Cassandra Bankson has put more than 90 serums to the test, and her record is pretty clear. She approved about seven in ten. The rest split fairly evenly between mixed takes and skips. That adds up to an approval rate of 71%, which is solid, but the real picture is in what she keeps coming back to.
What does Cassandra Bankson recommend in serums?
Cassandra keeps approving serums that earn their price. She praised Paula's Choice Niacinamide 20% Treatment for actually testing its formula and backing up its claims with data. She called The INKEY List Redness Relief Super Solutions 10% Azelaic Acid worth every cent, partly because it stays smooth and doesn't get gritty the way many azelaic acid products do. She approved Allies of Skin 35% Vitamin C Perfecting Serum for using an oil-soluble vitamin C. That matters because an oil-soluble form can pass through the skin's natural barrier more easily than a water-soluble one. She also tends to reward serums that work for sensitive or acne-prone skin. She named The INKEY List Redness Relief Super Solutions 10% Azelaic Acid a standout for anyone with rosacea or redness, and highlighted that it's pregnancy-safe too. Across her approvals, she returns again and again to the same question: do the ingredients actually do what the label promises?
Cassandra Bankson's serum picks, in her words
"I use this so sparingly because I cherish it. [...] This serum is amazing, and [...] the ingredient is actually legit saffron. It's by a female founded business who actually cares about the cosmetic manufacturing and support of her products. The saffron in here actually has antioxidant benefits, it made my skin look and feel brighter, it made my skin feel plumper. [...] Overall, the answer to this is yes."
"I absolutely love this Peptide Glazing Fluid. You can see it leaves such a dewy glowy look on the skin and has peptides and marula oil and hyaluronic acid so it has all these really beautiful amazing ingredients that are great for hydration."
"This is the 35% Vitamin C Perfecting Serum [...] and what's amazing about this is that it's an oil-soluble form of vitamin C. [...] This can actually absorb into the skin because our skin is [...] made up of oil and most vitamin C is water soluble, meaning it has a hard time getting in. [...] Using an oil soluble vitamin C it can actually penetrate into the skin and get into the nucleus of the cell where it needs to work on things like hyperpigmentation fine lines and wrinkles."
"Some Collagen Peptide Serum could save the day. The Collagen Peptide Serum from the Inkey List does not label itself as a hyaluronic acid serum but it does have hyaluronic acid in it and when you actually look at it, it is extremely plumping, helps to support the skin barrier, helps to nourish the skin, grabs hydration and pulls it into the skin because of the peptides and collagen in here. [...] Collagen and peptide sides are humectants and they can draw moisture into the skin for 72 hours."
"This right here is the Glow Baby Booster Serum with vitamin C. It's so phenomenal. It smells like an orange creamsicle and exfoliates like nobody's business. Love this."
"They also added regular green tea. [...] And when [Paula's Choice] actually tested this with people, they're saying that 95% of people saw that pores looked smaller, they had more elasticity in the skin. 90% said that the wrinkles looked smoother, and their skin looks younger. And with Paula's Choice, I actually believe those claims. The [...] [Paula's Choice] Nyinomide one is $50, so it's a little more expensive than something like these, but it is worth every every scent."
How many serums has Cassandra Bankson reviewed?
Cassandra Bankson has reviewed 93 serums, for an approval rate of 71%. 66 approved, 15 mixed, and 12 skipped.
What has Cassandra Bankson skipped in serums?
The serums Cassandra skipped mostly fall into two camps. The first is luxury products that charge a lot for ordinary ingredients. She looked at the La Mer Concentrate Serum, found cyclopentasiloxane, glycerin, dimethicone and a few plant oils, and called it plainly what it was: marketing at 400 dollars an ounce. The second is serums with fragrance. She skipped Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid because it broke her out from fragrance and other additives, and she gave a Nay to La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Dark Spot Corrector Serum partly for the same reason, and partly because the brand tests on animals. She also skipped Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening Serum, noting that clear glass packaging lets light degrade the vitamin C before it reaches your skin, and that cheaper options do the same job better.
"This is called the Concentrate Serum and it's 400 bucks, 400 dollars for one ounce, for 30 milliliters. [...] We have cyclopentasiloxane, [...] algae extract, [...] glycerin, [...] dimethicone, all of the basics that you would find in a good moisturizer, sesame seed oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, all of this is lovely but none of this is worth 400 dollars."
"I also tried these products—the C.E.O. oil and the C.E.O. cream—and both of them broke me out horribly. I'm a little bit more sensitive to citrus and maybe that's why this broke me out. I just don't recommend this and it's really expensive for what it is. If you are looking for a tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate that's really good and not like $85, The Ordinary has one that's like 10 bucks and I would highly recommend this."
"Neutrogena released this water gel formula but then it broke me out because it had tons of chemicals and fragrance."
"Steer clear from this, this is gross. Again, niacinamide is a wonderful ingredient, we absolutely love it, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. [...] This one missed the mark. [...] This product goes on smooth but then it almost gets pasty, it gums up and it peels up underneath my other products. It doesn't play well with any other product in the routine and it leaves like this white niacinamide paste."
What should you take from Cassandra Bankson's picks?
Cassandra's record on serums is a useful guide for anyone who wants real results without overpaying. She says to look closely at the ingredient list, watch out for fragrance if your skin is sensitive, and think twice about paying premium prices for basic formulas. She named more than 10 outright winners in this category, including The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, The INKEY List Redness Relief Super Solutions 10% Azelaic Acid, and Paula's Choice Niacinamide 20% Treatment. Her message throughout is straightforward: good serums exist at every price point, and a fancy bottle rarely makes a formula better.
Watch Cassandra Bankson say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5Named a winnerWatch at 3:52
- The INKEY List Redness Relief Super Solutions 10% Azelaic AcidNamed a winnerWatch at 4:05
- Paula's Choice Niacinamide 20% TreatmentNamed a winnerWatch at 12:07
- The Ordinary Virgin Marula OilNamed a winnerWatch at 5:41
- Dr Sam's Neutralizing Azelaic Acid GelNamed a winnerWatch at 23:33
- The INKEY List Mandelic Acid + Hyaluronic AcidNamed a winnerWatch at 14:27
- Allies of Skin 35% Vitamin C Perfecting SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 5:01
- OSEA Hyaluronic Acid C SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 7:36
- Face Reality 8% L-Mandelic Acid SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 16:38
- Philosophy Dose of Wisdom Bouncy Skin Reactivating SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 32:44
- Pacifica Glow Baby Booster SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 6:36
- La Mer Concentrate SerumSkipped itWatch at 10:01
- Sunday Riley C.E.O. 15% Vitamin C Brightening SerumSkipped itWatch at 3:35
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic AcidSkipped itWatch at 0:53
- The INKEY List Super Solutions 20% NiacinamideSkipped itWatch at 7:33
- Dior Prestige Advanced SerumSkipped itWatch at 25:24
- Westman Atelier Skin Activator SerumSkipped itWatch at 12:45
- Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Facial OilSkipped itWatch at 2:46
- Clarins Double Serum EyeSkipped itWatch at 15:46
- JLo Beauty That Glow SerumSkipped itWatch at 13:35
- SKKN Night OilSkipped itWatch at 16:35
- L'Oreal Revitalift 10% Glycolic Acid SerumSkipped itWatch at 10:18
- L'Oreal Revitalift Filler Hyaluronic Acid SerumSkipped itWatch at 1:23
- Ranavat Brightening Saffron SerumRated itWatch at 5:43
About this expert
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This guide reflects what Cassandra Bankson said across her videos about 93 products in serums, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.