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We talk a lot about how you can enhance your skincare in different ways or how you can utilize certain products like beauty tools to boost your routine. Though there are tons of ways you can amplify your skincare and make it more targeted, certain products literally boost your routine. Otherwise known as skin boosters or beauty boosters, skincare boosters supercharge your routine in the most literal sense of the word.
But how do they fit into your routine and how do they differ from other products like serums? We’ve got the answers. Here you’ll learn what a skincare booster is, its benefits, how it differs from serums, and the best skincare boosters for every concern.
What Is a Skincare Booster?
A skincare booster is a concentrated skincare product that’s formulated with one specific active ingredient in a relatively higher concentration.
Skincare boosters target prominent skin issues like hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and dehydration. Boosters are to be mixed with your other skincare products like serums and moisturizers.
They come in liquid form with a dropper as well as powder form in a jar. Common active ingredients found in skin boosters are vitamin C, retinol, and peptides. Basically, there’s a booster version of pretty much any active ingredient.
What Is The Difference Between a Booster and a Serum?
The difference between a skincare booster and a serum is that a booster usually contains only the active ingredient whereas serums can have additional ingredients.
For example, a vitamin C serum often contains additional hydrating ingredients as well as other pigment-correctors like azelaic acid or licorice extract. But a vitamin C booster simply contains vitamin C and gives you the benefits of vitamin C only.
Another difference is that a booster contains the active ingredient in higher concentrations. That’s why you see a vitamin C serum with about 10% of the active ingredient whereas a booster usually contains 20% vitamin C.
Can You Use a Booster Instead of a Serum?
The answer is both yes and no. Most skincare boosters, unless instructed otherwise, are suitable to use as a serum. However, remember that boosters contain active ingredients in much higher concentrations.
And they usually don’t contain other additives. This makes them more targeted and more effective. But it also makes them potentially more irritating when used alone.
A hyaluronic acid booster can always be used as a serum or instead of a hyaluronic acid serum. But you need to think twice before applying a pure retinol booster or a vitamin C booster on your bare face. They’ll be more irritating and sensitizing to the skin.
That’s why they’re to be mixed with other creams and serums. Because mixing them with emollients softens the blow, so to speak, and reduces irritation. You get all the benefits of the active ingredient in the booster without irritation.
What Are The Benefits of Skincare Boosters?
The most important benefit of a skincare booster is its ability to supercharge even the most basic skincare routine. By using a vitamin C booster, you can turn your hydrating eye cream into a multi-tasking one.
With the added vitamin C, your eye cream can now target dark circles and fine lines around the eyes.
Similarly, by using a retinol booster, you can change your day cream or night cream into an anti-aging cream just like that.
Simply put, a skincare booster can redefine your whole routine with one single product.
How to Use a Skincare Booster
There are two ways to use a skincare booster. If you’re using your booster as a serum, get a few drops of it and apply it directly on your face after cleansing and toning.
If you’re using your booster as a booster, mix a few drops of it with your daily moisturizer and apply it on your clean face after you apply your toner and serum.
The Best Skincare Boosters
There’s a skin booster for every skin concern. Whether it’s hyperpigmentation, acne, or dryness, below are the best skincare boosters to enhance your routine.
1. Dr. Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Marine Hydration Booster
This is a hyaluronic acid booster. Right off the bat, you know you can use it as a serum if you’ve been paying attention. It’s made with several humectants like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and sodium PCA to hydrate the skin at all possible levels. Humectants bind water to the skin and plump it. As a result, your skin feels bouncier and looks healthier.
Mix it with every single product in your skincare routine to target dryness, dehydration, and flaky skin. Your moisturizer becomes more moisturizing. Your eye cream becomes more replenishing. And it’s especially helpful during colder months when the skin tends to get dehydrated. The hydrating skin booster is suitable for all skin types.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, Centella Asiatica
Key Benefits: Hydrates, plumps fine lines, softens dehydration lines
Skin Type: All
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
2. HydroPeptide Firma-Bright 20% Vitamin C Booster
This one is a potent vitamin C booster. It’s not made with ascorbic acid, which is the pure form of vitamin C, but a more stable version of it. This reduces potential irritation significantly. It’s made to even out the skin tone. The booster contains 20% vitamin C as well as niacinamide, which also helps with hyperpigmentation.
And get this, the booster also contains Argireline. It’s a neuropeptide that relaxes expression lines and smooths them out. Mix the vitamin C booster with your daily moisturizer and supercharge your routine to target hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, free radical damage, and dullness.
Key Ingredients: Sodium ascorbyl phosphate, Argireline, niacinamide
Key Benefits: Reduces hyperpigmentation, increases radiance, softens wrinkles
Skin Type: All
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Cruelty-free
3. 111Skin 3 Phase Anti Blemish Booster
This one is the best skincare booster for oily and acne-prone skin. Because it contains several anti-inflammatory goodies to target acne, enlarged pores, and excess oil. It brings all you need together in one single formula and retargets your whole skincare routine. It contains salicylic acid, which exfoliates oily skin and unclogs pores.
And it has colloidal silver as well as sulfur. They’re both anti-bacterial and fight against acne-causing bacteria. And last but not least, it is made with kojic acid to reduce hyperpigmentation related to acne. Simply by adding a few drops of this into your creams and serums, you turn your anti-acne routine into a more targeted and powerful one. If you’re prone to breakouts, you can prevent the formation of acne by adding this product to your routine.
Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, kojic acid, sulfur
Key Benefits: Clears up pores, treats acne, reduces discolorations
Skin Type: Oily, combination, acne-prone
Size: 0.68 oz/20 ml
4. Eminence Clear Skin Willow Bark Booster-Serum
Similarly, this is another booster to help with acne. It’s an amazing multi-tasker you can use as a serum, spot treatment, and booster. The organic booster utilizes natural salicylic acid derived from willow bark.
It’s anti-inflammatory and stops acne in its tracks. The booster also has anti-bacterial tea tree oil, soothing aloe and vitamin B5, and antioxidant coenzyme Q10.
Key Ingredients: Willow bark extract, tea tree oil
Key Benefits: Reduces inflammation and acne, softens large pores
Skin Type: Oily, combination, acne-prone
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
5. Bybi Bakuchiol Booster
This is one of the most affordable anti-aging skincare boosters. This is a bakuchiol booster. In case you’re not familiar, bakuchiol is a plant extract that has proven anti-aging benefits. It works similarly to retinol and increases epidermal skin turnover to reduce wrinkles and free radical damage.
However, it doesn’t have the side effects associated with retinol like dryness and sensitivity. So if your skin is sensitive to retinol or exfoliants, you can use bakuchiol to address aging skin. This booster is super minimal; bakuchiol plus hydrating squalane. The product is all-natural and is a great one to step up your anti-aging game without irritating your skin.
Key Ingredients: Bakuchiol, squalane
Key Benefits: Softens wrinkles and fine lines, hydrates
Skin Type: All
Size: 0.50 oz/15 ml
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free, fragrance-free
6. Peach & Lily Booster-Serum: Co-Enzyme Q10
This is a very unique antioxidant booster that’ll revamp your moisturizer or serum instantly. It contains, coenzyme Q10, aka CoQ10. It targets signs of aging by neutralizing the damaging effects of free radicals and protects the skin against oxidative stress.
And it also contains licorice extract which is super brightening for the skin and effective in fading dark spots. The anti-aging skin booster also packs squalane to hydrate and allantoin to soothe the skin. By layering the skin with a blend of antioxidants, the booster protects the skin and diminishes wrinkles and dark spots.
Key Ingredients: Coenzyme Q10, licorice extract
Key Benefits: Treats and prevents free radical damage, brightens
Skin Type: Normal, dry, combination, oily
Size: 3 ml
7. Cosmedix B Complex Vitamin B Boosting Powder
This is a niacinamide booster in powder form to even out the skin tone, and give you a brighter complexion. It also contains biotin, aka vitamin B7 or vitamin H. The total concentration of actives is 10%. If you have prominent dark spots, you can reduce their appearance and get a more even-looking skin tone.
The booster also has coconut powder, which is rich in minerals and vitamins. Remember that niacinamide is a multi-tasker that also helps with enlarged pores and even dehydration. So you can use the powder with your moisturizer to repair the damaged skin barrier.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, biotin
Key Benefits: Improves skin barrier, brightens skin
Skin Type: All
Size: 0.2 oz/6 gr
8. Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol Booster
This booster is going to redefine your entire skincare routine all thanks to retinol. This is not a low percentage for an ingredient that’s notoriously irritating to the skin. But once you add it to your daily moisturizer, you’ve got yourself an anti-aging boost without having to deal with retinol’s drying or irritating effects.
The booster also contains soothing botanicals to avoid sensitizing the skin and damaging the skin barrier. By the way, Paula’s Choice has a variety of boosters to choose from. You can find azelaic acid as well as peptides in booster form on their website.
Key Ingredients: Encapsulated retinol, ceramides, licorice extract
Key Benefits: Stimulates skin turnover, reduces fine lines, increases radiance
Skin Type: All
Size: 0.5 oz/15 ml
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, cruelty-free
9. True Botanicals Vitamin C Booster
It doesn’t get any more potent than this pure ascorbic acid in powder form topped with ferulic acid. Ferulic acid is an antioxidant on its own. But when paired with others, it boosts the effects. So the combination of the two is perfect for stimulating collagen production, improving skin tone and texture, and reversing the damaging effects of free radicals.
The vitamin C booster is going to make your moisturizer brightening and your night cream anti-aging. All organic, and incredibly potent in powder form, this is one of the best skincare boosters to add to your routine. If you’re into gentle antioxidants like ferulic acid, see our round-up of the best ferulic acid serums to get started.
Key Ingredients: Ascorbic acid, ferulic acid
Key Benefits: Reduces dark spots, evens skin tone, repairs sun damage
Skin Type: All, except for sensitive skin
Size: 0.49 oz/14 gr
Good To Know: Vegan, cruelty-free
10. Sarah Chapman Overnight Exfoliating Booster
Exfoliation is the key to smooth skin. But if your skin can’t handle exfoliants, add this booster into your night cream whenever your skin needs a nudge. It contains lactic acid, a gentle alpha-hydroxy acid, to exfoliate and boost hydration. It also contains naturally-derived salicylic acid.
The two get rid of dead skin cells, unclog pores, and clear up the skin. Moreover, it has retinol to speed up skin turnover and help retexturize the skin on all possible levels. The exfoliating formula is the best skincare booster to get glowing skin.
Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, retinol, willow bark extract
Key Benefits: Exfoliates, reduces blemishes, softens wrinkles
Skin Type: Normal, dry, combination, oily
Size: 1 oz/30 ml
This completes our list of the best skincare boosters to supercharge your skincare. If you have a targeted face serum you use for your major skin concerns, good for you. But if you need one single product to revamp your skincare, try these beauty boosters. And remember to be careful and mindful of the concentration when you use them alone instead of mixing them with other products.
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