Last Updated on March 31, 2026 by omgbart
I first used a Clarins serum called Total Double Serum in 2002. I was in my early twenties, working in the marketing department at Jo Malone, and already the kind of person who read ingredient lists for fun. That serum became my core night treatment for years. When Clarins updated it, I wasn't thrilled. When they updated it again in 2007, I gave it a 6 out of 10. Out of 10.
Then 2012 happened. A new generation launched and I came back. I wrote about it on this blog in 2014, called it one of the only products aging as well as me, and meant it. In 2017 I reviewed the Next Generation formula and called it phenomenal. Now it's 2025, I'm living in Madrid, my skin is drier than it has ever been, and Clarins has just released the ninth generation of Double Serum. Both the original and the Light.
I have thoughts.
Twenty-Two Years With One Serum
The Double Serum story starts in 1985. Nine generations in forty years is not a gimmick. It is a brand taking its flagship seriously enough to keep rebuilding it. Most cult products coast. Clarins keeps tinkering.
What has never changed is the dual-chamber delivery system. Two-thirds hydric, one-third lipidic. Water-soluble and oil-soluble ingredients housed separately, blending only when dispensed into your palm. It mirrors the skin's own hydrolipidic film. That ratio is protected by patents and has been the backbone of every generation.
What changes with each launch is what goes into those two chambers.
What's New in Generation 9
The headline ingredient is Organic Giant Provençal Reed extract. Clarins spent five years on epigenetics research, studied over sixty pairs of identical twins, and landed on this plant — selected from 800 candidates — for its concentration of flavonoids and its ability to resist harsh environmental conditions. The science: lifestyle factors like poor sleep, diet, stress and pollution cause gene methylation, which Clarins calls Epi-Aging. This process inhibits four key genes involved in skin youthfulness and can accelerate visible aging by 44%. The Giant Provençal Reed is Clarins' answer to that.
This is not just marketing language dressed up as science. The twin study methodology is a legitimate way to isolate lifestyle-driven aging from genetic aging. Twins start with identical DNA. Over time, their skin diverges based on how they live. That divergence is what Clarins mapped, and what this formula is designed to address.
Generation 9 (not a formal moniker) also introduces five pure active molecules for the first time, paired with the existing botanicals to stimulate the skin's five vital functions: regeneration, oxygenation, protection, hydration, and nutrition. The total active count is now 27. The botanical deck has grown from 20 to 22 plants, including Organic Strawberry Tree Fruit extract for pore refinement and Evening Primrose for radiance. Turmeric, a fixture since the Next Generation launch in 2017, remains.
The bottle is 98% recycled material. The pump is customizable, dialing between a lighter daytime dose and a fuller evening application. Both details matter.
Original vs. Light: What the Ingredient Lists Actually Tell You
The texture difference between the two formulas is noticeable but subtle. The original feels slightly richer. The Light absorbs faster and leaves what Clarins accurately describes as a bare-skin finish. Both sink in quickly. Both feel soft. Neither leaves a greasy residue.
The INCI lists explain why.
The original leads its oil phase with squalane and hexyl laurate. Both are emollient and skin-identical. Squalane in particular is a strong humectant and barrier supporter, which is why the original feels more moisturizing than hydrating.
The Light replaces those with C9-12 Alkane and Undecane near the top of the list. These are lightweight, volatile esters. They spread easily, evaporate quickly, and are what give the Light its weightless, almost-not-there texture. The Light also positions avocado oil unsaponifiables higher in its list, while the original has cocoa extract higher. Both share the full core botanical deck including turmeric, oat, horse chestnut, banana, edelweiss, and the new Giant Provençal Reed.
In practical terms: same performance targets, meaningfully different skin feel.
Who Should Use Which
I reach for the original more often now. My skin has changed since leaving the US. Mid-forties, drier climate, less ambient humidity. Madrid is warm and I love it, but my skin craves more than it used to. The original gives me what the Light cannot quite match on a dry-skin day.
That said, I used the Light all through last summer and it was exactly right. The bare-skin finish works well under sunscreen. It layers cleanly. It does not pill. For anyone in a warm or humid climate, with oilier skin, or anyone who finds the original slightly too much in warmer months, the Light is not a compromise. It is a considered alternative.
I use Double Serum as both a hydrating step and a treatment step. My routine is not abundant — two or three products each way — so Double Serum carries real weight in it. I apply it after cleansing, press it into face and neck, then follow with SPF during the day or a richer moisturizer at night. Both formulas slot into that routine without friction.
The Light is officially recommended for oily skin, warm or humid climates, and men. That last designation is Clarins' nod to the male market and I'll take it, though the original works just as well for anyone regardless of gender.
The Epigenetic Angle: Worth Taking Seriously
Epigenetics is a word that gets used loosely in beauty marketing. In the case of Double Serum Generation 9 it is being used correctly. The science behind it — that lifestyle choices affect gene expression, which affects how skin ages — is established and peer-reviewed. Clarins did not invent the concept. But they did build a formula specifically around it, conduct a legitimate clinical study to map its effects, and identify a novel ingredient to address it.
The Giant Provençal Reed is the part of this story that interests me most as someone who has followed this formula for over two decades. Adding turmeric in 2017 was a smart antioxidant upgrade. Adding an epigenetic-targeting ingredient in 2024 is a different category of ambition. Whether you feel it on your skin is harder to quantify than texture or pore appearance. But the research behind it is real, and for a formula that has been in continuous development since 1985, it feels like a meaningful step rather than a repackaging exercise.
Final Verdict
I have used Clarins Double Serum across six of its nine generations. I gave one of them a 6 out of 10 and stayed honest about it. Generation 9 does not need that kind of disclaimer. It is the best version of this formula I have used. The epigenetic research is substantive, the texture on both variants is excellent, and the customizable pump remains one of the better delivery mechanisms in the serum category.
If you have dry skin or live in a cooler, drier climate, start with the original. If you run warm, live somewhere humid, or prefer a lighter finish year-round, the Light is the one. If you are undecided, know that I rotate between both depending on the season and have no complaints about either.
Twenty-two years. Still here. Still the same serum, built differently every time.
$95 (30ml), $140 (50ml), $190 (75ml) at clarins.com, sephora.com, ulta.com, bloomingdales.com, boots.com
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