"A serum is essentially a lightweight moisturizer with super-potent active ingredients that are small in size," explains Neil Sadick, M.D , a dermatologist in New York City. "This allows serums to penetrate deeply into the skin so that ingredients are delivered straight to their target."

If you're oily to normal, you may find that applying serum alone after cleansing is all you need. However, most people need more hydration, so it's common to immediately follow with a moisturizer and eye cream after applying serum, says New York City dermatologist, Marina Peredo, M.D., founder of Skinfluence . Apply serum on your face and neck, too-after all, you'll want your neck to match your face in a few years!

You can apply serum in the morning or the evening, or both-it's entirely up to your preference. Since serums can give your skin a firmer, smoother texture and help your pores appear smaller, they can be especially helpful for priming the face for makeup. Take note: If you use retinol or a prescription retinoid at night, Sadick warns to skip the serum, as the two don't mix and will irritate skin .

With that in mind, here are the best anti-aging serums for you, based on your skin type:

1. Best Natural Option: Burt's Bees Renewal Intensive Firming Serum

All natural active ingredients from hibiscus and apples are super hydrating and plump up your skin, disguising the look of fine lines. Plus, it's free of parabens, phthalates, and petrolatum.

2. Best For Dry Skin: CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum

The fastest route to a smoother complexion is with a hyaluronic acid-based serum. The molecule, which is naturally occurring in our skin, draws in water and acts like a temporary filler.

3. Best Do-It-All: Clarins Double Serum Complete Age Control Concentrate

Want a smoother surface? How about a brighter, more even complexion? And what about a radiant glow? Well, look no further. This serum is packed with portent plant extracts (like turmeric, oat, and orthosiphon) to do all of the above.

4. Best For Oily Skin: Dior Capture Youth Matte Maximizer Age-Delay Mattifying Serum

A blend of antioxidants keep your skin strong and protected, while a combo of pink clay and zinc absorb excess oil throughout the day, so you can stop worrying about 3 p.m. blotting.

5. Best Nighttime Serum: Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum

The combo of alpha and beta hydroxy acids will keep your skin smooth and diminish the appearance of aging marks. But keep in mind, these acids can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun, so it's best to save this one for darker hours.

6. Best Retinol Alternative: Eminence Organic Skin Care Bamboo Firming Fluid

Intrigued by the collagen-boosting benefits of retinol but prefer to keep your routine on the natural side? Look no further than the chicory root and tara tree complex in this wrinkle fighting serum. The naturally derived duo will smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles over time.

7. Best For Redness: La Mer The Concentrate

Known for its soothing and strengthening Miracle Broth, this luxury brand has brought out a souped up (no pun intended!) version. This serum contains a potent concentration of the active, so you get extra calming and repairing benefits.

8. Best Daytime Serum: L'Oral Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Vitamin C Facial Treatment

Over time, damage from polluted air and the sun leave behind their mark on your skin in the form of discoloration and loss of firmness. Antioxidants, like this vitamin C version, help protect your skin from harmful damage to keep it in fighting shape.

9. Best Retinol: Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum

The true OG of anti-agers, retinol is proven to boost collagen production and increase the thickness of your dermis, which all lead to more youthful looking skin. This version is gentle enough to use every day. Yes, even for retinol first-timers.

10. Best For Deep Wrinkles: No7 Line Correcting Booster Serum

Don't let the syringe-shaped bottle fool you, this serum only looks like an injectable filler, but it has strong line-filling powers, too. It has a high concentration of the brand's proprietary anti-wrinkle peptide technology, which is proven to improve the look of wrinkles on the forehead, between the brows, around the mouth, and crow's feet in as little as six weeks.

11. Best For Sensitive Skin: Olay Regenerist Miracle Boost Concentrate

Reactive skin types don't need to steer away from powerful anti-agers, just look for ones formulated with ingredients that are known to be gentle, like this niacinamide (a form of vitamin B3) packed serum. Peptides firm skin while the vitamin B3 calms irritation and redness.

12. Best For Adult Acne: Rene Rouleau Pore + Wrinkle Perfecting Serum

You no longer need to chose between combating breakouts and wrinkles. This serum uses a blend of glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids to leave you with a smoother, brighter, and breakout-free complexion.

13. Best For Dark Spots: Revision Skincare C+ Correcting Complex 30%

Discoloration is incredibly stubborn and hard to treat, and it can make your skin look worse for the wear. But this lightweight serum delivers a powerful dose vitamin C while also helping boost your body's natural production of vitamins C and E to break up the melanin that creates those dark marks and stop your skin from producing more.

145. Best Splurge: SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum

Before you let the price tag scare you, take note that this anti-ager is not messing around. It's packed with a high concentration (93.6 percent) of growth factors. These potent proteins, which occur naturally, are shown to improve signs of aging and overall skin health after only one month of consistent use (that means twice a day).

15. Best Steal: The Ordinary "Buffet"

Don't let the brand name fool you, this blend of peptides and hyaluronic acids are anything but ordinary. The peptide improve skin elasticity and firmness long-term while the hyaluronic acid plumps skin short-term.