Your Guide To The Best Anti-Aging Skincare Routine

Published: May 10, 2024

What are your skincare goals? If you're like most people, you want healthy, radiant skin, no matter what your age is. One way to keep your skin youthful and glowing is to adhere to a daily routine composed of anti-aging skin care products. Sounds good, but where do you begin?

While we'd always recommend consulting with a dermatologist for specific issues or targeted concerns, we've compiled an effective anti-aging skincare routine to get you started. Consider this morning skincare routine and nighttime routine a guide to anti-aging skincare and the first building block as you develop a strong foundation for beautiful, fresh and (most importantly) healthy-looking skin.

Whether you're just getting into anti-aging ingredients in your early 20s or looking to treat existing signs of aging on mature skin like an uneven skin tone, wrinkles and fine lines, using basic products like a good moisturizer, sunscreen, retinol, and eye cream is the key to unlocking younger-looking skin. Check out our simple skincare routine for an easy way to keep your skin healthy and prevent common issues as you age.

woman applying anti-aging serum on her face

What is Anti-Aging Skincare?

Anti-aging skincare is an approach to skin care that seeks to produce healthier skin while minimizing the preventable, visible signs of aging. Aging is natural, and many people wear laugh lines and gray hairs with pride. However, some lifestyle habits, like smoking, sun exposure, or a poor diet, make signs of aging even more visible. Anti-aging products aim to reduce these preventable causes of aging, not to entirely reverse the natural aging process.

Skin Concerns as You Age

Cell turnover slows down as you age, it physically changes your skin. Unfortunately, not all of those changes are pleasant, but the right skincare combinations can help minimize the common issues and make aging feel more graceful. Some common skin concerns that crop up as you age include:

Dry skin. Because your oil glands reduce in number as your skin ages, your skin is less oily, making it more prone to dryness.
Wrinkles. Your body's natural collagen production slows as you age, which can cause wrinkles to be more visible. Collagen is the protein that keeps your cells firm and plump. Mature skin, which contains less collagen, is more lax and loose.
Dark spots. Over time, sun exposure causes age spots (also known as sun spots), areas of hyperpigmentation on the skin that appear darker than the rest of your skin. People with darker skin tones are less likely to be affected.

Morning Anti-Aging Skincare Routine

You don't need an arsenal of luxury items or a separate savings account to keep your skin youthful, just the right lineup of effective products. After a good night of beauty sleep, here's our product recommendations for the best anti-aging skincare routine to start your morning off right.

Step 1: Cleanse with a Gentle Cleanser

You may have gone to bed with clean skin, but 8 hours of accumulated skin oil means you're waking up with oily skin. It's time for a little rejuvenation with a gentle facial cleanser.

The right face wash will leave skin optimally balanced, so make sure to pick a cleansing cream that's gentle and non-drying. Wash with cool water in the morning to invigorate your skin for the day.

If you have oily or acne-prone skin, you'll also want to use an alcohol-free toner. Once your skin is clean, apply a small amount of toner on to a cotton ball and gently wipe your face. Making this a necessary part of your anti-aging skincare routine morning and night after cleansing helps remove excess oil and tighten your pores, revealing smoother looking skin.

Step 2: Apply Anti-Aging Serums for Brighter Skin

After your cleansing routine, it's time to give your skin the specialized anti-aging attention it craves with anti-aging serums. We'd recommend either a vitamin C serum or a hyaluronic acid serum. A vitamin C serum is an anti-aging powerhouse—not only does it help treat and prevent wrinkles, but this concentrate also helps to improve the appearance of dark spots, uneven skin tone, and enlarged pores.

Vitamin C is also so important for protecting your skin against free radical damage also known as oxidative stress. Your complexion will look brighter, more radiant and more even after your vitamin C treatment.

