Sincerely Miss Ash has looked at a lot of serums, more than 70 of them. She approved the vast majority, gave a couple a mixed take, and skipped only a handful. That works out to an approval rate of 89%, which shows she is genuinely enthusiastic about this category. What makes her record useful is not just the long list of wins, but the very specific reasons she gives when something falls short.
What does Sincerely Miss Ash recommend in serums?
When she loves a serum, it tends to do more than one thing well. She praises products that pair a key active with supporting ingredients, like a vitamin C derivative alongside tranexamic acid, niacinamide, and alpha arbutin. Together those go further on brightness and dark spots than any one ingredient alone. She also has a clear soft spot for antioxidant serums, naming as a winner NIOD Survival 0, for its rich ingredient list and its gentle feel on skin. Hydration runs through almost every approval too. She notes when a serum feels plumping and comfortable to wear, and she flags fragrance-free formulas as a bonus. She named a long list of serums as category winners, including The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum, The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Hyaluronic Acid, and Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Serum in Cream, among others.
Sincerely Miss Ash's serum picks, in her words
"This has 10% niacinamide, 5% tranexamic acid, and 2% alpha arbutin, all [...] tyrosinase inhibitors that help to brighten a dull complexion and fade post-acne marks and dark spots. It truly keeps your skin nice and even as much as possible even just using this on its own, and when I pair it with a vitamin C serum it truly takes my skin to the next level for brightness."
"This really does work to brighten the skin, improve texture and tone. And if you have that uneven skin tone because of, let's say, post acne marks or you just have a little bit of discoloration, I feel like this is a product that can really help to give you more of that even complexion in time, of course with consistent use. So this has a stabilized retinol ester. This also has a stabilized vitamin C as well as vitamin E antioxidants and multi-hydroxy acids."
"I really love this brand. [...] This contains hyaluronic acid, ceramides, a triple lipid complex with fatty acids, lipids, and cholesterol, which is what our skin needs on an everyday basis to maintain skin health. There's also niacinamide, vitamin E, glycerin, and I believe even a vitamin C derivative in here as well. This is more geared to hydrating and repairing the skin, and it's great for all skin types. It's fragrance free and can be used every day, twice a day."
"But this is truly 10 out of 10. The ingredient list is very impressive with all of those other types of antioxidants. Plus, there's other ingredients in here as well that benefit the skin for signs of aging. It's also very hydrating. It has a little bit of a milkiness to it. So, I do find it to be quite comforting on the skin. And I find this to be very gentle as well. So, if you're looking for a good antioxidant serum, I would say go with this one."
"I really love the Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting Serum. This is K-beauty, and I like this ingredient list because it has that vitamin C derivative, but it also has tranexamic acid, niacinamide, and alpha arbutin, three additional ingredients that help further brighten the skin and fade post-acne marks and dark spots. It's just fabulous, I love this. I find it a little more hydrating on the skin than the KaramMD."
"This serum has a little bit of a milkiness to it, so it's very hydrating. It's also plumping, and it doesn't have fragrance in it. It's quite affordable. One of the best drugstore serums out there."
How many serums has Sincerely Miss Ash reviewed?
Sincerely Miss Ash has reviewed 79 serums, for an approval rate of 89%. 70 approved, 2 mixed, and 7 skipped.
What has Sincerely Miss Ash skipped in serums?
She skipped only a handful of serums, so this is a short list, but the pattern is clear. High concentrations of actives came up more than once. She gave the NIOD Ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid 30% Network a six out of ten, partly because 30% vitamin C felt like too much, and partly because a nighttime-only use instruction clashed with how she structures her own routine around tretinoin and other actives. The Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum got a similar verdict for being too sensitizing on her skin. She links that directly to using tretinoin, which she says changed how her skin handles glycolic acid. The Glow Recipe Pomegranate Peptide Firming Serum she found pleasant enough in texture, but at $61 she felt it simply could not compete with The Ordinary copper peptides at half the price and a denser anti-aging ingredient list. Pilling and texture problems ended The Ordinary Vitamin C 30% in Silicone for her straight away. She found the silicone base made it impossible to layer with anything.
