Skin Obsessed Mary has worked through 40 serums and approved 33 of them, with 3 mixed takes and 4 passes. That 82% approval rate tells you she comes in open-minded. What stands out even more than the approvals is how clearly she explains her reasoning, on both sides.
What does Skin Obsessed Mary recommend in serums?
Across her approved serums, Mary keeps coming back to two things: she wants to feel a difference, and she wants the texture to feel right. She raved about the Bloom Effects Black Tulip Regenerative Brightening Serum for making her skin look healthier, brighter and smoother, and said she goes through bottle after bottle. She called the Josh Rosebrook Ultra Peptide Cream Facial Serum Concentrate 'super luxe' and 'deeply nourishing', especially for skin that feels worn out. Budget picks get just as much love: she called The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support Serum 'a little gem at a little price point', and said it is especially good for anyone who has overdone exfoliation or is getting used to tretinoin. She uses The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Hyaluronic Acid every single morning because, as she puts it, she notices a difference when she skips it. Her one standout pick is the Calecim Professional Serum, which she named a must-have she is never without, praising how quickly it calms skin and how well it keeps it resilient over time.
In her words
"This is Bloom Effects' Black Tulip Regenerative Brightening Serum. When this is in my routine, my skin just looks healthier, it's brighter, it's smoother, it's more even, it's just better. I have two empties here and I'm on my last bottle and I don't know what I'm going to do when that one is gone."
"I'm amazed at how quickly the skin calms down, how well it repairs, how resilient it stays over time. [...] This has become a holy grail must-have product. I am never without it."
"They've just launched their new Light Serum and I like it even more than the original. I just do. It's lighter, it's thinner. It's just the consistency is gorgeous."
"This is by Josh Rosebrook. It is the Ultra Peptide Cream. Man, do I love Josh Rosebrook. And this product is something really special. It feels super luxe on the skin and it is deeply nourishing. It's especially good if your skin is feeling a bit depleted."
"The Soothing and Barrier Support Serum is excellent. It's specifically designed to calm irritated skin and help repair a weakened barrier. I have used this so many times when I've overexfoliated and when I was still tinkering with a lot of tretinoin. It's like a little gem at a little price point."
"The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10%, I've been using lactic acid. I started at 5% but I always have this. I just always do and I wear it every single day in the morning. It provides a very light exfoliation as well. Lactic acid is one of those acids that you can use to help retain water, which is great. I notice a difference when I don't have this, so I just stick to The Ordinary because it's just lactic acid. I use it every single day, every morning. It's non-irritating. I actually found it very easy to use. You cannot go wrong with that one."
How many serums has Skin Obsessed Mary reviewed?
Skin Obsessed Mary has reviewed 40 serums, for an approval rate of 82%. 33 approved, 3 mixed, and 4 skipped.
What has Skin Obsessed Mary skipped in serums?
When Mary skips a serum, it is rarely because it was bad. Her honest reason is usually that something else does the job better, or for less. She liked SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic but will not repurchase it because, in her words, there are so many really good vitamin C serums that cost a fraction of the price. She finished the Allies of Skin Azelaic & Kojic Advanced Clarifying Serum and found it lovely, but could not point to a real shift in her skin, and for her that is reason enough to move on. The Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops were fine under makeup, she said, but took forever to use up and there were other things she liked more. Her bar is not harshness. It is simply: can I tell it is working, and is the price worth what it does.
"I got a little sample as part of the kit and I really really liked it but am I going to repurchase it I'm not. I mean I choose to spend money in certain categories and this just isn't one of them. I think there's so many really good vitamin C serums out there that cost a fraction of the price. I'm not going to purchase it again but I enjoyed it, it was nice."
"Azelaic Acid is meant to help with redness and pigmentation and overall clarity, and on paper, it makes sense to me. Now, I finished it. I didn't dislike it. I thought it was lovely, but I just can't say that I saw a shift either. And at this stage, if I'm going to keep something in rotation, I want to know what it's doing. So, for now, I'm not repurchasing."
"This is Glow Recipe's Watermelon Niacinamide Glow Drops. It's really nice under makeup, I used it before I put my makeup on after doing my skin care because it gave that extra dewiness, but it took me forever to use it up, and there are just other things I like more, so I'm not going to bother repurchasing it."
"I used to be very loyal to the Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil and I've pre purchased that so many times and I have not used it once since I bought this."
What should you take from Skin Obsessed Mary's picks?
Mary is a high-approver, but her passes are useful for anyone building a serum routine on a budget. She has shown that a nourishing peptide serum, a well-formulated lactic acid and a barrier-repair option can all come at very different price points and still earn a place in her routine. If a serum is well-formulated and she can feel it working, she will say so plainly. And if it does not earn its keep, she will say that just as plainly too.
Watch Skin Obsessed Mary say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Calecim Professional SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 13:01
- SkinCeuticals C E FerulicSkipped itWatch at 7:27
- Allies of Skin Azelaic & Kojic Advanced Clarifying SerumSkipped itWatch at 10:26
- Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew DropsSkipped itWatch at 20:04
- Olaplex No. 7 Bonding OilSkipped itWatch at 4:03
- Bloom Effects Black Tulip Regenerative Brightening SerumRated itWatch at 14:26
- Maysama Light SerumRated itWatch at 10:20
- Josh Rosebrook Ultra Peptide Cream Facial Serum ConcentrateRated itWatch at 8:45
- The Ordinary Soothing & Barrier Support SerumRated itWatch at 5:33
- The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Hyaluronic AcidRated itWatch at 26:03
- Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow 15% Vitamin C SerumRated itWatch at 8:55
- The Ordinary Growth Factor 15% SolutionRated itWatch at 3:59
- Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with AvocadoRated itWatch at 4:34
- Allies of Skin Mandelic Pigmentation Corrector Night SerumRated itWatch at 33:44
- Experiment Super Saturated 30% Glycerin Hydrating Barrier SerumRated itWatch at 21:41
- BYOMA Hydrating SerumRated itWatch at 1:54
- Allies of Skin Beta Glucan and Resveratrol Advanced Hydrating SerumRated itWatch at 0:52
- Naturium Multi-Peptide Advanced SerumRated itWatch at 14:17
- Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose OilRated itWatch at 9:29
- Geek & Gorgeous C-Glow 15% Vitamin C SerumRated itWatch at 16:12
- BYOMA Hydrating Recovery OilRated itWatch at 5:57
- Klairs Maple Energy Infusing SerumRated itWatch at 11:23
- Niche Beauty Labs Copper Peptide SerumRated itWatch at 11:27
- Masama Green Roy Pressed SerumRated itWatch at 2:08
About this expert
See everything Skin Obsessed Mary has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Skin Obsessed Mary said across her videos about 40 products in serums, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.