The Best Anti-ageing Skincare Products

Consider this is your guide to all things anti-ageing in skincare. We answer your most-asked questions and share the best anti-ageing creams and products on the market.

As Dr Michele Squire, a PhD-qualified scientist and founder of personal skincare coaching business Qr8 pointed out in JONES, ageing well is a long game. As she puts it, “What you do in your thirties will pay off in your fifties (and beyond), but people are too often looking for short-term solutions and fixes.” For Skinimalist’s like Friend Of David Jones, Lucy Feagins founder and editor of The Design Files, ageing well begins with fewer products that are more intention-focused. Think investment skincare and hard-working formulas that deliver visible results while prepping your skin for the future.

When it comes to building an effective anti-aging routine, there’s a lot of information out there to sift through. That’s why we’ve created the ultimate guide to anti-ageing skincare. Here, we answer your most-asked questions, including when to start using anti-ageing products and what is the best anti-ageing peptide. Of course, the guide wouldn’t be complete without a comprehensive list of the best anti-ageing creams and products on the market.

When you’re ready to build out an effective anti-ageing routine, step one is understanding what makes a formula ‘game-changing’. From high-performance retinol to the regenerating power of rose sap, there are a few key ingredients that truly make an impact. Below, we share some of the most effective anti-ageing skincare products on the market to get you started.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there about when to start using anti-ageing products. Unsurprisingly, it’s one of the most commonly asked questions related to the topic of anti-ageing.

First, let’s explore what actually happens to your skin as you move through life. As we age, the collagen production in our skin decreases. Collagen is essentially the protein that keeps your skin elastic and ‘springy’. So, as collagen production decreases, our skin loses elasticity which results in visible signs of ageing like fine lines. Changes to our hormones and immune and repair systems can also impact the appearance of our skin. The longer we grace the earth, the more our skin has been exposed to the elements. So, things like sun damage, smoking, diet, and pollution can all play a part in the ageing of our skin. 

If you’re wondering if you can use anti-ageing products at 18, the answer is yes — but that’s not to say it’s necessary to invest in heavy-duty creams and serums (yet). Pre-twenty, the best anti-ageing product you can use is sunscreen. You’ve heard it all before, but sun damage is one of the major factors contributing to ageing skin. Overexposure to UV can cause hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and sunspots. You’re never too young to start using sunscreen, so be sure to add it to your regimen every single day to minimise your risk of skin cancer and premature ageing. Ensure you’re opting for an SPF30 or 50+ product for maximum protection. 

In your twenties, it’s a good idea to add an antioxidant to the mix. Antioxidants will provide your skin with a protective barrier against free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that damage our skin by weakening the cells and tissues, causing sagging skin, dark spots, and wrinkles. Free radicals are produced naturally by our bodies and are also found in foods, alcohol, air pollution, tobacco smoke, and pesticides. So, while we can’t avoid them we can help to minimise their effects on our skin. Antioxidants help to prevent free radicals from snatching up electrons and damaging our skin. They also help to boost collagen production. Antioxidant skincare products containing vitamins A, C, and E can help to protect your skin from free radical damage and therefore prevent signs of ageing. 

In your late twenties and early thirties, it’s time to start implementing anti-aging creams and serums into your skincare routine. This is where your retinol products, eye creams, oil and dark spot serums come into play. 

If you’re wondering whether anti-aging creams are effective, you’re not alone. The efficacy of anti-ageing products is often called into question, largely due to the too-good-to-be-true claims made by many products on the market. There’s no evidence to suggest that anti-ageing creams can drastically reverse the signs of aging. However, as mentioned, they play a significant role in preventing damage from occurring in the first place and improving the elasticity, complexion, texture and tone of ageing skin. The experts note that these changes won’t happen overnight. It can take at least four to eight weeks of consistent daily to notice any real change to the skin. So, patience is key here — we’re in it for the long haul. As for the best anti-ageing creams? You’ll want to invest in retinol and antioxidant-based products, and hydrating moisturisers. These are some of our favourites:

Anti-ageing facials are non-invasive treatments that work to promote collagen production and increase elasticity in the skin. They also focus on improving hydration, reducing discolouration, lightening hyperpigmentation, and exfoliating the skin’s surface. Anti-ageing facials can help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as protect the skin from future damage. Let’s take a look at the different types of anti-ageing facials. 

