Skip to content
  • Essence GU
  • Beautycon
  • NaturallyCurly
  • Afropunk
  • Essence Studios
  • Soko Mrkt
  • Ese Funds
  • Refinery29
  • 2025 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Lifestyle
  • Entrepreneurship
  • News
  • Shopping
  • Video
  • Events
  • Subscribe
Home • Skin

5 New Serums I'm Currently Obsessed With

These splurge-worthy skin savers will brighten any dark quarantine day.
5 New Serums I'm Currently Obsessed With
Stock Images/Getty
By Shalwah Evans · Updated December 6, 2020

Sometimes a new serum launches and I think, I only have one face—I can’t possibly try them all. Then I do. Me and my dry skin love a great serum. And with all their different functions—hydrating, brightening, calming, smoothing—I discovered that I can never have too many.

I layer them with my moisturizer and with other serums. When I’m having a breakout, I pair serum with my acne treatment at night, in lieu of moisturizer.

And these five new serums have become the go-tos that are keeping my skin summer ready through this stressful time of quarantine.

Article continues after video.

Editor’s Note: When ordering nonessential items to be delivered, please keep in mind that warehouse and delivery workers on the front lines are putting their personal safety on the line each day to help keep our country running. As we owe them extreme gratitude, we encourage our ESSENCE family to consider doing something thoughtful for them, like leaving a tip or even offering a simple “thank you.” Stay safe!

01
Heraux Molecular Anti-Inflammaging Serum
This luxe serum feels like velvet when it’s being applied to the skin and makes your face feel like silk after it sets in. It’s free from all the junk you don’t want being absorbed into your skin, and it feels like it. I love how subtle the smell is since it has to be on my face all day. It’s quite the splurge, but if you decide it’s the one thing you’ll treat yourself to this summer, you won’t regret it.
5 New Serums I'm Currently Obsessed With
Instagram/@ herauxskin
available at Heraux $250 Shop Now
02
Dr. Barbara Sturm Scalp Serum
I was initially skeptical about using this scalp serum because of all the hair growth issues I’ve had, and my love for a good scalp cleanser. But my other serums from Dr. Barbara Sturm are phenomenal, and this one did not disappoint. My scalp felt soothed and calm instantly. And it helped clear some product buildup from my low porosity hair.
5 New Serums I'm Currently Obsessed With
Dr. Barbara Sturm
available at Dr. Barbara Sturm $100 Shop Now
03
SERUMKIND Youth & Glow
We know K-beauty brands to be wonderful for achieving glowing and youthful-looking skin. But as a Black woman, I approach any skin care not made for melanin-rich skin with skepticism and caution. I also thought this serum might be too close to a face oil. Not only was it light in texture and not oily, but it absorbed quickly and immediately softened my rough texture. This is the serum I grab when I’ve just washed my face, I have a Zoom call, and I don’t want to put on makeup but I need to look refreshed and awake.
5 New Serums I'm Currently Obsessed With
Instagram/@serumkind
available at SERUMKIND $49 Shop Now
04
Ounce of Nature Hyaluronic Acid Facial Hydrator
A couple of months ago, I went to the Ounce of Nature, a Black-owned spa in Brooklyn, and got an amazing facial treatment. But it’s this hydrating serum made right on the spa premises that really topped off that treatment to keep my skin moisturized, which in turn keeps it from getting irritated and breaking out. I like to layer this at night with an anti-inflammatory serum and a light moisturizer to really maximize the beauty in my beauty sleep.
5 New Serums I'm Currently Obsessed With
Ounce Of Nature
available at Ounce Of Nature $60 Shop Now
05
Dior Capture Totale C.E.L.L. Energy Serum
This “Super Potent Serum” smells like a luxury spa and makes you feel as though you’ve made it in life. The rich and creamy texture makes it the perfect substitute for a heavy moisturizer in the warm-weather months of spring and summer. Whenever I have a slight shopping itch, I rub this serum into my skin and it calms me—reminding me that window-shopping for shoes at Bergdorf will happen for me again.
5 New Serums I'm Currently Obsessed With
Dior
available at Dior $155 Shop Now
TOPICS:  beauty beauty splurges Inside Essence julee wilson maiya carmichael new serums serum skin 101 skin care skin care serums