What Augustinus Bader The Serum is, and which of the brand's serums it is not
Augustinus Bader sells several face serums and calls this one The Serum. It is not The Vitamin C Serum, not The Retinol Serum and not The Elixir. The brand's own ideal-for line is short: skin in need of firmness and hydration, plus daily elasticity, barrier and renewal support. The serum it names for blemishes and post-acne marks is a different one, the evening serum with a retinoid.
Augustinus Bader names six ingredients beyond its TFC8 complex and says what each does: edelweiss extract to visibly firm and smooth wrinkles, resveratrol for barrier and resilience, sodium hyaluronate to attract and hold moisture, pomegranate peel extract as an antioxidant, rice bran oil for the barrier, and squalane to retain moisture. The full ingredient list is published on the brand's own site, and the carton is the reference for the batch you receive.
The two 12-week studies, and a contradiction on the brand's own page
The first is a 12-week trial of 30 participants aged 18 to 65. It reports:
- skin firmness improved by more than 3.5x,
- elasticity by over 3.4x,
- hydration by over 3.5x,
- skin evenness by over 3.6x,
- wrinkles reduced 85%,
- fine lines 84%,
- transepidermal water loss 37% and
- hyperpigmentation 80%.
The second is a 12-week consumer-perception study of 107 participants in the same age range:
- 98% agree skin feels plump and firmer,
- 96% agree skin looks lifted and tighter, and
- 97% agree the serum feels fast-absorbing and light.
Two cautions before those numbers decide anything. Augustinus Bader does not define what its multipliers measure, so a 3.5x figure cannot be read as a percentage or as an average without the baseline. And its own page disagrees with itself: footnotes near the top tie several agreement percentages to the trial, and the detailed sections attribute the same figures to the perception study instead. Where a brand's two descriptions of its own evidence conflict, neither is a basis for spending this much.
Product specification
| Size |
30 mL and 50 mL in the selector above. The brand's packaging FAQ references a 15 ml as well |
| Form |
Serum, dispensed by pump in the brand's own directions |
| Named complex |
TFC8 (Trigger Factor Complex), which Augustinus Bader states supports skin cell communication and does not list as a separate INCI ingredient |
| Named ingredients |
Edelweiss callus culture extract, resveratrol, sodium hyaluronate, pomegranate peel extract, rice bran oil and squalane, each named and described by the brand |
| Brand's stated purpose |
Skin in need of firmness and hydration; daily elasticity, barrier and renewal support |
| Stated exclusions |
Augustinus Bader states vegan, non-comedogenic, fragrance-free and cruelty-free, and free from parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin, heavy metals, talc, silicones and DEA. Its FAQ adds phthalates, which its free-from section omits |
| Directions |
Two pumps pressed into the palms, morning and evening on clean dry skin, swept upward over face, neck and décolletage, then the rest of the brand's routine |
| Brand-reported trial |
12 weeks, 30 participants aged 18 to 65: firmness improved more than 3.5x, hyperpigmentation reduced 80% |
Where it sits in the brand's routine
Augustinus Bader publishes a four-step routine on this product's own page: its cleansing gel, then this serum, then The Rich Cream at step three, then its rich eye cream. The serum goes under the moisturizer rather than over it.
Other products Nava carries for the concern the brand names first sit on its shelf of firming skincare.
The creams, eye care, masks, lip, body and hair products sit together in everything Nava carries from Augustinus Bader.
