Dr. Vanita Rattan has looked at 45 serums, and she brings the same priorities to every one. Skin barrier health, safe formulations for skin of color, and a close read of the ingredient list are what she keeps returning to. Her record on serums gives her a Guru Score of 58%.
What does Dr. Vanita Rattan recommend in serums?
The serums she approved tend to share the same core ingredients. She keeps coming back to glycerin, which she calls a 'water magnet,' and squalane, which she names as her favourite oil and says works even as a standalone facial oil. Ceramides matter a lot to her too, partly because she says skin of color tends to lack them. She also checks whether a product is NPA safe, her term for a formula free of denatured alcohol, fragrance, and essential oils, which she says dry the skin, cause contact dermatitis, and sensitize it over time. When she approved The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum, she specifically praised the absence of all three.
In their words
"It's got solvents, glycerin, which I love, your water magnet. Then it's got peptides, which are basically like chemical messengers between cells to help rejuvenate skin cells. It's got panthenol, which is anti-inflammatory, plus ceramides. And ceramides are key if you have a damaged skin barrier. So I actually love this product. Bioma, you've done an outstanding job."
"The Ordinary does a really good azelaic acid. What you would do is you do your face wash, your exfoliator, your azelaic acid in the evening and then go in with your moisturizer. That will basically just help with any red marks left behind but also keep all the acne at bay. [...] I haven't had a new pimple or any brand new spot on my face. [...] It's literally kept it under control."
"Looking into The Ordinary Soothing and Barrier Support Serum, [...] this is very expensive for The Ordinary range, they're almost breaking three of the five and ten single actives with this particular product. [...] It is expensive for The Ordinary but it does actually make sense if you do a deep dive into the ingredients. Fifth ingredient here is niacinamide which is good because it means it's in that 2 to 5% range which is what we're looking for. They've got imoan and humant in this, so the soothers in this product are babassu which I love, it's got galactaric glucoside, it's got zingiber root extract too, so three different soothers, plus they've added phospholipids which is a skin identical ingredient, especially if you strip the skin of fats it's good to reload with fats. I like that this product is NPA safe as well, meaning no denatured alcohol which dries the skin, no fragrance which can lead to contact dermatitis and no essential oils which can sensitize the skin."
"I do like this one from The Ordinary so I like lactic acid and I also like the mandelic acid but in addition to really make it special you want to have 7% humectant in it too that will then give you hydration at the same time as exfoliation."
"The Hydrating Serum, the second ingredient is glycerin, the fourth ingredient is squalane which I love as well. It's an occlusive but it's nourishing to the skin. It's my favorite oil. I would recommend it even as a facial oil. Then it's got ceramides and it's knave safe as well. So I do like it. It's good to repair the skin barrier with this. So for example if you've over exfoliated the skin or you're in an environment which is very harsh on the skin, then repairing the skin barrier is something that you would want to do, and I'd recommend this serum to help you."
"Squalane or marula oil, both of which you can buy from The Ordinary, they're not that expensive and it's just a great last step your skin will thank you the following day."
How many serums has Dr. Vanita Rattan reviewed?
Dr. Vanita Rattan has reviewed 45 serums, for a Guru Score of 58%. 26 approved, 5 mixed, and 14 skipped.
What has Dr. Vanita Rattan skipped in serums?
Dr. Rattan's skips almost always trace back to the same ingredients. Fragrance is the one she raises most often. She says it can cause contact dermatitis. She skipped the Foxtale Vitamin C Serum for pairing it with an exfoliating acid, which she said risks skin barrier damage with daily use. Denatured alcohol is another dealbreaker, one she called out in the CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum and said she 'really expected better' from a brand she normally respects. She also skipped it for its 10% L-ascorbic acid, which she said is too much for daily morning use, and for not being in an airless pump.
"You're getting the quick brightening which you would get with lactic acid or mandelic acid, it's not because of vitamin C effect. Plus this product has fragrance, so it's a bad idea to make an exfoliator with an irritant together. The skin will brighten because of exfoliation, but if you use this daily it may lead to skin barrier damage and the fragrance can lead to contact dermatitis. So for me, this is a no."
"This product is actually a disaster. There are no positives with this product. [...] They've added in alcohol, DH alcohol. It's got tiny percentage Vitamin C, like a fraction of a percent. It's got fragrance and it's not in an airless pump. [...] This one is definitely not worth your time and money."
"I actually made a video on Bio Oil years ago. Bio Oil is the number one product right now for stretch marks. And when I made the video, I was shocked to learn that it contained vitamin A, retinyl palmitate. It's a blanket no when it comes to vitamin A during pregnancy, just like it's a blanket no on using Botox during pregnancy. [...] When I looked into it, it was loaded with fragrance. It contained vitamin A and it didn't contain any collagen stimulating actives."
"This is £30, actually quite expensive for CeraVe, for 30 mls. It's very cute packaging. It comes out like a very light emulsion, which means it's got a water phase and a fat phase, and that's why it comes out like a very thin cream. Bit of a strange smell. [...] The positives in this product are that of course it's got ceramides. We lack ceramides for skin of color, so I love that CeraVe is going to use ceramides, that's what I love about the brand. The negatives, unfortunately, is this has got 10% L-ascorbic acid, which I don't love for us to be using every morning, it's too much, and it's not in an airless pump. And the sixth ingredient they've put in here is denatured alcohol. I really expected better from you, CeraVe. I'm sorry, this one's a definite no."
What should you take from Dr. Vanita Rattan's picks?
Dr. Rattan's serum record is a clear picture of what she weighs in a formula. She named the Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting Serum as her Top Pick in the category. The ingredients she comes back to most, across her approved and skipped takes alike, are fragrance, denatured alcohol, and essential oils. She says those are the things that turn a sound formula into a skip.
Watch Dr. Vanita Rattan say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Good Molecules Discoloration Correcting SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 15:23
- Foxtale Vitamin C SerumSkipped itWatch at 5:17
- Garnier Vitamin CSkipped itWatch at 18:50
- Bio-OilSkipped itWatch at 8:25
- CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C SerumSkipped itWatch at 9:48
- SkinCeuticals C E FerulicSkipped itWatch at 14:03
- Timeless 20% Vitamin C + E Ferulic Acid SerumSkipped itWatch at 20:11
- The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%Skipped itWatch at 11:52
- Eucerin Radiant Tone Dual SerumSkipped itWatch at 17:42
- La Roche-Posay Pure Vitamin C10 SerumSkipped itWatch at 8:05
- Anua Peach 70 Niacinamide SerumSkipped itWatch at 22:33
- BYOMA Hydrating Recovery OilSkipped itWatch at 8:43
- BYOMA Brightening SerumSkipped itWatch at 7:38
- Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Facial OilSkipped itWatch at 15:38
- Innisfree Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic CreamSkipped itWatch at 18:09
- BYOMA Phytoin Glow SerumRated itWatch at 4:51
- The Ordinary Azelaic Acid Suspension 10%Rated itWatch at 13:54
- The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support SerumRated itWatch at 4:46
- The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Hyaluronic AcidRated itWatch at 3:37
- BYOMA Hydrating SerumRated itWatch at 5:39
- The Ordinary SqualaneRated itWatch at 8:48
- The Ordinary Mandelic Acid 10%Rated itWatch at 13:41
- The Ordinary Ethylated Ascorbic Acid 15% SolutionRated itWatch at 6:34
- The INKEY List Tranexamic Acid SerumRated itWatch at 10:25
About this expert
See everything Dr. Vanita Rattan has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Dr. Vanita Rattan said across their videos about 45 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.