Gen Z and Gen X Editors Try TikTok’s Beloved Serum for Mature Skin

Over the course of about six weeks, Dickey and I applied the serum as directed: in the morning and at night, right after washing our faces and before applying anything else (including toner). We followed with our regular skincare products, then evaluated the serum on the PureWow100 scale using five qualities:

• Formula: How did it feel? Was it pleasant? What was the texture like?
• Scent: Did it smell good? Was it weird but tolerable? Weird and intolerable?
• Efficacy: Did it do what it promised?
• Aesthetics: Were the packaging and design beautiful? Anything left to be desired?
• Value: Taking into consideration the aforementioned qualities versus the price, was it worth the money?

Each quality was scored out of 20 points, for a total score out of 100. Dickey and I scored each independently of each other, and the score you see now is the average.

The Serum Is Lightweight, Gentle and Refreshing

Dickey and I both loved the feel and scent of this formula. It’s incredibly lightweight and refreshing, and not at all greasy. It’s slightly viscous, but not sticky. The aroma is faintly herbal, calming and a great splash of moisture to prime your skin to receive other products in your routine.

Something I struggle with, especially in the winter, is dry skin. We’ve had some days this winter where the humidity has been so low, my face felt tight even though I’d been double-pumping my moisturizer and doing hydration masks overnight. The First Care Activating Serum did provide an extra bump of moisture that helped relieve the feeling—thought it didn’t completely diminish it.

Meanwhile, Dickey had high praise, shooting me a quick message the day before we wrote up our review: “I’ve practically used it all. Drinking the stuff almost.” Instead of the advised two pumps, she opted to do three and reported a “glassy, immediately plumped appearance.”

Fine Lines Faded

While I couldn’t speak much to this supposed benefit, Dickey reported that after six weeks of testing, she found her skin “less crepey and with fewer fine lines around my eyes.”

While perusing the web for other buyers’ thoughts on the serum, Dickey noticed that one Reddit user reported that their makeup had better staying power—claiming 14+ hours.

“My foundation and blush didn’t wear off after a couple hours per usual, if I started with this Sulwhasoo base layer,” Dickey confirmed. Similarly, I noticed that when the humidity dropped, my skin was starting to get flakey under my makeup, but the problem resolved when I started putting down the serum as base.

It’s a known fact that as we age, our skin loses moisture and feels drier. As someone in their 20s, I’m not quite in this time of life, so I think that unless you’re my age (or thereabout) and experiencing an onset of dryness, lines and wrinkles, you can probably save $90 and just double down on moisturizer and less expensive toners, which is what I plan to do.

However, Dickey, who is in her 50s, confirmed that the serum did hold to its promises of boosting hydration and addressing fine lines. We’d recommend this serum to those with mature skin who are most likely to really see tangible and more immediate results.

Of course, if it’s in your budget and you’re a 20-/30-something eyeing the serum, it doesn’t hurt to get a head start. The brand did report that their study evaluated women who had been using the serum for at least 12 years. But after testing, the serum definitely feels like something you can begin using later in life, too, and still reap the benefits.