Guerlain’s Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil Serum Is My French-Girl Secret to Aging in Reverse

It doesn’t take much persuasion to convince me to go to Paris. Entice me with a flaky croissant and a French Pharmacy haul with A313; my bags are packed. So when Guerlain came to me in November with promises to reveal a hush-hush first-of-its-kind product ideal for my chronically dry, starting-to-age skin, I was ready to travel 3,635 miles right then and there.

A few days later, I was sworn to secrecy and introduced to what has been my holy-grail skincare product for the past two months: Guerlain’s brand-spanking-new Abeille Royal Youth Watery Oil Serum. Available (and finally un-embargoed) today, the serum oil hybrid is a moisturizing, repairing, radiance-boosting treat. Case in point: one drop strengthens the skin barrier, one hour of wear visibly plumps the skin by 124 percent, and one month of use boosts radiance by 60 percent and firmness by 53 percent.

When an incredible group of French scientists told me the above, they knew my overactive, science-nerd brain wasn’t prepared to take those stats at face value. So, we got into the nitty-gritty of how this miracle worker actually, well, works. It boils down to the honey-fueled ingredient profile.

For the first-time ever, and unlike the brand’s Abeille Royale Youth Watery Oil, which launched in 2013, the Oil Serum leverages three different types of extra-rich black bee honey: one harvested off the coast of Brittany is incredibly efficient at increasing skin renewal, one from the Connemara region in Ireland can improve skin’s moisture levels, and the final from Norway is particularly efficient at boosting elastin, the skin’s snap-back quality.

Combining the trio with micro-encapsulate glow-boosting beads results in a product that offers visible short- and long-term results. “The goal of this product is not only to increase the beauty of the skin but also to make it healthier on a molecular level,” explains Head of Research Dr. Frédéric Bonté, who holds a PhD in Pharmaceuticals. “It promotes good structure, good function, and a deep rejuvenation—it’s not just a rapid effect.”

That in mind, the product will help skin that is starting to see signs of aging (hi! yes! me!) get ahead of the curve. “It’s important for young women between 25 to 35 because it’s moisturizing and also helps your skin repair quickly from damage like micro tears and lesions—it stops this vicious cycle of a broken skin barrier from going on,” adds Dr. Bonté.

My skin has been all types of sideways the past few months (breakouts, dryness-induced fine lines, a lack of glow), so it didn’t take many words from Dr. Bonté's mouth before I officially added the Abielle Royal Youth Watery Oil Serum to my routine. I used it for the first time the second I got home from the Guerlain lab.

The serum-meets-oil itself is elegant, with a chic glass bottle, elongated dropper, and suspended, glow-inducing gold beads that resemble the flakes in a luxury snow globe. One squeeze of the formula clued me into the elusive serum-oil texture—it feels like a watery, hyper-liquid serum upon application; but it has the long-lasting grip and glide of a traditional face oil. As soon as I warmed a dropper-full in my hands I got a whiff of the delicately-scented formula. It’s not powdery or overly floral but does offer a soft blanket of sweet-smelling cashmere.

As I started to work the formula onto clean, dry skin, the quote-unquote instant results the brand spoke of earlier that day were impossible to deny. My dry skin (it was a nice and chilly 40 degrees at the time) was instantly hydrated. But what really impressed me was the intense change to my skin tone—dullness was replaced with the glass-like skin quality I typically only receive from a really great facial. Bonus: the fragrance didn’t irritate my highly sensitive skin or leave my face feeling greasy.

Everything about the product—texture, benefits, scent, packaging—feels expensive. Applying a dropper-full has become my favorite little luxury to use at the end of a long day. And after using the serum every night for the past two months, I can confirm that my skin has taken on a similarly luxurious tone. Sure, I have breakouts here and there (who doesn’t), but my face has a bounce, plumpness, and tightness that’s noticeable to the naked eye.

The results are so good that I might just need to book a flight to Paris for a refill.

Why Trust Us

Samantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire and has nearly a decade of experience in the beauty industry. She is an expert in skincare, having written content about sensitive skin, acne-prone, and mature skin. She is also an expert on Guerlain, having traveled to the company's headquarters in Paris to learn the science behind their latest launch.