A Beauty Editor's Honest Review of the $375 Serum From This Celebrity-Loved Brand

Augustinus Bader/ InStyle

Where do I start with Augustinus Bader's The Serum, a skincare product that costs $375? I guess with the basics: Augustinus Bader is the eponymous skincare line started by Professor Bader, a globally renowned biomedical scientist and physician, whose notoriety has spread through the academic, scientific, and now skincare spheres.

The impetus of the skincare line started when Bader created his medical-grade Wound Gel,  which uses the body's natural mechanisms to repair severe wounds that once would've required skin grafts. This breakthrough led to the creation of the brand's proprietary Trigger Factor Complex (TFC8) which is really the star of every single product. There's 30 years of scientific research behind TFC8, but to put it as plainly as possible — it's packed with more than 40 ingredients including amino acids, vitamins, and antioxidants. These ingredients each have their own benefits, but together they specifically encourage your skin's natural regenerative process.

TFC8 adapts to your skin and in conjunction with other ingredients like vitamin C and edelweiss extract, addresses a variety of issues at the same time — fine lines, redness, hyperpigmentation, environmental stressors, firmness, roughness, and hydration, just to name a few. TFC8 makes The Serum stand out and is probably the reason it has a fanbase of celebrities, including Jennifer Aniston, Victoria Beckham, Hailey Bieber, Dakota Johnson, Margot Robbie, and even Leonardo DiCaprio.

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Shop now: $350–$375; augustinusbader.com

I only got around to trying The Serum when it was gifted to me by the brand, because as much as I love all things beauty, the $375 price tag is more than I'd spend on a month's worth of beauty products. I went in with mixed expectations — on one hand, I can't recall the last time a product amassed such a dedicated following so quickly — but on the other, three-hundred-and-seventy-five-dollars?!

The Serum set I received came with The Nomad, a gold, airtight tube that houses the actual product, and The Base, which I found to be a bit superfluous; it's essentially just a blue cup thing that holds The Nomad.

But the formula itself totally changed my outlook. The first time I used it, my initial thought was just "wow." It's thin, light, and quickly absorbs into the skin with no residue whatsoever. The product is so hydrating, I didn't even need to use moisturizer.

I was worried that The Serum's milky texture would clog my pores or make me break out, but it didn't; I truly felt like it adjusted to my skin specifically. My ever-present inflammation and burgeoning zits also looked less red and felt less angry. While I don't have many wrinkles, the single deep crease that runs down my forehead (which drives me absolutely wild) was much less noticeable after two weeks of use. Lastly, I was really impressed with its hyperpigmentation-fighting powers. When it comes to my skin, if there's a pimple, there's a dark spot that accompanies it — regardless of whether I pick or not. Not only did The Serum fade dark spots, it also prevented new ones from forming.

There are two scenarios in which I could see myself repurchasing this. The first is if I won the lottery and the thought of buying a $375 serum didn't send shivers down my spine. The second is if I were to replace my entire routine (save face wash!) with The Serum alone, which isn't happening any time soon. Head to Augustinus Bader if you'd like to read more about the decades of scientific research that go into the products, the origin of the Wound Gel, a further explanation of TFC8, or are ready to try The Serum out for yourself.

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