For targeted and prolonged hydration, a hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid is a great choice. Since dehydration is a major factor causing skin to look older (as if you need more motivation to drink plenty of water), adequate moisturization is key to any daily routine. Hyaluronic acid locks in moisture while providing instant plumpness that reduces fine lines and dull skin.

When applying any anti-aging serum, be sure to pat (don't rub) it into your skin.

Step 3: Add a Few Drops of Face Oil

Sometimes your skin needs a little extra boost of targeted nourishment, especially during the colder months. Enter a hydrating face oil. Simply apply a few drops of moisturizing face oil, such as tulsi oil, after your serums as needed for natural hydration. Tulsi (or “Holy Basil”) is an Indian herb known to restore moisture and add antioxidant protection. This key ingredient also has adaptogenic properties, meaning it helps to safeguard your body against the effects of stress, eliminating toxins and inflammation in the skin.

Step 4: Perform an Eye Treatment

Most people focus on an anti-aging skincare routine that targets the face, but delicate areas such as your neck, hands, and eyes are also very susceptible to early signs of aging. Kick fine lines to the curb by applying a caffeine eye cream as a part of your morning skincare routine. A moisturizing eye cream works to fight common eye area issues like crow's feet, puffiness, and dark circles, gently lifting the delicate skin around your eyes with a light texture.

To use, apply a small amount of the eye cream under your eyes and on the eyelids and gently tap until completely absorbed. For anyone who spends a lot of time working in front of a computer screen, try applying some eye cream as a midday pick-me-up to fight eye strain and fatigue. A formula with caffeine will provide your eye area with the extra boost it needs to shrink blood vessels and reduce puffiness at the perfect time.

Step 5: Add Daily Moisturizer to Minimize Visible Signs of Aging

Next, one of the most important steps in any skincare routine—moisturizing. A peptide cream is a powerful product to address your skin concerns, it helps to smooth fine lines, firm skin, and reduce moisture loss; as such, it's a key part of your morning skincare routine.

To use, apply the moisturizer to your face and neck after any serums and cleansers. Start from the center and massage outwards. If you can find a little extra time in the morning, use this opportunity as an ideal time to treat yourself to a mini facial massage. There's no easier way to guarantee a good day than a little at-home spa treatment.

Step 6: Finish with Sunscreen to Prevent Sun Damage

You don't need to have a 5-hour beach day ahead of you to justify applying some SPF. Regardless of the time of year, sunscreen has many anti-aging benefits. For example, exposure to UVA and UVB rays can mean sun damage, which is one of the main culprits of premature signs of aging like dark spots and uneven skin texture. To ensure your skin is protected against the elements, apply a lightweight formula of facial sunscreen after your moisturizer.

If you're someone who uses foundation after your skincare routine, it can also be beneficial to look for one that has SPF protection built-in—in the off chance you forget to apply your sunscreen during the skincare steps, you know your face is protected.

Evening Anti-Aging Skincare Routine

You may have left the house with glowing, beautiful skin, but exposure to pollutants, harsh weather, and the build-up of natural oils throughout the day mean that it's time to do a revised version of your morning anti-aging skincare routine. Having a nighttime skincare ritual not only ensures that your skin will be hitting the pillow clean and refreshed, but it also creates a relaxing and pampering wind-down routine at the end of the day.

While we'll be adding some new anti-aging tools into the mix, most of the products you'll use for your nighttime routine will be the same as those in your morning routine—a trick which makes your routine easy to remember and less of an investment.

Step 1: Cleanse with Warm Water

Ready to remove a day's worth of oil build-up, makeup, and pollution? Start off your nighttime skincare routine by washing your face with a gentle cleanser. Apply a cleansing cream with lukewarm water to your skin, massaging in a circular motion until you've created a gentle foam. While cool water helps to revitalize you in the morning, warm water is a soothing way to unwind at night while taking care of your skin.

Just like in the morning, those with oily or acne-prone skin should follow their cream cleanser with alcohol-free toner to restore the optimal balance of their skin. If you wear a lot of makeup during the day or if your skin feels a little grimier than usual, it might be necessary to double cleanse before moving onto the next step.

