Dr. Sam Ellis has reviewed 36 serums, approving 29, giving 5 a mixed take, and skipping just 2. That is a high approval rate for a dermatologist. It says something about how she picks what to review. She tends to reach for products built around ingredients she trusts, and she is upfront when the science does not quite match the price tag.
What does Dr. Sam Ellis recommend in serums?
The common thread in what Dr. Sam Ellis approves is ingredient quality at the right levels. She praised the Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum because it uses 2% alpha arbutin, which she called a really strong pigment inhibitor. She also noted that Allies of Skin is careful about pH and efficacy levels rather than just piling ingredients in. That matters because a well-balanced formula is less likely to irritate and more likely to actually work. She named six serums as category winners overall: CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum, SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum, Timeless Coenzyme Q10 Serum, Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum, SkinBetter Science Trio Rebalancing Moisture Treatment, and Nzen Vitamin Concentrate Serum. On peptides, she singled out The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Hyaluronic Acid Serum as one she absolutely loves, calling it very reasonably priced. She also highlighted the Timeless Coenzyme Q10 Serum for pairing coenzyme Q10 with Matrixyl 3000 in what she described as a really luxurious, non-irritating and super affordable formula.
In her words
"I love The Virtue hair oil especially if you have thinner fine hair."
"A couple of peptide serums that I absolutely love are the one from The Ordinary, the multi-peptide serum, which you can get at Sephora and is very reasonably priced."
"I like to use the OGX Coconut Miracle Oil, which is such a good product. Using something like this still gives you the benefits of using a coconut oil but it's a much lighter product, so I find that it rinses a lot cleaner in the shower. I will apply it to kind of the dry ends and then usually I'm going to work out, which allows it to kind of sink in. I like to keep it in for at least like an hour, but that's a personal preference, you could use it overnight if you wanted to and then rinse it off in the morning. When I shower and wash my hair, I just find that my ends are a lot smoother."
"The Allies of Skin Tranexamic and Arbutin Advanced Brightening Serum is a very very good hyperpigmentation serum. Yes, it is on the pricier side, but [...] it's not just because they're expensive. It's because they tend to have multiple efficacious ingredients at efficacious levels. [...] I feel like Allies of Skin just does a really good job at balancing their products, but they're not putting too much in, and they're really being mindful of the pH of the products and the appropriate efficacy levels. This one is really fantastic and people see great results. This formula has 2% alpha arbutin, which is a really strong pigment inhibitor. I love to see it in a hyperpigmentation product. It's also a precursor to hydroquinone, which is the gold standard topical for treating any form of hyperpigmentation."
"The eye cream that I'm going in with today is one I have absolutely been loving. It is the Elastin Restorative Eye Treatment. I really have to give a shout out to the YouTube Community because when I was talking about how I wanted to start trying new eye creams and find ones that were really effective for me, this Elastin eye cream came up as a recommendation so many times, and it really has not disappointed."
"One of my favorites for this is the Timeless Coenzyme Q10 Serum. This not only has the coenzyme Q10, but also has Matrixyl 3000, which is probably the best anti-aging peptide. So you get a peptide, you get coenzyme Q10 in this really luxurious, non-irritating serum that you can use morning or night. It's also super affordable."
How many serums has Dr. Sam Ellis reviewed?
Dr. Sam Ellis has reviewed 36 serums, for a Guru Score of 81%. 29 approved, 5 mixed, and 2 skipped.
What has Dr. Sam Ellis skipped in serums?
The two serums Dr. Sam Ellis skipped both came down to a gap between the claim and the evidence. She skipped Bio-Oil, saying it preys on insecurity about stretch marks but has never been shown to actually prevent them. She also skipped The Ordinary Growth Factor 15% Solution. Her reason: plant-derived growth factors are not the same as human-derived ones, and the data is not there yet to show they work on human skin the way human-derived growth factors would. She did allow that plant-derived growth factors might make skin feel smoother, but felt you could get that from other skincare without the cost.
"Things like Bio-Oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, these really prey on a person's insecurity about developing stretch marks, but they have never been shown to actually be effective in preventing them."
"The Ordinary offers plant-derived growth factors that cost under $100, but for me the data just isn't there yet because they're plant derived. We don't expect those growth factors to work on human skin the way human-derived growth factors would. I'm sure they could lead to certain benefits in your skin and they might make it feel more supple or smoother, but I feel like you can get that from other skincare as well, so that's not a place I would personally invest."
What should you take from Dr. Sam Ellis's picks?
Dr. Sam Ellis's serum record points to a clear approach. She backs products where the active ingredients are at levels that actually do something, and she steps back when the science behind an ingredient does not yet support the price or the claim. Anyone spending more on a serum will find her reasoning on both sides genuinely useful.
Watch Dr. Sam Ellis say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 3:05
- SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 5:28
- Timeless Coenzyme Q10 SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 7:49
- Allies of Skin Tranexamic & Arbutin Advanced Brightening SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 11:31
- SkinBetter Science Trio Rebalancing Moisture TreatmentNamed a winnerWatch at 13:17
- Nzen Vitamin Concentrate SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 7:23
- Bio-OilSkipped itWatch at 12:35
- The Ordinary Growth Factor 15% SolutionSkipped itWatch at 6:20
- Virtue Healing OilRated itWatch at 8:45
- The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Hyaluronic Acid SerumRated itWatch at 7:58
- OGX Coconut Miracle OilRated itWatch at 4:04
- Elastin Restorative Eye TreatmentRated itWatch at 12:00
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic AcidRated itWatch at 6:00
- NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3Rated itWatch at 3:16
- La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Corrector SerumRated itWatch at 4:36
- Naturium Vitamin C Complex SerumRated itWatch at 7:20
- Experiment Super Saturated Hydrating Barrier SerumRated itWatch at 17:22
- Maelove Peptide Squad Collagen Renewal SerumRated itWatch at 3:17
- Numbuzin No.3 Skin Softening SerumRated itWatch at 13:36
- Allies of Skin Azelaic & Kojic Advanced Clarifying SerumRated itWatch at 3:36
- Moroccanoil TreatmentRated itWatch at 6:18
- Medik8 Oxy-R PeptidesRated itWatch at 8:37
- SkinBetter Science Alto Advanced Defense and Repair SerumRated itWatch at 9:05
- Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP+ SerumRated itWatch at 8:10
About this expert
See everything Dr. Sam Ellis has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Dr. Sam Ellis said across their videos about 36 products in serums, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.