21 Best Face Serums in 2024 for a More Handsome Complexion

The best face serums for men let you add some customization to your skin care routine. If you’re acne-prone, a good salicylic acid serum can help. Dry skin types will benefit tremendously from a hyaluronic acid serum. Dull, tired skin can be brightened with vitamin C serum applied each morning. But the best face serums should do more than leave you with a brighter complexion. They should have proven ingredients that penetrate into the skin to support your collagen for improved skin elasticity. That’s why we look for serums with science- and dermatologist-backed anti-aging ingredients.

Serums can help you moisturize your skin, eliminate crow’s feet, reduce fine lines and deep wrinkles, and fight blemishes. Of course, some serums do absolutely nothing at all. So, to help you choose the right serum to go along with your cleanser and face moisturizer, we’ve selected our go-to serums for restoring your skin and fighting every type of imperfection.

The Best Face Serums for Men, at a Glance:

• Best Hydrating Serum: The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, $10
• Best Retinol Serum: Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum, $65
• Best High-Potency Night Serum: NS1 Anti-Aging Night Serum, $165
• Best All-Natural Tincture: Caldera + Lab The Good, $110 $99
• Best Botox Alternative: The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%, $10 $7
• Best Dark Spot Corrector: Eadem Milk Marvel Dark Spot Serum, $68
• Best Luxe French Serum: Beau Domaine The Serum, $242
• Your New Custom Serum: Prose Custom Serum, $64
• Best Budget Face Serum: CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum, $25
• The Starter Anti-Aging Serum for Men: Jaxon Lane Super Serum, $46 $41
• The Eye Serum That Really Works: Caldera + Lab Eyecon Eye Serum, $88 $79

Man, The Ordinary really does it right. Instead of chasing trendy ingredients like adaptogens or chaga mushrooms (and we say this with all due respect to the mushroom kingdom), The Ordinary delivers concentrated doses of the most useful skin care ingredients, which is why skin care nerds love this no-nonsense brand. That, and the fact that they keep their prices absurdly low. The new formula of the brand's hyaluronic acid serum contains vitamin B5 and ceramides to go beyond moisturizing. It may not be the right pick if you're fighting signs of aging, but it's a potent daily serum for nourishing your skin. Apply it after a cleanser and before a moisturizer to lock in hydration and keep your skin looking its best.

Kiehl's often gets overlooked by grooming writers. When a brand's been around since 1851, it's no longer the hot new thing. You can often judge a skin care reviewer by how highly they rate the brand's products, and a good Kiehl's product is unbeatable, like this retinol-based serum. The formula also contains ceramides and peptides to help smooth out wrinkles and fine lines, while also evening the skin's texture. It's also paraben-, fragrance-, and phthalate-free.

If you're searching for a powerful anti-aging serum for men, this excellent serum is packed with ingredients we love. It contains 12 different peptides, probiotics, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and a powerful dose of retinol. In short, everything the body needs to help fight the signs of aging. And unlike a lot of serums, it doesn’t have a tacky, sticky texture. It’s a luxurious night serum that absorbs quickly, and while it's pricey, you can sometimes grab it on sale for under $100.

Caldera + Lab is a Wyoming-based brand that makes natural grooming products for men. While "natural" is a meaningless buzzword most of the time, Caldera + Lab really means it. The Good is a hydrating and brightening serum that contains over a dozen botanicals wild harvested from high altitudes in the Teton Mountain Range. So, yeah, pretty natural. Botanicals include fireweed, dandelion, elderflower, spilanthes, apricot kernel oil, echinacea, yarrow flower, prickly pear, raspberry, bergamot, sea buckthorn, frankincense, and jojoba seed oil—and we could keep going. These ingredients are seeped into a moisturizing tincture that helps your skin come to life, improving texture and skin tone. It has a pleasing, almost witchy fragrance.

Argireline acts in a similar way to Botox. Unlike most skin care products, this serum works on the muscles of the face. Pro tip: Give the bottle a shake before using it, as the thick texture sometimes resists the dropper.

Eadem

Dark Spot Serum

$68 $60

Amazon

To help reduce post-acne scaring in melanin-rich skin, this fragrance free serum incorporates a blend of niacinamide, licorice root, and amber algae that target hyperpigmentation without the use of aggravating chemicals that can irritate and compromise the skin barrier.

