Is It Worth Splurging on a Serum? We Checked the Scores
We took the highest-rated budget serum in the index and put it next to the highest-rated luxury one, then let the gurus' verdicts do the talking. The result is not the one the price tags would predict. On the takes we have, the cheaper bottle comes out ahead.
- The budget champion, Remedy Vitamin C Serum, holds a Guru Score of 92% across 4 reviewers.
- The luxury pick, Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment, scores 87% across 9 reviewers. The budget champion actually outscores the luxury one, by 5 points. For a serum, the experts say save your money.
- The lesson the gurus keep repeating: with serums, the formula and how you use it matter far more than the price on the box.
Beyond50Skin · 4 reviewers, 92% said yes
Gothamista · 9 reviewers, 87% said yesSo is it worth splurging on a serum?
The budget champion, Remedy Vitamin C Serum, holds a Guru Score of 92%. The luxury pick, Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment, sits at 87%. That is a 5 point gap in favor of the cheaper one, which means that on serums specifically, the pattern in the takes points toward saving rather than splurging.
This is not a rule of thumb we invented. It is simply where the reviews landed once we lined the two up, and it is worth remembering that a serum's standing here comes from how the gurus rated it, not from where it sits on the shelf.
What do the experts say about the budget serum?
Four experts weighed in on Remedy Vitamin C Serum, and between them it earned a Guru Score of 92%. It is a small group, so the verdict rests on fewer voices than some, but the ones who tried it came away happy with how it performed.
That is really the whole point. Nothing in a guru review rewards a serum for being expensive, so a modest bottle that does its job well scores exactly as well as a fancy one that does. The one thing to keep in mind: a score built on four takes is a narrower picture than a score built on many, so it is worth reading the takes themselves before deciding.
When is a splurge serum actually worth it?
The pricier option has not been dismissed. Nine experts reviewed Allies of Skin Peptides & Antioxidants Firming Daily Treatment, and it came out with a Guru Score of 87%, which is a solid showing on a good deal more feedback. A costlier serum can absolutely be the right call for anyone who cares about how a formula feels going on, who enjoys the ritual of it, or who is looking for something aimed at a particular concern rather than the all-rounder.
If that sounds like you, the useful move is to check the Guru Score on the single product you are drawn to rather than assuming a whole price bracket is better or worse. And whichever way you go, a new serum is best patch-tested first, so you find out how your skin feels about it before it joins the routine properly.