SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum: a Guru Score of 69%

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

Doctor Youn

5.57M subs

~Yay

"Growth factors are used in certain skin creams, most famously SkinMedica's TNS complex."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

~Mixed

"SkinMedica also has a recovery complex that contains exosomes as well as their TNS growth factor condition media. It's got a very strong fragrance though. So I didn't mention it today because the fragrance is so strong, but if you can handle it, it's worth it, but I just can't handle the smell."

All 6 takes from No BS Beauty

Evening Skincare Routine - Dermaplaning, Layering Actives & Anti-Aging Products

"I love it. It's really wonderful. I try and use this early in my routine, so it gets the most benefits. But the packaging on a $300 product is terrible. I can't believe they haven't fixed this yet. [...] I try and use it as sparingly as I possibly can because I don't want to spend more money on it. So, I really just try and use a very small amount on the specific areas that need the most help, which is my forehead, around my eyes, and around my mouth."

SkinMedica TNS Versus 🆚 Comparing All the TNS Skincare Formulas - From $72 to $295

"There's really no other real beneficial ingredients in this one. I don't know why they added so much fragrance to it. If they made this fragrance-free, I would buy this one all day every day. It's a little bit strange because the TNS Advanced Serum has a lesser amount of the human fibroblast conditioned media, but it's more expensive. If they took the fragrance out of this one, I would buy it every time, but they haven't. Strongly scented. I don't recommend it. I will try and use it up. I will try and layer it under something so I don't smell it, but it smells strong."

Black Friday Skincare and Beauty Deals to Check Out!

"I purchased SkinMedica's TNS Essential Serum probably about a year ago or so. The one I got from them was legit."

TNS Dupe?!?! RevivSerums Ultimate Serum Review, Comparison to SkinMedica TNS

"I really enjoy that stuff. I've probably repurchased it, probably bought it four times. [...] This is one of the closest similar products I've found. It takes a little bit more time to notice the benefits like with SkinMedica TNS within a week, but this takes a little bit longer, a couple weeks, but with the money saved and the extra product in here it's well worth it. With a little time you notice it helps with fine lines, brightness, texture, puffiness, redness. It's friendly with other products, which is why with retinols and things like that and vitamin C I love using it. [...] I'm very impressed with this stuff, especially given what they've been able to do with the price and the other good ingredients."

Best Exosome Skincare Products for Anti-Aging, Fine Lines, and Wrinkles

"SkinMedica also has a recovery complex that contains exosomes as well as their TNS growth factor condition media. It's got a very strong fragrance though. So I didn't mention it today because the fragrance is so strong, but if you can handle it, it's worth it, but I just can't handle the smell."

Skin Care I Wanted to Love But Cannot 💔 Strongest Scented Skincare Products

"If you don't like fragrance, get the advanced serum. But this one has more exosomes and it has more growth of the human fibroblast conditioned media."

HotandFlashy

1.23M subs

~Nay

"I did try SkinMedica TNS years ago in 2017. I did a two-month trial on it and I used it once a day for 2 months. I took before and after pictures and there was no difference in my skin from the before to the after after 2 months. I wasn't willing to plunk down another $295 for another bottle of it. Plus, can I tell you the stuff stinks? It smells like death and putting that on my face every day I was like no thank you. Plus it didn't do anything for the price that they're asking for."

Dr. Jenny Liu

322k subs

~Yay

"One product that really have been recommended by dermatologist and certainly is not cheap is from SkinMedica their TNS Essential Serum. This is one product if you're looking for something that does contain growth factors that has been shown in clinical studies to help do those things I mentioned earlier, is worth investing. It's not for everyone but for that individual who's looking to take their anti-aging or pro-aging skincare to the next level I think this could have a potential in your routine. TNS is a patented technology by SkinMedica that stands for Tissue Nutrient Solutions that essentially contains over 380 growth factors and cytokines that have been clinically shown to help improve fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin texture, skin tone as well as improved skin firmness."

Beyond50Skin

32k subs

~Yay

"Back in the early 2000s SkinMedica came out with their TNS recovery complex using growth factors and we're all kind of getting used to the idea of growth factors being a part of many skincare products"

Dr. Shereene Idriss

1.72M subs

~Yay

"This is a combination of growth factors and peptides that works really well, especially at night. You could use it twice a day, but if you don't tolerate a retinol, then the TNS Essential Serum is one that I would recommend that you use. Plus I often times recommend it for my patients on the neck and chest because the neck is notoriously we cannot tolerate a retinol there."

All 3 takes from Dr. Shereene Idriss

Anti-Aging Skincare for 50s+, Mature Skin, & Menopause | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum, TNS stands for tissue nutrients solution. It is made up of human growth factors, yes proteins and antioxidants, but don't be freaked out because these human growth factors are actually biotechnologically produced in a lab. It has something called a human fibroblast media which basically cultivates human fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen, and then basically takes that media and it has approximately 380 different types of growth factors and cytokines. They also have antioxidants as well as matrix proteins to stimulate our own skin cells to make more collagen and elastin and to stay slightly firmer over time."

Best Serums of 2021 | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"SkinMedica's TNS Recovery Complex is a pricey one. It's probably the most expensive one I have here at two hundred dollars, but it's almost worthwhile. It has growth factors in it. These growth factors are derived from human cells. It doesn't mean that there's human tissue in here—they grow it in a lab. These growth factors are basically an amino acid sequence that tell your cells to speak with one another so that they can promote cellular growth and allow for proliferation and wound healing. If you're somebody who has a lot of fine lines around your eyes, this might be a nice one, or even on your neck, if you want something stronger and you can't tolerate the retinol. This is for the neck and chest."

Best of Dermstore Black Friday Sale 2022! | Dr. Shereene Idriss

"This is a combination of growth factors and peptides that works really well, especially at night. You could use it twice a day, but if you don't tolerate a retinol, then the TNS Essential Serum is one that I would recommend that you use. Plus I often times recommend it for my patients on the neck and chest because the neck is notoriously we cannot tolerate a retinol there."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Peptides

Peptides are short protein fragments meant to signal repair. The evidence for them is thinner than for retinoids or vitamin C, and it varies a lot by the specific peptide, so the category is more promising than proven.

Source: NIH, National Library of Medicine

Frequently asked.

What is SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum?

A lightweight serum with growth factors and peptides designed to support skin firmness, brightness, and texture over time.

Is SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum worth it?

The gurus mostly approve it, but with enough reservations to keep it in the middle at a Guru Score of 69%.

What is SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum's Guru Score?

SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum holds a Guru Score of 69%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 expert reviewers we have collected.