"I've had this for a very very long time and the reason why it has taken me so long to finish this is because sometimes my skin can be okay with glycolic acid and then there are times where my skin gets a little irritated it gets a little bit angry. I think it's because I'm a tretinoin user now and I think that's why my skin has changed a little bit when it comes to glycolic acid, but again it's a hit and miss. This product was a little bit too sensitizing on my face."
"I feel like the ordinary and Neostrata are formulated perfectly. I have seen the best results with those and for the price point I much prefer to use those. The one from the ordinary and from Neostrata, they contain more anti-aging ingredients and so I just feel like to spend $61 on this, it's just not worth it for me. But I do think it's a great option if you love this brand and you want something that has that creamy texture, something that is a little bit more moisturizing on the skin."
"They also recommend to use this serum at nighttime because of the high percentage, that was another reason why I never continued on with this because I'm using tretinoin at night, I'm using lactic acid or peptides. I don't want to be using vitamin C at night. I much prefer to use vitamin C in the morning. I like the texture, it's thin, it's like water, it spreads, absorbs nicely, but again that 30 percent is just a little bit too much. So six out of ten."
"This is a product that I never hear anybody talk about and from my experience with this, this has been a miss from day one. The formulation is gritty, it pills with skincare products. It has that silicone ingredient so it never layers up nicely with serums and moisturizers. [...] I tried to make this work back in the day when I first started using it and I could never make it work because it pilled. [...] When I put my moisturizer on top of this, that's when I noticed everything peeling."
What should you take from Sincerely Miss Ash's picks?
Sincerely Miss Ash is a generous reviewer of serums, and her 89% approval rate reflects real enthusiasm for the category. Her sweet spot is formulas that pair brightening, anti-aging, or hydrating actives together, and she weighs value for money heavily when prices climb. Anyone using tretinoin or other strong exfoliants may want to pay close attention to her notes on sensitization and concentration, since she draws on her own experience with that routine throughout her reviews.
Watch Sincerely Miss Ash 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 Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 9:32
- The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Hyaluronic AcidNamed a winnerWatch at 5:28
- The Ordinary Ascorbic Acid 8% + Alpha Arbutin 2%Named a winnerWatch at 0:40
- The Ordinary Resveratrol 3% + Ferulic Acid 3%Named a winnerWatch at 10:45
- Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair Serum in CreamNamed a winnerWatch at 8:38
- NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 2:1Named a winnerWatch at 9:23
- The Ordinary Pycnogenol 5% and Ectoin Micro EmulsionNamed a winnerWatch at 29:05
- The Ordinary Marine HyaluronicsNamed a winnerWatch at 9:47
- NIOD Survival 0Named a winnerWatch at 14:46
- Calecim Professional SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 0:42
- Neon Modulating Glucosides SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 24:42
- NEAD Copper Amino Isolate SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 1:47
- Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night SerumSkipped itWatch at 23:10
- Glow Recipe Pomegranate Peptide Firming SerumSkipped itWatch at 4:12
- NIOD Ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid 30% NetworkSkipped itWatch at 18:22
- The Ordinary Vitamin C 30% in SiliconeSkipped itWatch at 4:53
- SkinCeuticals Resveratrol B E SerumSkipped itWatch at 20:01
- The Ordinary 100% Organic Virgin Sea Buckthorn Fruit OilSkipped itWatch at 9:18
- The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%Skipped itWatch at 23:16
- Medicube TXA 15% Plus Niacinamide SerumRated itWatch at 4:05
- U Beauty Resurfacing CompoundRated itWatch at 10:19
- Aestura Atobarrier 365 Hydro Serum HARated itWatch at 13:33
- Dr. Althea Vitamin C Boosting SerumRated itWatch at 11:47
- Bubble Day Dream Vitamin C + Niacinamide Tone & Texture SerumRated itWatch at 5:18
About this expert
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This guide reflects what Sincerely Miss Ash said across her videos about 79 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.