The Best (And Most Effective) Skincare Routine for Your 30s

Welcome to skincare in your 30s. Now that you’ve incorporated a routine and worked through any kinks, you’re ready to level up for when the first signs of aging begin to emerge. 

From shoring up your skin barrier with moisturization to wearing sunscreen every day, all of the preventative steps you’ve taken up until now will factor into how your skin ages. Let’s remember that aging is simply the result of life plus time; it’s a privilege to age, because it’s a privilege to be able to get older. Skincare isn’t “anti” aging, but like diet and exercise, it helps us to extend our health and vitality. From the most important products and lifestyle choices to the most ideal skincare routine for your 30s — here is everything you need to know about caring for your skin in this exciting decade. 

30s Skincare Essentials

At the dawn of your 30s, it’s easy to imagine that puberty is long behind you, left in your teenage years. But the truth is that, biologically speaking, skin can remain in its own puberty until your late 20s. By incorporating new ingredients and upgrading your routine, you can make the transition to 30 simple—even glowy. When it comes to a skincare routine for your 30s, consider the following themes. 

Invite In Antioxidants

Remember your sunscreen? (Of course you do—it’s the most important part of your routine!) As you probably know, you’re still going to use it every single day. But as the sun damage in your teens and 20s begins to reveal itself in your 30s, it’s a good idea to also incorporate ingredients into your routine that help to repair damage caused by sun overexposure. 

Some of the very best agents for the job are antioxidants. Antioxidants have become a popular tool in dermatology for quelling what is known as oxidative stress. As our skin cells go about their metabolic function, they might be visited by aggressors—like pollutants or UV light—that cause the nefariously named free radicals. These highly reactive oxygen products then cause all sorts of cellular havoc on their own—damaging amino acids and lipids, or messing up signals between cells. Free radicals are a major cause of extrinsic aging, or skin aging caused by environmental factors rather than chronological biology. 

As their name suggests, antioxidants provide an antidote for oxidative stress. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, there are likely thousands of substances that can act as antioxidants—some of the most famous ones are vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Applied regularly, they can help support your skin’s natural reparative processes. 

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate 

In your 20s, you learned all about the necessity of moisturization, which will remain important into your 30s and beyond. Now it’s also important to consider hydration, a term which sounds similar, but is crucially different. 

Both moisturizers and hydrators deal with the water content of your skin. But while hydration endeavors to bring water into the cells, moisturization helps it stay there by sealing it in. Due to intrinsic aging, and the loss of natural hyaluronic acid as we get older, our skin’s ability to retain water weakens. It’s important to moisturize to boost retention, but in your 30s it also becomes important to hydrate your skin. 

Common ingredients like aloe and urea, and acids like hyaluronic or alpha hydroxy acid, deliver water directly to the skin. It’s easy to find moisturizers or cleansers with these ingredients, but you may want to consider adding a hydrating extra step to your skincare routine. (More on that in a bit.)

Skincare Routine for Your 30s

A skincare routine for your 30s will build on your previous daily skincare routine by adding a few extra steps and regenerative ingredients to the nourishing ones you already know, love, and use. 

Also this is a big decade, your skincare routine for early 30s will likely look different from your skincare routine mid-30s, which might also differ from your skincare routine for your late 30s — constantly check in with your skin, assessing how it looks, feels, and reacts. (A dermatologist can help you assess these changes, too.) In the hopes of keeping things easy to adopt in your daily routine, here is a simple skincare routine for 30s, based on your skin type. Plus, a few add-on recommendations, should you want to further nourish your skin in its 30s. 

Simple Morning Routine

1. Cleanse 
2. Essence
3. Moisturize
4. SPF

Simple Evening Routine 

1. Double Cleanse 
2. Essence
3. Moisturize

Advanced Morning Routine

1. Cleanse 
2. Essence
3. Serum
4. Eye Cream 
5. Moisturize
6. Seal with Face Oil (if needed)
7. SPF

Advanced Evening Routine 

1. Double Cleanse
2. Essence 
3. Serum 
4. Eye Cream 
5. Moisturize
6. Seal with Face Oil (if needed)

Perfecting Your 30s Skincare Routine

Cleanse

You are past the age of sleeping in your makeup, or rubbing a micellar wipe into the ridges of your face. The time is now for a grown-up face wash that can carefully remove makeup, dirt, and daily debris in one lather. We have product recommendations below, but, in general, an easy method for choosing a cleanser is to match the texture to your skin type: Something oilier and/or balm-like for dry skin, something whipped and/or watery for oily skin. 

