Beauty’s Elixir, aka Serums: 8 of the Best Under $100
July 13 | 5 minute read
Words by Georgia Middleton
Understanding what your skin needs is the key to knowing which serum is going to be the most compatible. Red? Flaky? Irritated? A barrier-supporting, hydrating formula is your best friend. Going through a breakout? Turn to a blemish-targeting (and preventing) serum with balancing, calming ingredients.
Here’s our top eight – all under $100 – so you can take your pick.
Ideal for: Sensitivity, compromised barrier
Greek yoghurt’s always been good for the gut – and it turns out it’s great for skin too! It does the heavy lifting in Korres’ "Smart" Yoghurt serum, feeding the skin pre and probiotics with microbiome technology for a more resilient barrier. Add that to three types of hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and ta-da, your healthiest-looking skin yet.
Talk about bang for your beauty! This little miracle worker uses four types of hyaluronic acid to deeply penetrate and flood the skin with moisture, preventing transepidermal water loss. There’s also aloe vera to soothe and hydrate, plus a peptide to soften fine lines and leave skin feeling – and looking – buoyant. Pro tip: follow up with a few drops of Face Hero when skin is feeling especially tight.
When your skin barrier sends out an SOS, get Tower 28’s Intensive Rescue Serum on the case! Powered by a concentrated dose of hypochlorous acid, a bacteria-fighting compound naturally produced by the body, it visibly reduces breakouts and redness while taking care of irritation. Plus, with a PH balance of 4.5, it’s safe to use all over.
Winter, spring, summer or autumn, this serum delivers that real ‘instant gratification’ glow year-round – with skincare ingredients that keep working long after you wash it off. It brightens dullness and shrinks the look of pores with hardworking vitamin B3 (aka, niacinamide), nourishes with watermelon extract, and hydrates and plumps with hyaluronic acid.
Think of this as the best green smoothie you’ve ever tasted – but for your face. Formulated with barrier-strengthening, antioxidant-rich ingredients like ceramides and niacinamide, plus a superfood blend of kale and cold-pressed broccoli, this serum evens out tone and replenishes skin up to 10 layers deep. Proof that we shouldn’t just eat our greens – but wear them too.
When your skin’s feeling parched and like it’s just journeyed through multiple time zones in boxed air, this is the serum you want handy. With its weightless, jelly-like consistency and moisture-attracting ingredients like squalane, hyaluronic acid and glycerine, expect nothing less than skin-drenching hydration that’s in it for the long haul.
This triple-action serum combines a trinity of vitamins – A (aka, retinol), C and E – to deliver benefits like cellular turnover, brightness and antioxidant protection. Perfect for skin that’s showing fine lines and texture, the formula also features a complex of Australian mountain herbs to help moisturise the skin and retain hydration.
As the name suggests, this serum knows a thing or two about taking care of pimples! It’s a targeted treatment with salicylic acid to unclog pores, plus skin-balancing zinc PCA and niacinamide to reduce excess sebum and reduce the look of redness – gently guiding the skin towards its best self. Finally, a touch of aloe vera does what aloe does best: calms and soothes.
