Most people buy a Faberlic serum as an upgrade to their moisturiser. That framing is the reason so many of them are disappointed six weeks later — a serum is not a better cream, it is a different tool that only works alongside one.

The functional difference

A moisturiser is about comfort and barrier: it softens, hydrates and stops water leaving. A serum is thinner, more concentrated, and aimed at one specific concern.

What it does not do is seal anything in. Used alone, a serum's benefit largely evaporates, particularly in dry air or air conditioning. Serum first, cream on top — that pairing is the whole point.

Choose by concern, not by claim

Faberlic splits the category by purpose, which makes the decision easier than it looks:

  • Dehydration and tightness — hyaluronic acid-based hydrating formulas
  • Dullness and uneven tone — vitamin C and brightening serums
  • Firmness and visible ageing — the anti-age formulas, including the oxygen lines built on the Aquaftem complex
  • Oiliness and visible pores — lightweight sebum-balancing textures
  • Redness and sensitivity — soothing formulas, including options from the plant-based Botanica series

Specific products change as the catalogue turns over roughly every three weeks. See the current catalogue on faberlic.com for what is in stock where you are.

Using it properly

Two or three drops covers the whole face. More is not stronger — excess just pills under moisturiser. Apply to clean, slightly damp skin, wait a minute, then moisturise.

Give it four weeks before judging. Skin turnover means nothing meaningful happens faster than that, whatever the packaging says.

The mistake that wastes the money

Stacking actives. Vitamin C in the morning, an acid at night, retinol every other day, an exfoliating mask on Sunday — skin gets irritated, and the blame lands on whichever product was bought last.

One active serum at a time. Run it for a month. Then decide whether to add or swap.

Honest limits

A serum will not flatten scarring, clear inflammatory acne or remove broken capillaries. If breakouts persist, if pigmentation is spreading, or if most products sting, see a doctor — trialling formulas blind just costs months.

A note on cost per trial

Registration with Faberlic is free and carries a personal discount of up to 26%, which lowers the cost of testing a second formula if the first was not right. Test them in sequence, though — never together.

Other categories are covered in the reviews section.