20% Matrixyl Serum: Worth It?

Whether a 20% Matrixyl serum is worth it comes down to two questions. The first is whether Matrixyl itself is worth using, and we answer that in our full review of 20% Matrixyl collagen serum. The second is purely financial: is it cheaper to buy the finished serum or to blend your own Matrixyl serum at home, and by how much? This page does that math. As a cosmetic formulator who sells both the finished serum and the raw booster, I will show every number so you can check it yourself.

The Prices Used in This Math

All prices below are Skin Perfection list prices on the date this page was written, before shipping, tax, or discounts. Check the product pages for current prices, and plug them into the same formulas if they have changed.

The DIY Formula Being Priced

The DIY serum in this comparison uses the Matrixyl 3000 Serum Booster at 8%, the highest rate on its product page (the page lists a 3 to 8% range). With the Skin Perfection house rate of 9 drops = 1% per fluid ounce, 8% is 72 drops, about 2.4 mL, in a 1 fl oz batch.

• Hyaluronic acid version: 27.2 mL Hyaluronic Acid Plumping Serum + 2.4 mL Matrixyl 3000 Serum Booster = about 1 fl oz.
• Aloe version: 26.0 mL Aloe Vera Gel Serum Base + 2.4 mL Matrixyl 3000 Serum Booster + 1.2 mL Leucidal Complete (4%, the top of its 2 to 4% range) = about 1 fl oz.

I add preservative to the aloe version because you are building a water-based serum from a bulk base, and every addition dilutes the protection already in it. The hyaluronic acid version starts from a finished serum, but the 8% addition still dilutes its preservative slightly. If you want extra margin, add Leucidal Complete at 4% to that version too; it adds about $1.46 per batch.

How many batches one booster bottle makes

• 0.5 oz booster: 14.8 mL divided by 2.4 mL per batch = about 6 one-ounce batches, or $4.86 of booster per batch.
• 4 oz booster: 118.3 mL divided by 2.4 mL = about 49 batches, or $3.04 of booster per batch.

Cost per Ounce: Ready-Made vs DIY

Each DIY cost below is the proportional cost of the ingredients that go into a 1 fl oz batch.

Cost per Use and per Month

Cost per use depends on how much you apply, and that varies from person to person. Rather than guess your dose, the table shows three scenarios: 0.1 mL, 0.2 mL, and 0.3 mL per application, used twice a day for 30 days (60 applications). For reference, 2 to 3 drops at our house drop size is roughly 0.07 to 0.1 mL, so the 0.1 mL row is close to the 2 to 3 drops we suggest for face and neck.

To calculate your own: cost per mL x mL per application x applications per month. If you want to know your real dose, weigh your bottle on a 0.01 g scale on day 1 and again on day 7, then divide the difference by the number of applications. For a water-based serum, 1 g is close to 1 mL.

Upfront Cost: The Number People Forget

Cost per ounce favors DIY by a wide margin, but the starting purchase is larger.

So the break-even arrives quickly. The aloe path costs $17.90 more upfront than a single ready-made bottle, but it produces roughly nine times the volume.

What the Math Does Not Capture

A fair comparison has to be honest about what is and is not the same.

The formulas are not identical

The finished serum contains 20% Matrixyl 3000 plus Pepha Tight, DMAE, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E, according to its product page. The DIY blend contains 8% Matrixyl 3000 in your chosen base. The booster's product page notes that above 8% you are mostly adding the booster's glycerin and water to your base and thinning everything else in it, which is why the DIY formula stops at 8%. If the extra actives in the finished serum matter to you, the ready-made option is buying those too.

What the supplier's test used

For perspective on concentration: Sederma's technical data sheet for Matrixyl 3000 gives a recommended use level of 3%, and describes a half-face test in which 23 women aged 42 to 67 applied a 3% Matrixyl 3000 cream twice daily for 2 months against a placebo. The supplier reports changes from baseline including a 39.4% reduction in deep-wrinkle area and a 19.9% reduction in average wrinkle depth on the Matrixyl side. These are the manufacturer's own results on its test cream, not results for any finished serum. The DIY blend at 8% is above that tested level.

Time, tools, and risk

• A DIY batch takes about 10 minutes and a 0.01 g scale, pH strips, and sanitizing alcohol.
• Home batches have not been challenge tested. The FDA notes that microorganisms introduced during use need to be controlled, for example by preservatives, and that heat can break down preservatives. Make small batches, refrigerate, and use clean tools.
• The booster's product page gives 12 months from opening. If you only make one or two batches a year, the 0.5 oz size is the smarter buy; the 4 oz size only pays off if you will use about 49 batches inside that window.

My Verdict on Value

• Buy the ready-made serum if you want the full 20% formula with its added actives, do not want to measure anything, or are trying Matrixyl for the first time.
• Blend your own if you already know you like Matrixyl, use it twice daily, and are comfortable weighing and preserving a small batch. At 0.1 mL twice daily, the aloe version runs about $2 a month in ingredients versus about $20 for the finished serum.
• Middle ground: the hyaluronic acid version with the 1 oz HA serum is the simplest DIY path and still costs about a third of the ready-made price per ounce.

Whichever you choose, the routine is the same. See our Matrixyl layering routine for AM and PM order with vitamin C, retinol, and acids.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is DIY Matrixyl serum cheaper than buying it ready-made?

Yes, per ounce. Using current Skin Perfection list prices, a 1 oz DIY batch with 8% Matrixyl 3000 costs about $8.87 to $32.38 in ingredients depending on the base and bottle sizes, versus $99.90 per ounce for the finished 20% serum.

Why does the DIY recipe use 8% and not 20%?

8% is the top of the 3 to 8% usage range on the Matrixyl 3000 Serum Booster product page. Going higher mostly adds the booster's glycerin and water and thins the rest of your formula.

How many serums does one 0.5 oz bottle of Matrixyl 3000 booster make?

At 8% (72 drops, about 2.4 mL per 1 oz batch), a 0.5 oz bottle makes about six 1 oz serums.

Do I need a preservative for DIY Matrixyl serum?

If you build from a bulk base, yes: add a broad-spectrum preservative such as Leucidal Complete at 4% and refrigerate. If you blend into a finished serum, the booster still dilutes that serum's preservative a little, so adding Leucidal Complete at 4% is a sensible margin of safety.

How do I work out my own cost per use?

Weigh your bottle on day 1 and day 7, divide the weight lost by the number of applications to get your dose, then multiply by the cost per mL in the table above.

Sources

• Sederma (Croda). MATRIXYL 3000 technical data sheet (Spanish edition, 05/21): recommended use level, INCI, and the supplier's 2-month half-face test in 23 women at 3%. Technical data sheet (PDF)
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Shelf Life and Expiration Dating of Cosmetics. fda.gov

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About the Author
Written by Kari Thomas, cosmetic formulator and founder of Skin Perfection.