The Best Cleansers for Your 30s

A cleanser should be used morning and night. Here are the best cleanser options, based on your skin type.

Dry: Dry skin can use The Rice Wash, which leaves skin feeling soft and nourished thanks to rice powder as its main ingredient. (Used in Japanese cleansing rituals, this powder naturally softens and boosts luminosity, while keeping the skin well moisturized.) The hydrating nature of this cleanser will help to support 30s skin, no matter if it’s early 30 or late 39.

Sensitive: While cleansing sensitive skin can be an impossible task, The Indigo Cleansing Balm actually improves and repairs the skin barrier’s function for stronger skin over time. This is also a fantastic option for those who have reactive skin and want to be ultra-gentle when cleansing. The Indigo Cleansing Balm can also be used as the first step in your Double Cleanse, in place of the Camellia Cleansing Oil, especially if you have extra dry skin or eczema. 

Oily: Oily and/or acne-prone skin will treasure The Matcha Cleanse, a formula that decongests pores and balances oil without stripping away essential moisture. This cleanser is designed to be as gentle as possible, while still addressing long-term oiliness and clogged pores. 

Double Cleanse

While we’re on the topic of cleansing, we encourage you to explore double cleansing. The two step process provides unparalleled results and only adds a few additional moments into your routine.

Step 1: Oil/Balm Cleanse

For this step, you can use any product that dissolves makeup, sunscreen, and stubborn debris. It’s wise to choose a product that expressly works on waterproof makeup, like the Camellia Cleansing Oil, which is crafted with Japanese camellia oil—a featherweight botanical oil prized in Asia for its superb moisturizing activity—or the Indigo Cleansing Balm, which distills skin-soothing indigo into a makeup-melting balm. 

Step 2: Cleanse/Polish

Your face has been ridded of sunscreen, makeup, and anything else. Now, unobstructed, your skin is ready to be cleansed. Choose a cleanser that’s matched to your skin type, as described above. Or, follow Tatcha’s own double-cleanse protocol, known as the Kyoto Cleanse—named for the geisha beauty routines that inspired it—which includes using The Rice Polish as step two. There are many different types of Rice Polishes—including Gentle, Calming, and Deep—so you can find the polish that best suits your skin type.

The Best Essence for Your 30s

After cleansing, dab a few drops on the palm of your hands, then tap and press into the skin. It’s helpful to do this both morning and night. 

All skin types: Every type of skin–no matter if it’s oily, dry, sensitive, or combination–will adore The Essence, a brilliant plumping, softening, and resurfacing liquid. This bestselling product is made entirely (100 percent!) from Tatcha’s proprietary Hadasei-3, a trio of fermented Japanese superfoods, including Akita rice, Uji green tea, and Okinawa algae. The three ingredients work synergistically to support the skin, while promoting natural skin surface turnover for brighter, beautiful skin at every age. It’s also been shown to help improve the performance of other skincare products in your routine, so using this morning and night is additional beneficial.

Treat 

After learning about the wonders of serums in your 20s, you know all about this treatment step. In this new decade, your skin might desire different serums, but choosing the right serum for your skin type is the first step in the right direction. While there are many different types of serums, discovering an option that is first and foremost right for your skin type is helpful, but most formulas are built to service all skin types. You can also narrow down the right serum for you by considering your skin needs. Dry? A hydrating serum will be beneficial. Brightening? Seek out vitamin C formulas. Seeing fine lines and wrinkles? A fine line serum can help address early signs of aging.

The Best Serum for Your 30s 

If you're in the dark about what ingredients your skin needs, your dermatologist or aesthetician can point you in the right direction. Also, always follow the package directions, as certain formulas can overwhelm or irritate skin.

All skin types: If you’re looking to target fine lines and wrinkles, consider The Silk Serum, a serum formulated with a retinol alternative that visibly firms and smooths the look of deep wrinkles without the visible irritation often associated with vitamin A derivatives. For brighter skin, grab The Brightening Serum, which is powered by a 12-hour time-release Vitamin C and ferulic acid to brighten, firm, and target hyperpigmentation. And those seeking hydration will love the Dewy Serum, which works to nourish and plump the skin with squalane and hyaluronic acid. Need a hydrating pick-me-up? Grab The Serum Stick, an on-the-go, pocket-sized serum that provides instant and deep moisture, while also blurring the look of fine lines and minimizing makeup creasing (basically, a must for mid-day touch-ups). 

