Aging is a gift, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Aging skin can naturally look dull, dehydrated, and lackluster. The ideal moisturizer for aging skin should be formulated with targeted ingredients that help support hydration and skin barrier protection. Look for moisturizers that contain occlusives, humectants, antioxidants, peptides, and ceramides, which will help your aging skin look and feel its best.
As the saying goes, ‘Youth is wasted on the young.’ However, at Tatcha we believe aging is both a privilege and a gift. That doesn’t mean growing older is all smooth sailing, especially regarding your skin. Even with the best moisturizer for aging skin, skin naturally becomes thinner, more fragile, and drier with age, so it requires a certain set of ingredients to support its mission to look and feel its best. One of the most important tools in your skincare arsenal is a hydrating moisturizer like a face cream. The best moisturizer for mature skin will have specific ingredients that support, repair, and nourish your skin. To simplify things, we’ve compiled the best facial moisturizers for aging skin, from tightening neck creams to hydrating facial balms — here’s how to support your skin no matter your age.
Aging Skin 101
Ever wonder why fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of volume occur? This is perfectly normal and happens because as we age, we produce less collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid in the skin, which makes facial lines and sagging skin more apparent. Some research has shown that this loss of collagen and elastin production starts as early as the mid-twenties and is one of the main causes of looser, sagging, and more fragile skin as we age. This change is often seen as unfortunate in Western culture, but in Japan, aging is viewed as a gift rather than something to dread, says Tatcha’s founder, Vicky Tsai. “The Japanese approach is about having the best skin of your life, at any age,” she writes in Pure Skin. The Japanese perspective is about simple but proven principles, like maintaining a proper skincare ritual, healthy lifestyle, and nourishing diet. While a healthy lifestyle and diet are solely in your hands, we can advise on a helpful skincare routine, particularly the best moisturizers for aging skin.
Best Moisturizer Ingredients for Aging Skin
Are face creams specifically marketed for aging skin really that different from any other types of moisturizers? Yes, actually, for a few reasons, including ingredients and texture. Ingredients are especially important as aging skin craves certain building blocks that we naturally lose over time. Here are the ingredients to seek out when uncovering the best face moisturizer for aging skin.
Humectants
Humectants attract and retain water in the skin, which translates to skin that looks and feels more hydrated, plump, and comforted. The most famous humectant is also naturally found in our skin: hyaluronic acid. Other popular and worthy humectants include glycerin, aloe vera, peptides, and algae.
Occlusives
Occlusives create a barrier on the surface of the skin, locking in moisture. Humectants and occlusives work hand-in-hand, helping to attract moisture and then lock it in for long-term hydration. Popular occlusives are squalane, waxes, and oils.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are potent substances that can prevent or slow cell damage and aging. They’re helpful for all skin types, but can help aging skin reduce inflammation and free radicals — two common issues that can expedite premature aging. The most common and celebrated antioxidants are vitamin C and vitamin E, niacinamide, retinol, and the gentler retinol alternatives.
Peptides
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, which are naturally occurring in our skin. They help the resilience and structure of our skin — basically, skin’s health and appearance. What makes them so impressive is that they can be absorbed into the skin easily when applied topically and can directly communicate with our skin’s cells, telling them to accomplish a task. That task can be varied, from increasing skin’s hydration and improving the skin barrier to reducing the appearance of wrinkles and dullness.
Ceramides
Ceramides are fats, or lipids, found in high concentrations in the uppermost layers of our skin. How important are they to our skin? It’s estimated that up to 50 percent of our skin is composed of ceramides and they perform the vital tasks of creating a protective barrier on the skin, preventing water loss, and restricting the entry of external stressors. Basically, ceramides help the skin function properly, working to protect and restore the skin barrier. Skin barrier protection is arguably their most important quality, as a healthy barrier keeps skin looking and feeling hydrated and radiant.
Aging Skin Versus Mature Skin
While ‘aging skin’ and ‘mature skin’ can be used interchangeably, there are a few technical differences between the two. The two phrases refer to skin that is changing due to time, but mature skin often refers to the general phrase of skin in later years, while aging skin usually means skin that is facing specific changes associated with the aging process. Aging skin occurs over time (usually starting in your 20s and 30s), whereas mature skin refers to skin that has already undergone aging (usually in individuals aged 50+).
Skincare Routine for Aging Skin
Before we dive into the best face moisturizers for mature skin, let’s first highlight the most ideal skincare routine for aging skin. After all, if you’re not using the right products (and in the correct order), your moisturizer won’t work at its most effective potential. Here is the best skincare routine for aging skin.
