In this article:
Best ingredients for wrinkles
Best ingredients for sagging skin
Best ingredients for dark spots, uneven tone and dull skin
Best ingredients for rough, bumpy skin
Navigating the world of anti-ageing skin care can be a challenge. Not only is the sheer volume of anti-ageing products available intimidating, but you also have to determine which ingredients you should look for when shopping. In essence, curating your anti-ageing skin care routine can be incredibly frustrating.
Adding to the confusion is that most equate anti-ageing skin care to preventing and treating wrinkles. Although that’s a large part of anti-ageing, there are other signs of visible ageing – both caused by intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (environmental) factors - that skin care products should address specifically (1). These include skin laxity, areas of uneven tone, rough, bumpy texture and enlarged, misshapen pores. Some of these issues may be troubling you now, and some may not show up until years later.
Worry not! We have a straightforward guide to help you find the science-backed anti-ageing ingredients you’ll need to address all your current and future anti-ageing concerns, and even better – all of them are good for improving overall skin health, too.
Best ingredients for wrinkles
Wrinkles are the number one concern for most people because they’re one of the first signs of ageing to appear on our faces. This is due in part to the fact that our faces come up against pro-ageing threats daily. For example, this part of the body receives more sun exposure than the rest of our bodies (2). Beyond this, our repeated facial expressions can lead to lines over time, too.
Wrinkles are a normal part of ageing; however, if you want to lessen the look of your wrinkles – or want to help stave off their appearance – here are the best anti-wrinkles skin care ingredients to focus on in your anti-ageing skin care:
- Sunscreen active ingredients – these include the mineral filters titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, and synthetic filters including homosalate and octocrylene. Sun damage is the leading cause of wrinkles, so anything you can do to prevent it is invaluable (3). Note: sun damage doesn’t just cause wrinkles. It’s a culprit in the other ageing skin concerns we’ll get to later, so remember – sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen!
- Retinol and retinoids - vitamin A (retinol) and its derivatives (retinoids) are powerhouses when it comes to wrinkle fighting. This is because they work with skin to encourage cell turnover and behave in a healthy manner, which is critical because as we age cell turnover slows down.
- Peptides - these amino acids - essentially fragments of proteins (such as the proteins collagen and elastin) - specifically target key factors in ageing and “teach” skin to look firmer and feel more resilient.
Best ingredients for sagging skin
Sagging skin isn’t usually an initial sign of ageing but becomes increasingly apparent as time progresses. Skin laxity is the result of several factors but is most often caused due to certain, vital substances in skin depleting as we age and menopause-related hormone changes (4, 5).
If you are seeing very noticeable signs of skin sagging, laxity or crepiness, we must be honest: you won’t see drastic improvement without the help of cosmetic procedures. That said, there are ingredients that can mitigate these effects and even help prevent some sagging by visibly tightening skin. They include:
- Peptides – in addition to the benefits listed above, studies show certain peptides can support healthy levels of collagen and elastin, which our body makes less of as we age (6). This can result in a firmer look and feel for skin. Anti-ageing peptide moisturisers can help provide skin this vital ingredient.
- Phytoestrogens - these plant-based estrogens can bind with receptors in skin and positively influence skin’s collagen, resulting in increased elasticity (7, 8). Some examples of phytoestrogens to look for on skin labels include genistein, daidzein, equol and resveratrol.
- Ceramides - lipids that make up 50% of skin’s moisture barrier and play a crucial role in its health, specifically with regards to hydration (9). Using products loaded with ceramides restores and shores up skin’s barrier for a firmer, smoother look.
Best ingredients for dark spots, uneven tone and dull skin
Dark spots, discolourations and uneven tone often appear as we age due to the cumulative environmental damage that pro-ageing factors, like UV rays, blue light and pollution exposure, inflict upon skin.
The truth is, even the most diligent skin care lovers have had one or two instances where they weren’t prepared for the onslaught of UVA and UVB rays that the sun provides or weren’t ready for the skin-damaging external agents that comes alongside pollution.
Most of us have some degree of environmental and sun damage on our skin, and even if it isn’t visible initially it often rears its head as we age in the form of dark spots, brown, dusky or rusty patches of skin, uneven tone and dullness. Using sunscreen every single day helps prevent this damage, but if you’re already seeing the signs, here are some ingredients that can help promote brightness, even tone and fade dark spots:
- Vitamin C - this superstar ingredient is the most abundant vitamin in our skin and a powerhouse when it comes to improving tone, brightening skin and tackling dark spots. In addition to fighting off oxidative stress that’s the culprit behind multiple signs of ageing, vitamin C in particular is valuable because of its ability to reduce the appearance of dark spots (10). Many of this ingredient’s derivatives are super at accomplishing this as well, most notably tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and ascorbyl glucoside.
- Glutathione - naturally present in skin, glutathione is a peptide antioxidant that defends skin from environmental stressors, but – not surprisingly – depletes as we age. Glutathione also helps reduce the appearance of dark spots and over time its topical use results in brighter skin and fewer dark or dusky patches (11).
- Azelaic acid – this antioxidant and gentle exfoliant works wonders for improving tone and improving brightness. Even better, it can help improve the look of breakout-caused discolourations (also known as post-blemish marks).
These are some of the main ingredients to add to your arsenal when improving the look of discolourations and dullness, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list. If you’re look for more information, read our guide to diminishing uneven tone.
Best ingredients for rough, bumpy skin
For many people, ageing can also involve a notable change in skin texture. It can be that skin’s lost its previous smoothness or that bumps unrelated to blemishes now appear across the face. Alongside this, pores can become enlarged and lead to an appearance known as orange peel skin.
Thankfully, there are some ingredients that can help promote a smooth texture and refine pores:
- Niacinamide – this is the #1 ingredient when it comes to helping resolve textural and pore-related issues in ageing skin (12). Niacinamide is unique in that it helps improve the actual shape of pores through regulating how oil moves through the pore lining. Bonus: niacinamide also improves overall skin tone for a brighter look.
- Retinoids – we touched on this earlier, but retinol and retinoids are so effective in treating multiple signs of ageing because they are cell communicators (13). Our skin converts retinol and retinoids into retinoic acid, which then commands skin to complete certain tasks to behave in a healthy manner. One of the results of this process is smoother skin with pores that retain their normal size and shape.
One final note: for every single one of the above skin concerns, regular exfoliation with a well-formulated AHA or BHA exfoliant is essential. AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic acid and lactic acid) and BHA (beta hydroxy acid AKA salicylic acid) will help skin shed dead cells as it did naturally when it was younger – and anything you can do to help restore skin to its normal function will yield anti-ageing benefits that you can both see and feel! Use leave-on exfoliants in your daily routine for maximum results.
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References for this information:
- Scientific Reports, November 2021, pages 1–13
- Electronics, February 2021, pages 1–22
- Exploratory Research and Hypothesis in Medicine, December 2022, pages 269-279
- Aesthetic Surgery Journal, September 2021, pages 1-8
- Menopause, March 2022, pages 344-350
- Journal of Functional Foods, August 2021, pages 1–9
- Molecules, November 2022, pages 1–13
- Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, February 2019, page 495-499
- Bioscience, Biotechnology & Biochemistry, September 2022, pages 1,240-1,246
- Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, May-August 2020, pages 375-382
- Bioscience Reports, May 2021, pages 1-12
- Antioxidants, March 2024, pages 1-18
- Skin Research & Technology, July 2022, pages 604-613
