Are powder-based actives better than liquid serums?

With powdered actives piquing the interest of skincare enthusiasts, we find out the ways you can incorporate them into your routine

While you may have put together a prodigious amount of ingredients and products in your skincare regimen, if they don’t live up to tackling the concerns of your skin type, applying them becomes pretty much futile. This is why a bunch of active-infused serums and treatment tonics are now available in a range of concentrations, allowing you to pick what you deem fit. For instance, a Vitamin C serum comes in variants with 5, 10 and 15 per cent concentrations [of the active] respectively. 

However, what surpasses the efficacy of the most potent serum too, are powder-based actives. From The Ordinary to Daughter Earth, a handful of brands have already contrived them, and the science behind their efficacy can be fairly simple to decipher. We speak to two dermatologists to understand more.

The key to potency

Actives in a powder format boast the highest levels of efficacy since they’re the most concentrated versions of the particular active. The 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder from The Ordinary, for instance, offers a colossal L-Ascorbic Acid (a Vitamin C derivative) whereas other prominent  Vitamin C serums from brands like Kiehl’s, indē wild, Klairs and so on contain a concentration between 5-15 per cent—the difference is fairly evident.

“Most liquid serums contain only a small percentage of the active chemical or molecule that is promoted as the product’s selling point, with vehicles such as water, silicones and acrylates constituting the majority of the product. Powder forms of active skincare products, on the other hand, contain far more active ingredients than conventional liquid alternatives,” says Mumbai-based dermatologist Dr Niketa Sonavane.

The skin expert also throws light on the versatility of powders. “You have complete control over how much or how little you want to use, how frequently, and with what. Instead of ditching one product or ingredient for the other, or layering three to four targeting serums on your skin separately, simply mix the required active [powder] into your existing serums or creams,” says Sonavane. According to her, powder actives, despite their powerful nature, let your skin adapt to an active gradually, while using the same product (or powder), by simply increasing the amount you use.

“Powder products contain no water and, more interestingly, no thickeners, emulsifiers, hazardous aerosols, PEGs or sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). As a result, the product is more environmentally-friendly, has a more powerful formula and produces less waste,” adds Sonavane, highlighting the good-for-the-planet features of powders over serums. 

The strings attached

Administering powdered actives is not a skincare rookie-friendly practice, for it comes with a high-risk potential of mishaps—using too much, pairing it with a wrong active or mixing it up with an unsuitable product. According to New Delhi-based celebrity dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi, powdered actives are more potent only as long as you view them individually; however, that’s not the state in which it is applied to the skin.

“The powder will end up having to be solubilised, so it becomes a liquid anyway. It will be dissolved in a liquid medium and, eventually, gets applied as a serum. If you are actually applying an active as a powder specifically, think using a Vitamin C-infused compact, then your concern is even application and spreadability, which is hard because it’s very unlikely that you will get the same amount of powder per square inch of your skin,” explains the skin expert and author. “That is why, I personally prefer liquid-based products,” she shares. 

When it comes to the right way to shop and use the best-suited powder active for one’s skin type, Sethi says, “It depends on if you can combine a powder or serum from the same active family (or not), it depends on the specific active, on its efficacy and also on what concerns you are looking to treat. It varies on a case-to-case basis.”

While she recommends powder actives for oily skin and not for dry skin since the latter won’t absorb them at all, Sonavane advises sensitive skin types to steer clear from them. “I would not recommend mixing powder or liquid actives into your sunscreen because it can make the formulation unstable and provide insufficient sun protection. I particularly enjoy incorporating Cica and collagen powder active into my moisturiser,” she adds. She also suggests adding collagen powder to your serum, if you want to plump up your skin, and Vitamin C to brighten your complexion and even out your skin tone. “An active-based powder should be the last step in your routine (if applied as a powder too) because if you apply it earlier, nothing else will penetrate through it,” concludes Sethi.

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