On the market, there are a lot of serums promising to fight acne, blemishes and what else they have you. They come in various price ranges, promising things they can and cannot do. Though, there is one thing that they all have in common, namely, our disappointment. I have tried many of those miracle makers hoping that they would resolve my acne problem. No, they didn’t, nor did they do anything at all. However, there is one product that I remember which actually delivered on its promises — Pai’s Copaiba & Zinc Perfect Balance Blemish Serum.

There are three main results that Pai promise:

• ‘calms inflamed blemishes in the gentlest possible way’
• ‘reduces sebum production up to by 65%’
• ‘protects skin’s moisture barrier to prevent dry or flakey patches.’

Well, many serums claim many things. Here there are just three, and I can heartily agree with two. I have used the entire bottle of this product. The thing I remember about it the most is that it helped tremendously with healing spots in a very gentle way. Over a couple of days, they would just disappear without any harsh treatments. Also, it would make my skin so much hydrated, like it was a hydrating serum on its own. Very soothing and hydrating these are the two things that come to my mind when I think of this serum. I cannot say it reduced the production of sebum by 65%. How can I measure this? Though, while using the product, I noticed that my skin was less oily after a fortnight of continuous use.

Ingredients: Aqua – Purified Water Citrus Limon Fruit Water* – Lemon Fruit Water; Glycerin – Organic derived Vegetable; Glycerine; Glyceryl Stearate Citrate – Naturally derived Emulsifier; Cetearyl Alcohol- Naturally derived Emulsifier; Carya Ovata Bark Extract – Hickory Bark Extract; Zinc PCA – Derived From Zinc; Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil* – Kukui Seed Oil; Copaifera Officinalis Resin* – Copaiba Resin; Sodium Hyaluronate – Hyaluronic Acid; Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Oil* – Acacia Fruit Oil; Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil* – Andiroba Seed Oil; Illicum Verum Fruit Oil* – Star Anise Oil; Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Peel Oil* – Orange Peel Oil; Glyceryl Caprylate – Naturally derived Emulsifier; Citrus Medica Limonum Peel Oil* – Lemon Peel Oil; Crithmum Maritimum Essential Oil – Sea Fennel Essential Oil; Acacia Senegal Gum – Arabic Gum; Xantham Gum – Xanthan Gum; Sodium Levulinate – Naturally derived Preservative; Tocopherol – Natural Vitamin E; Lactic Acid – pH regulator; Sodium Anisate – Naturally derived Preservative.
From Pai’s website.

The main ingredients are zinc PCA and copaiba, which is a plant from the Amazonia. I don’t know if it’s the main two ingredients or the combo of all that make the serum work, but it does the job. I will underline this; it won’t fix your severe acne problem, however, if you have an occasional breakout or a spot once in a while, or just oily skin with a tendency to breakouts; this one is for you. It has quite a lot of essential oils like in all ‘natural’ products, but I must say it’s not a disturbing amount. Of course, if you are not very sensitive or allergic to essential oils. There are also hyaluronic acid and glycerine to keep the skin moisturised. This serum would work well as an addition to an anti-acne regimen, for example as part of a morning routine. And like all Pai’s products, it’s all about being gentle; ideal for sensitive skin but not only. I have used a couple of their products, and I must admit they are very soothing. I know the serum is pricey, £42 is not little, but from all those fancy serums this one does work. I could only count how many more expensive serums this one knocks out.

If you are looking for a great addition to your anti-acne routine or just for something to fight occasional breakouts, go for it. It won’t fix a severe acne problem; it’s not meant for it. But it can help to keep blemishes away while at the same time being gentle and moisturising.

The serum costs £42, and it’s available from paiskincare.com.