Cleansing is vital, especially in the evening when the skin needs deep and thoughtful cleansing. Consider a Double Cleanse, which is beloved for its ability to help reduce the look of pore size, diminish the appearance of fine lines, refine surface texture, and prep skin for the next steps in your routine. It is also just one of the most effective ways to remove every stitch of makeup, sunscreen, and debris from the skin, too. Follow cleansing with a multi-purpose essence, which works to reveal softer, more healthy-looking skin, while also replenishing moisture, and increasing radiance. After cleansing and plumping the skin, target specific needs with a serum, which is one of the most important tools in your aging skin toolkit. Now it’s time for the star of the show: moisturizers. The right moisturizer for your skin type will work to help your skin attract and hold onto water, as well as repair the skin barrier to rejuvenate and restore hydration. Lastly, don’t forget to apply sunscreen during your morning routine — a necessary step every single day.
The Best Moisturizers for Mature Skin
As we age, our skin might alter or adapt, but likely, you are either oily, dry, normal, or combination. With that in mind, here are the best facial moisturizers for mature skin, curated exclusively for your skin type and needs.
For Oily Aging Skin
Aging skin can still be oily. For those experiencing both, reach for The Water Cream. This refreshing gel-cream is clinically proven to refine pores, thoughtfully hydrate, and smooth skin’s texture. This water-based formula, featuring glycerin and wild rose, balances skin and imparts radiance with a lightweight feel.
The Water Cream
Lightweight Pore-Refining Moisturizer
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For Dry Aging Skin
Dry skin can be frustrating. Defy it by hydrating with The Dewy Skin Cream. This rich cream provides antioxidant protection and improves barrier function. It visibly plumps skin and seals in moisture with a beloved formula that features hyaluronic acid, red algae, and squalane. This is one of the best face creams for dry aging skin because it works both immediately and long-term to give skin a healthy look and feel.
Can’t seem to ever hydrate your skin enough? Is it always craving deeper moisture? The Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream was made just for you! This intensely rich, hydrating cream nourishes the skin with botanical extracts and the proprietary Hadasei-3 complex. This is our richest formula and is designed specifically to be the best moisturizer for mature skin, helping to address the advanced signs of aging and dehydration.
Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream
Rich & Revitalizing Moisturizer
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For Sensitive Aging Skin
Experiencing irritation, discomfort, or sensitivity? Reach for The Indigo Calming Cream. This one-of-a-kind treatment relieves redness, itchiness, and visible irritation and has been endorsed by the National Eczema Association. Featuring clinically proven colloidal oatmeal and Japanese indigo extract, the fragrance-free cream acts as a soothing salve for sensitive, aging skin.
The Indigo Calming Cream
Soothing Therapeutic Moisturizer
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For Aging Combination Skin
Toe the line between deeply hydrating and balancing combination skin with The Silk Cream, a rich yet weightless gel-cream formula. Proven to boost elasticity for firmer-looking skin, the formula includes silk extract, squalane, and the famed natural retinol alternative Bulgarian rose.
For Aging Neck Skin
It’s easy to overlook our necks (although they need just as much TLC as the rest of our faces). Nourish and brighten the neck and décolletage with The Ageless Revitalizing Neck Cream. This firming cream has vitamin C and potent botanical extracts to address fine lines and wrinkles.
No matter your moisturizer of choice, make sure it’s part of a larger routine (whether it’s a minimalist or maximalist regimen). Aging skin loves consistency, especially when it comes to a nourishing and hydrating moisturizer every single day.
Ageless Revitalizing Neck Cream
Firming & Line-Smoothing
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Frequently Asked Questions
As mentioned earlier, collagen and elastin production begins to lessen as early as our mid-twenties. So you could start using these moisturizers that are proven to boost collagen and elastin from 25 and beyond. However, many of these aging formulas are designed for more mature skin, focusing on delivering deeper levels of hydration, and they may be too heavy for someone with youthful skin. In that case, seek out formulas that have peptides, ceramides, and antioxidants — but also feel lightweight (aka The Dewy Skin Cream, The Silk Cream, or The Water Cream).
Absolutely, consistency is key, and if you prefer using the same moisturizer morning and night, that’s wonderful. However, some skin craves a tad more moisture and nourishment in the evening, and in that case, consider applying a moisturizer that might be too hydrating for the daytime but perfect for the evening.
This is a universal question, no matter your age. Skin can alter — in either more nuanced or very dramatic ways — with each season, especially in more extremes, like very humid or dehydrating weather. Assessing skin daily to see how it is responding to your moisturizer is always a good idea. For example, perhaps you apply a lightweight gel moisturizer regularly, but recently, with the cold, winter weather, your skin still feels a tad dry a few minutes after. You likely need a more moisturizing option. These skin changes are likely to become more dramatic as you age (thanks to the loss of balancing collagen and elastin), so this daily assessment will become even more important
Sensitive skin is tricky to care for because it could be sensitive (thanks to weather, hormones, aging, or genetics) or it could be sensitized (most commonly from harsh active ingredients). When in doubt, reach for moisturizers that are designed to soothe and calm. When skin is red, reactive, or itchy, it will accelerate early aging due to the inflammation. Get ahead of irritation by applying a soothing formula, like The Indigo Calming Cream. You could then partner this calming cream with an anti-aging serum, like The Silk Serum, for a duo that both targets signs of aging but keeps sensitivity top of mind.