A skin care routine can contain several steps, depending on the user's goals, skin conserns and purely the desire to invest in skin care. However, every skincare routine should start and end the same way; start with cleansing and end with a moisturizer (and sunscreen in the morning), in the simplest way, the whole routine can be there. But if you want to get extra power out of your skin care routine, one of the best additional steps is to add essence, serum or ampoule to it. What is essence? Essence is added either after cleansing or after toner, if one is used. An essence contains active ingredients that treat desired skin problems, such as dark spots, moisturize the skin or prevent signs of aging. Essence has a watery texture, but it is not the same as toner, because essence has more moisturizing and skin-caring ingredients. However, its active ingredient concentrations are not as high as in serum or ampoule. How is essence used? The skin care rule of thumb is that products are always applied from the most runny texture to the thickest. Essence is a water-based care product that is applied to the skin either after washing or after using toner (if used). Essence is poured or pumped onto clean hands, and applied to the face by patting. What are the benefits of using facial serum? Serums contain active ingredients that are absorbed deep into the skin and can be used to treat skin problems or bring more brightness or moisture to the face, for example. Active ingredients, such as Vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid and so on,are chosen according to the needs of one's own skin. Serums combine several different active substances, which not only support each other's function, but also give the opportunity to achieve several results with one product. For example, the serum may contain multiple active ingredients, some of which bring brightness to the skin, some hydrate, and some fade the signs of aging. Adding a serum to your routine allows for more visible skin care results than using just a moisturizer alone. At what stage is the serum added? The serum is always added before the moisturizer, i.e., depending on the extent of the skin care routine, either after toner, essence or ampoule. If you use a sheet mask, you can also add the serum before the mask and finish the routine with a moisturizer after the mask. What is an ampoule and how is it used? The ampoule is very close to the serum in terms of its purpose. It contains active ingredients in high concentrations that are intended to effectively treat a specific skin consern, such as uneven skin tone or fine lines. The ampoules may contain only one active ingredient, such as centella extract, but in higher concentrations than in a serum. Most of the ampoules have a few active substances. Instead, serums often combine many different active ingredients, so you get the benefits of several at once, but in smaller concentrations. If you want to treat several different skin problems or you are looking for more benefits with your skin care routine, you can layer several different serums and ampoules. If you are unsure about the combination of products or ingredients, you can always ask for advice from our store or our beautician . Ampoules have a more runny texture than serums, so they are added to the face before serum or moisturizer.