Moisturize 

A good face cream provides a seal for your skin—but what else can it do? Your 30s are a good time to ask for more of your moisturizer. You’re likely already in the routine of applying a moisturizer morning and night, so now you can seek out formulas that have additional ingredients for supporting skin in its 30s, like peptides, niacinamide, and other formulas that boost collagen and elastin. 

The Best Moisturizer for Your 30s

Apply a moisturizer morning and night, directly after a serum (or if keeping things minimal, after cleansing). 

Extra Dry: While this formula is designed for mature skin, those in extreme cold weather (think icy mountain tops) or very, very dry skin will drink up the intensely rich, hydrating Ageless Enriching Renewal Cream, which nourishes the skin with botanical extracts. 

Dry: Visibly plump and seal in moisture with The Dewy Skin Cream, which has hyaluronic acid, red algae, and squalane. This formula has a rich cream texture that provides antioxidant protection from premature aging.

Dry/Combination: The Silk Cream toes the line between deeply hydrating and balancing skin, thanks to its rich yet weightless gel-cream formula, featuring silk extract. The formula uses a complete liquid silk protein, which parallels the amino acid structure of human skin, to form a whisper-light veil, while Japanese superfoods supply amino acids directly to the skin. 

Sensitive: Colloidal oatmeal and Japanese indigo extract make The Indigo Calming Cream a soothing salve for sensitive skin. The decadent cream provides visible redness and itchiness relief with lasting hydration. 

Oily: Many moisturizers can exacerbate oily skin, but The Water Cream is brilliantly designed to balance oiliness and imparts radiance with a lightweight feel. The refreshing gel-cream is clinically proven to refine pores, thoughtfully hydrate, and smooth skin’s texture. 

Protect 

Those sunscreens that provide broad spectrum coverage but are also formulated with antioxidant-rich ingredients? You are going to want one. Look for sunscreens that offer broad-spectrum coverage so you’re protected against both ultraviolet-A (UVA), which causes premature aging, and ultraviolet-B (UVB), which causes burning.

The Best Sunscreen for Your 30s

You likely know now that UV rays and free radicals cause damage to the skin, leading to a loss of skin elasticity, fine lines, and wrinkles. Haven’t been as consistent with your sunscreen use? That’s okay, it’s not too late to start daily SPF use now, applying it every morning (and reapplying every two hours while continuously outside).

All skin types: Tatcha’s updated Silk Sunscreen features superior protection with broad-spectrum SPF 50, yet has a weightless feel and a sheer, radiant finish. It also has powerhouse ingredients, including niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, and a patented zinc oxide that is proven to be over two times more effective at protecting against free radicals than standard zinc oxide. However, perhaps you're looking for a matte, silky-smooth finish. In that case, grab the Silken Pore Perfecting Sunscreen, which provides broad-spectrum SPF 35 coverage and blends effortlessly and invisibly for a smooth, matte finish. 

Beneficial Add-Ons 

Looking for a few skincare upgrades now that you’re in your 30s? Here are several helpful products and tools that will take a basic 30s skincare routine to the next level.

Masks

Masks offer another opportunity to treat specific skin needs. There is no shortage of options, but in your 30s, you may want to consider customizing your face mask based on your current skincare needs. Like a deeply hydrating sheet mask or one that gently exfoliates and encourages cell turnover. There are many things masks can do for you—not least of which is to provide a reason for 20-30 minutes of downtime. Here are our favorite mask options, based on your desired outcome.

Hydrating: Seeking a deep dose of moisture? Try our unique, coconut-derived, biocellulose Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask, which boosts skin’s moisture content by up to 200 percent in just 15 minutes.* The mask contains a proprietary serum composed of Okinawa Red Algae and natural hyaluronic acid that delivers instant hydration. The result is a hydrated, firmed, and lifted appearance in mere minutes.

Brightening: Looking for an instant soft, dewy glow? Try the beloved Violet-C Radiance Mask. The bestselling brightening mask is gentle enough for sensitive skin but also hydrates, improves skin’s texture and tone, and resurfaces dullness. The creamy treatment features two types of vitamin C (for maximum benefits), 10 percent AHAs (to resurface uneven, dry skin), and our proprietary Hadasei-3 complex (to hydrate and glow). In just 15 to 20 minutes, skin is left brighter, more translucent, and with a radiant glow.