Luxury French skin care brand Beau Domaine is the child of Brad Pitt and French winemaker Marc Perrin, who wanted to use their vineyards' grape products for more than just making vino. Beau Domaine patented two grape-derived antioxidants, which work together to protect the skin from free radicals and fight deep lines and wrinkles. In our testing, it led to a glowing complexion in just a few weeks, while also eliminating red spots. For best results, use it in combination with Beau Domaine's anti-aging moisturizer and cleanser.

Prose recently expanded its offerings to include custom skin care, and GQ's Timothy Beck Werth liked it even more than the company's famous hair products. The whole regimen includes a cleanser, moisturizer, and serum, all personalized to your skin. The exact formula will vary, but for anti-aging, Prose uses bakuchiol, a plant-based retinol alternative. The serum we tested had an appealing caviar lime fragrance. The formula was a bit on the sticky side, although it absorbed quickly enough. If you’re fighting fine lines instead of deep wrinkles, or if you can’t use retinoids, this serum can keep your skin looking its best.

CeraVe

Skin Renewing Retinol Serum

$25 $23

Amazon

Here's CeraVe once again proving that you don't need to spend a lot to get a lot in the skin care world. This is one of the most affordable retinol serums available, and it doesn't stop there. To fight fine lines, wrinkles, and tired skin, this serum combines retinol with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ceramides. It's an anti-aging supergroup.

A GQ Grooming Awards winner, this serum by Jaxon Lane combines niacinamide, tranexamic acid, and bakuchiol in a quick-drying base to minimize pores while smoothing out fine lines and rough texture. Super, indeed. Like a lot of serums, it's a bit sticky at first, but for anti-aging, this is one of the best men's serums around.

In our testing, Eyecon dramatically improved crow's feet, dark circles, and under-eye bags with a combination of peptides, hyaluronic acid, and fireweed. Apply a small dab morning and night and pat the serum into the sensitive skin under your eyes. And don't let the high price tag stop you—it's the real deal.

You know about Korean skin care, but what about Australian skin care? Grown Alchemist is just one of the grip of new grooming brands that's sprung up from the land down under, and their luxe products have earned many loyal customers. Serums are something of a specialty for the brand, and the Skin Renewal Serum is one of their best. The gel serum contains niacinamide, glycerin, peptides, and hyaluronic acid to moisturize and restore your skin, while antioxidants from ashwagandha and echinacea protect your skin from environmental damage. Like a lot of HA serums, it's a bit sticky at first, but absorbs quickly enough. If you live in an environment with a lot of pollution and UV exposure, use this serum to protect and renew your skin.

Geologie's brightening serum uses a combination of vitamin C, ferulic acid, and hyaluronic acid. Apply it in the morning before using your moisturizer for a brighter complexion. It's also a great compliment to a retinol, as ferulic acid can increase the effectiveness of retinoids. Our tester didn't love the subtle, almost licorice-like fragrance, but he did love the unprompted compliment he received about his glowing skin. And is there a better mark of a good skin care product than an unprompted compliment?

This peptide under-eye serum fights signs of aging around the eyes. While the peptides and other ingredients target dark circles, puffiness, and dullness, algae extract supports collagen for long-term results. We found it to be a fast-absorbing serum. Best of all, because it's a transparent serum, you can apply it in the morning before you start your day without leaving any visible residue unlike a typical eye cream.

Kiehl's

Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Serum

$155

Kiehl's

Tired of looking at dark spots, hyperpigmentation, post-acne marks, or all of the above? Kiehl's dark spot serum isn't cheap, but it uses exfoliating agents like salicylic acid to remove excess melanin from the skin. While you can apply it to the whole face, we found it works best as a spot treatment. Use it sparingly, and a single bottle should last you a long time. This serum has the consistency of mineral water and has a refreshing feel, probably thanks to the white birch and peony.

Dr. Loretta

Tightening Eye Gel

$65

Dr. Loretta

This peptide under-eye serum fights signs of aging around the eyes. While the peptides and other ingredients target dark circles, puffiness, and dullness, algae extract supports collagen for long-term results. We found it to be a fast-absorbing serum. Best of all, because it's a transparent serum, you can apply it in the morning before you start your day without leaving any visible residue.

Youth to the People

Superfood Skin Drip Smooth + Glow Serum

$39

Sephora

This Youth To The People serum uses niacinamide, peptide, and dandelion root to strengthen your skin’s natural biome and collagen. With regular application, your skin should soon be brighter, softer, and fuller. While it’s not the right option for wrinkles, it’s a good starter serum for preventing signs of aging in the first place.

