We Talked to Experts to Find 75 Anti-Aging Skin-Care Rules
Photo-Illustration: The Strategist; Photos: Retailers
Welcome to Wrinkles Week on the Strategist, where we’re deeply vetting skin-care solutions for anyone who’s looking to smooth fine lines and wrinkles (or prevent them showing up in the first place). For more, head to our Wrinkles Week hub.
It’s the end of Wrinkles Week, a whole week dedicated to treating the fine lines and chin pimples of middle age. It’s been five days of stories on everything from the differences between a $300 and a $1,000 LED face mask and a $100 and a $15 anti-aging moisturizer to the essentials for midlife skin issues (for someone who’s on a GLP-1, someone who’s a new mom, and so on). And with the Strategist beauty team’s trademark vetting, we’ve answered questions like: Should I be doing face yoga? And: Is there anything we can do about our necks? As senior editor Crystal Martin, who led our coverage, says, “My goal for this week is for you to walk away feeling ready to pick your skin-care path — whether that’s a full-tilt, more-is-more approach or keeping it cute with a nice, simple moisturizer.” And with that in mind, we’ve put together a list of all the best anti-aging tips we’ve learned along the way. Think of it as a cheat sheet, if you haven’t yet caught up on your reading the Strategist site this week.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
“With this, you get the brightening effects of lactic acid in addition to the anti-aging effect of retinol,” says dermatologist Dr. Samer Jaber.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
“I know it’s scary to look in a five-, seven-, ten-times magnifying mirror, but the scarier it is, the better your makeup will look. Because it shows every little mistake you may be making,” says Laura Geller. Half the price of our Best in Class Simplehuman Sensor Mirror Trio is the Simplehuman Sensor Mirror.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It’s the formula dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry recommends to patients who hate sunscreen. “It really blends beautifully on any skin type. It’s not very thick; it’s not chalky. It’s super-lightweight, not sticky and tacky,” Henry tells us.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It takes more time to see results, but it’s much gentler. Experts we spoke to have recommended Herbivore’s serum on multiple occasions.
A good rule of thumb, according to our beauty writer, Tembe Denton-Hurst: “If you’re using a retinol four times a week on your face, you might use it twice on your neck.”
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
The easiest way to incorporate them into a skin-care routine might be in the form of a moisturizer like Allies of Skin’s Peptides & Antioxidants Advanced Firming Daily Treatment.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Morgan Kennedy uses this Outdoor Research one even in the summer, because it’s cooling and comfortable.
Red light: 620–750 nanometers (to stimulate collagen production and repair and reduce inflammation)
Blue light: 450–495 nanometers (for acne)
Near infrared: 750–1,400 nanometers (for deep-tissue healing)
Far infrared: 3,000 nanometers–1 millimeter (for detoxing and circulation)
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It smooths under the eyes in a way that Kramer Kaye compares to egg whites: Imagine how they dry on your skin and tighten it.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
“Most people with these conditions know to moisturize, but cleansers are where they get in trouble and use too much oil-stripping detergent,” says dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
The hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and peptides will help with how drying benzoyl peroxide can be.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It contains adapalene, an FDA-approved retinoid that you don’t need a prescription for.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It has a similar technology that allows the humectant to penetrate to different lives of the skin (translating to more thorough hydration).
She learned about them from her facialist. “The Hydraflora feels more healing, while the Loretta is more moisturizing,” Viera-Newton says. “I pick depending on what my skin needs.”
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
“It’s genuinely hydrating enough to use on its own, but if my skin feels really dry, I’ll moisturize on top,” she explains.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
If she could go back in time, she would try “prioritizing sleep, mindful practices, and nutrition” in her 20s and 30s.
The exercises and poses can also help improve circulation and lymphatic drainage, which can help de-puff the face, according to certified face yoga teacher Tina Scholl.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
The serums are hard to formulate and stabilize, so a good one will generally run you over $100. Our favorite is the Skinceuticals C E Ferulic.
Look for an inexpensive drugstore formulation since many are still full of ingredients like hyaluronic acid, peptides, and ceramides.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It diminishes fine lines and wrinkles while also providing hydration.
They’re an often-forgotten way to protect your eye area from sun damage, says dermatologist Dr. Anna Karp.
Hayes says it’s best if it comes in a dark or opaque bottle or in an airtight container since it’s a notoriously unstable ingredient.
All it really means is a product contains clinically tested ingredients and can guarantee a bit more efficacy over the counter, says Pariso.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
It helps prevent your face from being squished, which can lead to wrinkles, says dermatologist Dr. Jessie Cheung.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
She prefers liquid liposome formulas, like this one.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Luzern’s Creme Luxe includes fermented peptides, enzymes, and antioxidants, so its vitamin C is more effective in the skin.
This ensures they don’t have any sulfates, parabens, silicones, phthalates, or synthetic fragrances.
Koestline says they help maintain the skin barrier while removing makeup and dirt without drying you out.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Ideal for the person who needs to show off their nail-art manicures.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
So every time after you wash your hands, get in the habit of dabbing a little bit. Don’t forget to rub it into your cuticles.
Two cheap options: Neutrogena Norwegian Hand Cream and O’Keeffe’s Working Hands.
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off?
Success! You’ll get an email when something you’ve saved goes on sale.
Yes
See All
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
link
