If you're in your 40s, 50s, and beyond, vitamin-packed, collagen-boosting, antioxidant-spiked serums can help with wrinkles and fine lines, as well as skin's firmness and elasticity.
Look for serums that contain:
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and a must for aging skin. Retinol: Practically synonymous with anti-aging, retinol is a powerful stimulant that wakes up skin cells and encourages collagen production. With regular use, skin looks more toned and even.
Two of the most common products used to keep skin in excellent condition are hyaluronic acid and retinol. What should a person use between hyaluronic acid or retinol? Hyaluronic acid is best if they're looking to moisturize dry skin, while retinol works better by encouraging better skin by boosting collagen production.
Some anti-aging creams are meant to brighten skin as well.” Unlike a serum that could potentially dry out or over-exfoliate your skin, depending on the ingredients, a cream is more gentle and can be applied both morning and night.
Vitamin C is a powerful ingredient in many anti-aging products. Some studies show that it can reduce the appearance of wrinkles when you use it for at least 12 weeks. A healthy diet that's high in this nutrient might help, too. Research suggests that people who eat more vitamin C have fewer wrinkles.
Best Overall Anti-Aging Serum: Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum. Best Drugstore Value Anti-Aging Serum: No7 Protect & Perfect Intense ADVANCED Serum Bottle. Best Anti-Aging Serum for Sensitive Skin: L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Serum Ampoules.
Retinoids reduce fine lines and wrinkles by increasing the production of collagen. They also stimulate the production of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves skin color. Additional benefits include fading age spots and softening rough patches of skin.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant and slows the rate of free-radical damage to collagen that can contribute to dry skin, fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects and repairs your skin and can help prevent premature aging of your skin and damage to your DNA.
Good (Skin) Days C's The Day Serum
Vitamin C moisturizers are also becoming more common, Dr. Lamb says, and you'd want to use those at the end of your skin-care routine. And if you're wondering if you can use vitamin C every day, the answer is yes.
Saedi recommends vitamin C serums for people of all ages because virtually everyone is at risk of sun damage, and with vitamin C serums “we are minimizing the amount of sun damage that our skin's getting from sunlight,” she says.
She advises looking for a hydrating serum with any of the big three ingredients, with a primary claim to quench dry and dehydrated skin. However, she notes, “most people can benefit from using a hyaluronic acid serum. A lot of serums on the market are HA-based, or include some form of it.
Ultimately, face serum and moisturizer are both necessary for a holistic skin care routine and to ensure that your skin doesn't dry out during the day. Face serum can't replace moisturizer, and moisturizer doesn't give your skin the extra vitamins and nutrients it needs to succeed and look great for years to come.
If you are applying a Vitamin C serum and hyaluronic acid separately, it's suggested that you apply the Vitamin C first, and then add the hyaluronic acid afterward in order to help fortify the skin barrier and lock in the moisture.
Can You Use Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C Together? Not all powerful skincare ingredients can be mixed, but hyaluronic acid and vitamin C are two that become even stronger when paired with one another. These ingredients can provide both immediate and lasting results when used together in anti-aging formulations.
So you can apply your vitamin C first, let it dry completely, then apply your hyaluronic acid. Just remember to top everything off with a moisturizer—you still want to seal in the HA to lock in the hydration.
Vitamin E can't make your wrinkles disappear or prevent sunburn. But applying products with vitamin E can benefit dry skin. And when consumed in the right amount, vitamin E may also help your skin stand up to environmental stressors from the inside out.
You can combine vitamin C and E serum for application. Extracts of vitamin C and E supplements can also be added to different face packs or kitchen ingredients to fight various skin issues.
Best overall vitamin-C serum
Four of our dermatologists recommend SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, which they (and our editors) hail as the gold-standard vitamin-C serum and is suitable for all skin types.
In general, retinoids are stronger than retinol. They contain a higher concentration of the product, and the molecular structure of vitamin A in this form allows it to turn over skin cells at a faster rate than retinol.
Retinoids work best if you use them daily. Specifically, they should be used at night because some types are deactivated by light and air. It's important to start slowly and allow your skin time to adjust. Using too much too quickly can cause redness, dryness, and irritation.