Dermalogica

Ultracalming Serum Concentrate

$68

Amazon

Fueled by oats, botanical extracts, primrose oil, hyaluronic acid, collagen, and peptides, this serum nourishes and soothes easily or freshly irritated skin, and positions it for quick recovery. Use it after shaving, or following a day in the sun, or whenever your skin needs a splash of calm.

Typology Paris

Serum with 2% Salicylic Acid + 1% Zinc

$38

Typology Paris

This serum combines the pore-clearing powers of salicylic acid with the anti inflammatory qualities of zinc to help prevent and treat breakouts. People with acne-prone skin or oily skin will appreciate a two or three-times weekly use of this, to help mitigate sebum production and keep dead skin cells and bacteria out of your pores. You can also use it as a spot treatment, applying a drop to blemishes as soon as they appear.

Ursa Major

Natural Vitamin C Serum

$56

Amazon

Use this vitamin C serum every morning to harness its ascorbic acid and in turn promote brighter, more radiant complexion. It's one of those products you didn't know you were missing, until the compliments start rolling in.

Dr. Dennis Gross

Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Texture Renewal Serum

$76

Amazon

The good doctor is at it again with this brand-new rejuvenating serum. He uses both retinol and its herbal, skin-smoothing counterpart, bakuchiol—in addition to hydrators like hyaluronic acid and squalane, plus antioxidant-rich ferulic acid. (That's five anti-aging ingredients, for those keeping track at home.) Apply it before bed to wake up with smoother, tauter, glowier complexion, and use it continually to firm fine lines and prevent breakouts. It's smooth sailing ahead.

For help parsing ingredient lists, we consulted Dr. Muneeb Shah, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of the new skin care brand Remedy. (If you’ve ever gone down a skin care rabbit hole on TikTok, then you may also know him as the “DermDoctor.”) We also spoke with Dr. Helen He, a dermatologist, assistant Professor, Director of Lasers and Cosmetic Surgery at Mount Sinai, and co-director of the Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center. The good doctors gave us the skinny on anti-aging ingredients.

“Retinoids are highly effective for addressing multiple clinical signs of skin aging, including wrinkles, fine lines, volume loss, discoloration, hyperpigmentation, dullness, redness, and acne breakouts, but prescription-grade retinoids are sometimes too irritating for patients with sensitive skin," Dr. He says. "In these patients, either over-the-counter retinoids like retinol or bakuchiol, which is a plant-derived retinoid alternative, can be used instead…Bakuchiol was shown in clinical studies to improve wrinkles, fine lines, and hyperpigmentation, and stimulate collagen production.”

Beyond retinol, what should you look for in a serum? Pay close attention not to the brand’s promised results, but to the ingredients list. Only a select few anti-aging ingredients are proven to reverse signs of aging, including niacinamide (vitamin B3). From the botanical kingdom, look for licorice root for dark spots, algae peptides (for plumping, dark circles, and collagen support), and squalane (for moisturization). Dr. He recommended vitamins C and E for skin dullness, and for blemishes, serums with proven exfoliators like salicylic acid.

For anti-aging, Dr. Shah also recommended peptides such as argiriline (acetyl hexa-peptide-8); however, he cautioned that there are at least a billion possible peptides, and so simply seeing the word “peptide” on a product label doesn’t tell you much.

“So, when talking about peptides, you really need to know what peptides and what studies have been done on those peptides…Some of them, like [argirilene], have actually been shown in studies to act similarly to Botox in stopping the release of acetylcholine, which is how Botox works. And it can actually do that because it mimics the same function of Botox. And so even though it's a peptide, it acts more on the muscle contraction level than other ingredients.”

Finally, for dark spots and hyperpigmentation, Dr. Shah said to look for products that include a combination of retinoids, licorice root, niacinamide, and exfoliating acids (such as lactic and salicylic acid). Some dark spot serums only stop these marks from forming in the future, while retinol and exfoliating acids will actually help remove excess melanin from existing dark spots.

Of course, these are just some of the ingredients we look for on ingredient lists. (We’ve barely even mentioned antioxidants.) Because so many serums fail to deliver (and because science lessons like this make some people’s eyes glaze over), first-hand reviews are important. That’s why almost all of the serums featured in this guide were tested by a member of the GQ Recommends team. We’ve also tested dozens more face serums for men that we ultimately chose not to include. We tested some of these serums specifically for this guide, while others were tested for GQ Grooming Awards gone by.