If you prefer to apply skincare products at night, then go with Geologie’s Night Cream. I love this product because it’s available with three concentrations of retinol—0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%. You can start with the lower concentration in your 30s, and as your body gets used to the formula, you can increase the concentration for improved results. In addition to retinol, this moisturizer also contains niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.
The Best Upgrade Wrinkle Cream: Skinceuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced
One of the newest products in this guide, this award-winning Skinceuticals anti-wrinkle cream does more than moisturize. It supports your body’s elastin and collagen production, which means it can fight wrinkles at the source. It also contains more proven anti-aging ingredients such as niacinamide and licorice extract. While it’s a pricey balm, it’s worth it if you’re fighting deep wrinkles. This is a good option if you don’t tolerate retinol, although it would be a good complement to a retinol moisturizer, too.
The Custom Moisturizer: Prose Custom Moisturizer
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Timothy Beck Werth
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Timothy Beck Werth
Prose takes customization seriously. For instance, the brand might add extra UV protection to your products based on your sensitivity, location, and the season. I recently tested the brand’s new custom skincare regimen, and I actually liked it more than the famous Prose hair products. The vegan formula I received contains moisturizers such as glycerin and squalene, as well as anti-aging ingredients such as red algae, amino acids, and niacinamide. I normally prefer fragrance-free products, but I love the scent of this gel-like moisturizer, which is non oily. Like all of the best anti-aging moisturizers, it’s also cruelty-, phthalate-, and paraben-free.
The Best Budget Wrinkle Cream: RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream
RoC
Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream
Need a concentrated dose of anti-aging ingredients in an affordable package? Not only does this wrinkle night cream contain retinol to fight wrinkles, but it also contains exfoliating glycolic acid to help with dark spots and other signs of aging. Additional moisture comes from squalane and shea butter. Suitable for men and women, we recommend saving this product for deep wrinkles.
The Best Easy-to-Absorb Wrinkle Cream: Kiehl’s Age Defender Cream Moisturizer
Kiehl’s
Age Defender Cream Moisturizer
Kiehl’s anti-aging moisturizer for men contains two potent ingredients: salicylic acid and caffeine. The former is a powerful exfoliating agent, useful for more than just acne, and the latter helps to energize the sensitive skin under the eyes, just like your favorite eye cream. It also has additional botanicals and moisturizers and a subtle, masculine fragrance. The whipped-cream like texture is soft to the touch and absorbs quickly.
More Wrinkle Creams We Love
What to Look for in a Wrinkle Cream
If you’re fighting wrinkles, it’s all about retinol, retinol, retinol. But what other ingredients will help give your skin a glow-up?
“Retinol is probably the most studied ingredient over time for all the signs of aging,” Dr. Shah says. “Niacinamide is a great ingredient for this…Exfoliating acids like glycolic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, salicylic acid, can all be beneficial.”
With anti-aging products, you also need to manage expectations and practice patience. While some of the best wrinkle creams can provide near-instant plumping and firming effects, long-term results take time. That’s because the skin cells in your face take months to fully turn over. “So when you see a product that says, like, results in 24 hours, that’s generally just due to the moisturizing effect. It’s not really a long-term effect on your collagen or elastin,” Dr. Shah says. “With texture, you should see an improvement in texture in like, two weeks. If you’re talking about dark spots, discoloration, uneven skin tone that you see with aging skin, give it a month, six weeks. Anything like fine lines, wrinkles, you gotta give it at least three months, and probably a lot of times six months, to see results, quite honestly. And, if you think about it, how long did it take you to form wrinkles? A decade for you to develop wrinkles? And so it does take time, just like exercising, to kind of reverse those things.”