• Collagen facials help to boost collagen production and stores within the skin. They often contain retinol, which prevents collagen from breaking down. 
• Hydrating facials focus on helping the skin to retain moisture by rehydrating dried and dull skin.
• Exfoliating facials remove dead skin cells from the surface layer of the skin. They also promote cell turnover, boost collagen levels, and stimulate blood flow, which creates a brighter complexion. Some exfoliating facials are mechanical, meaning they use scrubs and brushing tools, while others are chemical, using peels to dissolve the top layer of the skin. 
• Microdermabrasion facials are mechanical exfoliators that work deep into the outer layer of the skin. They help the skin grow a new top layer, and reduce fine line, wrinkles, and enlarged pores.
• Light therapy facials use LED lights to emit heat onto damaged skin. This stimulates cell turnover and boosts collagen production.

These treatments are most effective when used in conjunction with other anti-ageing skincare products, so keep up your at-home skincare regime too.

If you’ve dabbled in the world of anti-ageing skincare, you’ve likely come across the term peptides. So, what are peptides and how do they help with anti-ageing? Peptides are essentially made up of amino acid chains, which are small proteins in our skin. Peptides are used as an ingredient to help plump, smooth, and repair our skin, as well as stimulate collagen production and improve elasticity. There are actually a number of different peptides, and they work in slightly different ways. While they all work to clear the skin of dead cells and stimulate collagen production, each individual peptide does so in a different way. It can be helpful to understand how each type of peptide works, so you’ll know which ones to look for on product ingredient lists. A study looking into the efficacy of cosmetic peptides breaks them down into five categories:

These are the most common peptides used in cosmetic products. They help to maximise collagen in the skin by boosting production and signalling to the skin cells to stop breaking down collagen. There are many signalling peptides, including palmitoyl tripeptides and palmitoyl hexapeptides, carnosine and N-acetylcarnosine, trifluoriacetyl tipeptide-2, and tetrapeptides, including tetrapeptide-21 and tetrapeptide TKEK.

These peptides ‘link up’ with other ingredients, before being delivered to the skin cells. They most commonly link up with copper, which aids wound healing. You’ll likely see carrier peptides listed under the names of copper peptides, or manganese tripeptide-1. 

Structural keratin peptides reduce dryness and skin dehydration by improving the skin barrier’s ability to retain moisture. This gives the skin a fuller and more plump appearance. These peptides include keratin peptides and wool lipids. 

Enzyme inhibitor peptides work by limiting the activity involved in breaking down skin proteins, including collagen. They will be listed as silk fibroin peptides, soybean peptides, and rice peptides.

These peptides decrease fine lines by inhibiting the release of the transmitter that causes your facial muscles to contract. In other words, it relaxes your muscles. These peptides go by the names of pentapeptides, including pentapeptide-3 and pentapeptide-18, Tripeptide-3, and acetylhexapeptide-3.

The research on the efficacy of peptide skincare products are limited. Most studies have been small-scale, so no major conclusions have been drawn about their effectiveness. However, anecdotal evidence has shown they have been effective in increasing hydration, which reduces the appearance of fine lines. More research is needed to extensively assess the effectiveness of peptides for the skin. 

Now that you’re acquainted with all things anti-ageing peptides, products, and facials, you can begin your skincare journey with confidence. Discover an exclusive range of anti-ageing skincare products from the leading brands in the industry. Explore everything from the best anti-ageing creams to protective sunscreens.