Naysayers may tell you that skin “gets worse” as you get older, but we’re here to kick that archaic notion to the curb. Your complexion can look healthy and radiant at any age, as long as you treat it right. In addition to sunscreen, which you should be slathering on daily (yes, even if you’re indoors), there are various ingredients you can incorporate into your routine to equip your skin with the nutrients it needs to look and feel its best. And that goes for whether you’re 15 or 50. To cut through the dizzying array of products out there, we collaborated with our friends at Sephora to help streamline the shopping process for you. Below, five shelf-worthy skin-care products that will make your skin look and feel amazing at any age.
Your teens and beyond
Sephora Collection Pores Target Serum — Brand-new to shelves, this lightweight serum is a foolproof option for teens with oily, combination, and breakout-prone skin. It’s packed with pore-targeting ingredients — including BHAs and PHAs — that work to reduce excess sebum that causes pimples. As board-certified dermatologist Robert Finney explains: “Both BHAs and PHAs help to exfoliate skin cells, which aid in visibly reducing clogged pores and breakouts and in turn make your skin look tighter.” Additionally, PHAs have humectant properties, which aids in keeping skin hydrated as well as soothing any existing breakouts. With consistent use, this powerful serum will make your complexion look smoother, brighter, and more even-toned. That, and it’ll keep pesky blemishes at bay.
Your 20s and beyond
Fresh Lotus Anti-Aging Night Moisturizer — Inside this pretty blue tub, you’ll find a gamut of good-for-you ingredients that’ll help your skin recover overnight. In addition to hydrators like glycerin and shea butter, it features lotus flower, which offers an array of impressive skin-boosting benefits, according to experts. “Lotus flower can help moisturize the skin and also contains antioxidants to help protect against free radical damage,” says board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick.
Backing her up, Finney adds: “Lotus flower extract has antioxidant and UV-protective properties, which can help reduce the look of dark spots caused by the sun.” Prevention is still the name of the game when it comes to skin care in your 20s, so needless to say, this one is a great option to add to your arsenal.
Your 30s and beyond
Caudalie Vinoperfect Anti Dark Spot Serum — This ultra hydrating elixir will combat dullness and help your skin look more radiant over time. That’s thanks to ingredients like olive squalane and the brand’s patented Viniferine complex, which has shown to be a whopping 62% more effective at fading discoloration than vitamin C. “Squalane serves as a moisturizer for the skin by stimulating the body’s natural sebum production,” says Garshick. “And because it also works as an antioxidant, it can help to protect against blue light and free radical damage, improving the appearance of dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles.”
Squalane is especially great to use in your 30s, because as Garshick notes, we lose some of our body’s natural oils as we age, which can lead to increased dryness and wrinkles. If you’re diligent about applying this serum daily, you’ll start to notice the look of your sunspots fade and your skin become increasingly more radiant.
Your 40s and beyond
Youth To The People Superclay Purify + Clear Power Mask — As you get into your 40s, you’ll want to focus on hydrating and protecting the skin as much as possible, as well as minimizing the look of any existing fine lines and discoloration from sun damage over the years. Enter this brand-new face mask from Youth To The People, which contains a powerhouse combination of ingredients that offer multiple different benefits for maturing skin. In addition to two types of clay — kaolin and bentonite — it also features workhorses like salicylic acid, niacinamide, kombucha, and safflower oil.
“BHAs such as salicylic acid help to tighten the look of pores by serving as an exfoliant while also stimulating collagen production, and niacinamide aids in soothing and strengthening the skin barrier,” says Garshick. As for kombucha, it’s amazing for staving off signs of aging, according to Garshick, because it contains probiotics and vitamins like B1, B6, B12, and C. “Together, they help to support the skin barrier and provide antioxidant benefits to protect the skin against oxidative damage that leads to signs of aging.”
Your 50s and beyond
Farmacy Filling Good Hyaluronic Acid Plumping Serum — Skin care in your 50s is all about preventing additional future damage (not the time to skimp on sunscreen!) and nurturing your complexion with gentle, hydrating products that help to visibly plump, smooth, and firm. This hot-off-the-press HA serum from Farmacy aids in doing exactly that. On top of full-spectrum hyaluronic acid, it also contains wrinkle-smoothing vegan peptides as well as encapsulated thyme extract, which is a powerful active that helps to visibly soften crow’s feet and smile lines.
“As we age, our natural levels of hyaluronic acid decrease, which can leave the skin feeling dry and looking dull, so using hyaluronic acid can help to plump the skin and replenish moisture, which improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,” says Garshick. “Peptides are also great to include in your 50s, as this is when we really start to see the effects of sagging; they help support collagen and elastin and strengthen and tighten the appearance of skin.”
Shop more skin-care products for every age at Sephora.
