to let a beautifully labelled "oil serum" replace an actual water-based serum in your routine. So just. Use both, in the right order.
Cleanse.
Apply your water-based serum (the one actually carrying active ingredients like niacinamide) to clean skin. Let it fully absorb (a minute or two).
Once it's dry, seal it in with your oil. Use 5 drops and rub between hands well and then pat onto skin gently instead of rubbing hard. This helps seal in the water-based serum underneath.
That means you get actives from the serum, barrier support sealing it all in and a lovely glow from the oil. Layer them up, you don't have to pick one.
Curious about the actives in your own routine? Our Niacinamide Brightening Face Serum is water-based and built to deliver, and our Nourishing Face Oils are formulated with their own oil-soluble actives (bakuchiol, bisabolol, black cumin, and more) depending on what your skin needs.
A note from the formulator:
Niacinamide only dissolves in water. That's not a formulating preference, that's just chemistry. If I tried to blend it on into an oil base it would just... sit there. Undissolved and gritty. Doing absolutely nothing for your skin no matter how pretty the bottle looked.
So, for my fellow formulator friends…Make sure to match your actives to the carrier that it wants to live in. Water solubles go in water. Oil solubles go in oil.
This is one of my favourite parts of the job if I'm honest. Figuring out where each ingredient wants to live, and then building a product (and eventually a whole routine) that lets it actually do its job instead of just looking impressive on a label. Water-based or oil-based isn't better or worse. They're just doing two completely different jobs. And when you use them together, in the right order? That's when it gets fun.
~ Andrea, Founder & Formulator, Lavish Earth