Serum and cream are format descriptions, not strength ratings. There is no rule that a serum is more concentrated, and plenty of products in both formats disprove any such rule.
What actually differs
- Routine position
- A serum goes on after cleansing and before moisturizer. A cream is the moisturizing step, or the final leave-on layer before sunscreen.
- Emollient content
- Creams generally contain more lipids — butters and oils — which is what makes them creams. Serums are typically lighter and more water-based.
- Application amount
- Serums are usually directed in drops; creams in a small amount spread across the face.
- What is left behind
- A cream leaves a more substantial layer. That is the point of it, and it is why a serum alone is not a complete leave-on routine.
What does not reliably differ
Active concentration. It is common to assume serums are the concentrated version, and sometimes they are, but format does not determine it.
In the Amplified Glow range the serums do happen to disclose higher copper peptide concentrations than the creams — 0.15% and 0.1% against 0.1% and two undisclosed. That is a fact about these specific products, not a rule you can carry to another brand.
How to decide
The question is not which format is better. It is which step of your routine you are trying to fill.
- You already use a moisturizer you like. Add a serum. It slots in before what you already do and does not replace anything.
- You use nothing after cleansing. Start with a cream. A serum alone leaves the routine without its final leave-on step.
- You want both. Serum first, cream second. How to layer a serum and moisturizer covers the sequence.
- You want one product to do everything. A cream is the closer fit, because moisturizing is a job a serum is not formulated to finish.
For the specific trade-offs across the Amplified Glow range, including price per millilitre in each format, see serum versus cream: choosing a format.