Calming: Looking to calm and hydrate the skin? Grab the bestselling serum-in-moisturizer treatment Indigo Overnight Repair. While the treatment responds best to consistency and is designed for daily use, users can still take advantage of its miraculous redness reducing capabilities with weekly use, too. The Japanese indigo, ceramides, and mondo grass formula visibly calms irritation, strengthens skin’s barrier, and balances the microbiome overnight, but is also helpful when massaged into the skin for a quick treatment. Gently massage in upwards strokes and allow the skin to soak up the potent serum-in-cream for as long as possible before delicately washing it off and admiring your plump, calm, and radiant skin.

Clarifying: Many clay masks address excessive sebum production—but they also tend to absorb much-needed moisture in the skin, too. Try the Clarifying Clay Mask, which both minimizes excess oil and sebum and improves skin’s hydration. The formula uses a clever mix of Okinawa kucha clay, Japanese konjac, and volcanic ash for a pore-changing transformation in minutes. In clinical studies, skin showed an improvement in texture, clarity, appearance of pores, and hydration in just one single use.** Smoother, clearer, and more hydrated skin in just three minutes? Yes, please!

Eye Cream

The best eye creams aren’t just glorified face lotions in a smaller package, but rather, specifically designed for the delicate area, usually with a goal in mind (whether that be addressing fine lines, puffiness, or dark circles). Applying an eye cream both day and night is deeply helpful to maintain the health of your under-eye area and eyelids, which are one of the thinnest areas of skin on your body. This can be a particularly helpful addition to the skincare routine for your 30s as regular use of an eye cream will help keep this area looking firm and elastic over time.

Brightening: Looking for an eye cream that targets multiple types of dark circles, depuffs, and visibly lifts for a well-rested look instantly? (Who isn’t?!) Well, you’ll love Tatcha’s Brightening Eye Cream. The creamy, lightweight, fast-absorbing, and non-sticky formula was designed to absorb instantly and illuminates the eye area with a soft-focus finish while improving concealer application and wear. The clever formula includes a few revolutionary ingredients, including time-released vitamin C (which both extends the potency on skin and lessens the potential for irritation), encapsulated niacinamide, and Japanese plum (cherished for its ability to noticeably brighten and firm skin).

Puffiness: If you’re looking for the best eye cream to reduce puffiness, the Luminous Deep Hydration Firming Eye Serum combines red algae, honeysuckle leaf, and caffeine to diminish fine lines, visibly firm, and moisturize the eye area. Plus, the cooling ceramic applicator and fine dust of 23-karat gold brighten and visibly reduce shadows under the eyes.

Hydration: When in doubt, try our bestselling eye cream, The Silk Peony. The buttery balm melts into the skin, releasing a shield of hydration around the eyes. Formulated with line-smoothing liquid silk and white peony, this eye cream seals in moisture and reduces the look of fine lines.

Loss of Firmness: If you’re looking to address dark circles or a loss of firmness around the eyes, first choose the best eye cream for your needs. Look for products that will boost your skin’s collagen production, which both peptides and Vitamin C have been scientifically proven to accomplish. Try Tatcha’s ​​Ageless Revitalizing Eye Cream, which is packed with antioxidants to protect skin and bring a visibly firmer look to the eye area. Plus, the rich cream has red algae and hyaluronic acid to hydrate the under-eye area.

Face Oil

Face oils seal in moisture, which means they work to keep in all of the prior products and ingredients in your skincare routine. A face oil also targets signs of aging and lends your skin a vibrant glow. As no products can penetrate an oil, they are ideal to be applied at the end of your routine both day and night.

Hydrating: After applying a moisturizer (and before sunscreen during the day), apply two to three drops to the palm of the hand, massage together, and dab onto the face. Try our Gold Camellia Beauty Oil for an instant boost in nourishment. Composed of extra virgin Japanese camellia oil, the formula not only locks in moisture, but also adds instant radiance thanks to the glow of the 23-karat gold flakes in the rich oil. While this product isn’t necessary for all 30s skincare routines, those experiencing more dehydrated skin will adore using this face oil daily. 

While your 30s may sound like a nerve-racking decade when just freshly turning 30, it can be filled with excitement, joy, and love. Be ready for whatever life may hold for you by keeping your skin as healthy and nourished as possible, which starts right at home in your bathroom with your skincare routine. 

*Based on a bio-instrumentation study of 40 panelists.

**Based on an expert grader study conducted on 40 panelists after three applications over one week.