Step 2: Exfoliate For Radiant Skin

Now that your skin is prepped, it's time for an even deeper clean. Aging slows down cellular turnover, which means your skin can't be replenished as quickly as it once was. Slower cellular turnover can result in a buildup of dead skin cells, which makes your complexion look uneven, dull, and dry. As well as physical exfoliants, AHAs and BHAs (Alpha hydroxy acids and beta hydroxy acids) are powerful exfoliators that can be used to slough off these dead cells. Exfoliating gently removes pollutants and dead skin cells, leaving you with a brighter and more youthful-looking complexion.

Exfoliating a few times per week (consider alternating salicylic acid and glycolic acid if you prefer chemical exfoliation) not only helps to unclog pores and even out your skin tone, but it also primes your skin to better absorb any serums or moisturizers you'll be adding after. Gently massage the exfoliant into your skin, making sure to avoid the delicate eye area. If you have sensitive skin, you may need to reduce the frequency of exfoliation.

Step 3: Apply Hyaluronic Acid or Retinol to Prevent Moisture Loss Overnight

Hyaluronic acid serum keeps your skin moisturized and plump during the day, so add on another layer before taking your beauty sleep. Add a few drops to your face and neck after cleansing, concentrating the serum in areas where you have the most noticeable fine lines and wrinkles, and gently pat it into your skin until it's completely absorbed.

If you're looking for a more in-depth anti-aging routine, layering on a natural retinol serum is an absolute must to boost collagen production. Retinol is a potent active ingredient recommended to visibly fight wrinkles and correct signs of aging while also improving the firmness of the skin. This concentrated retinol booster from /skin regimen/ combines different vitamins and extracts for the most intensive, results-driven experience possible. Tissue regeneration is stimulated, while the effects of aging and stress are counteracted.

After cleansing, apply a few drops of retinol serum to your neck and face, patting it into your skin for maximum absorption. It's important to note that retinol serum should be applied at night for a few reasons: it increases your skin's sensitivity to UV rays, and sunlight itself can decrease the effectiveness of the product. Additionally, in the off chance that you went a little heavy on the sun exposure during the day, retinol is actually a great treatment to help renew skin after sun damage.

Step 4: Add an Anti-Aging Eye Cream

Anti-aging eye cream is just as important in the evening as it is during your morning skincare routine. Show your eyes some love (and fight the signs of aging) after a day spent looking at blue light, squinting to see things far away, or being exposed to environmental pollutants. Feel free to use a separate eye cream with night-specific formula, or use the same eye cream you use for your morning routine. Application is the same—pat the cream or eye serum under your eyes and directly on your eyelids until completely absorbed.

Step 5: Finish with Night Cream/Overnight Mask to Repair Skin Damage

Overly dry skin also tends to age faster, and since sebum production decreases with age, a daily moisturizer or night cream is a must. Make sure you're sticking to a proper moisturizing routine in the morning and at night to prevent premature skin aging. Instead of your usual moisturizer, swap in a night moisturizer—this will give your skin an extra boost of moisture while helping to further protect your skin barrier from outside stressors and signs of aging. What's better than waking up to more beautiful skin?

Anti-Aging Skincare is One Building Block of a Healthy Lifestyle

Even though it can be hard to find extra time to dedicate to yourself during the day, making an anti-aging skincare routine is a necessary part of your daily schedule. The combined power of cleanser, toners, anti-aging serums, retinol, eye cream, sunscreen, and moisturizer help to both nourish your skin with nutrients and moisture while also fighting visible signs of aging and protecting against future environmental damage.

Take care of yourself from the inside out: stay hydrated, get enough sleep, fuel your body with delicious and nutritious foods, and take care of your skin with an anti-aging skincare routine. By prioritizing a healthy lifestyle, you'll be well on your way to beautiful and younger-looking skin, no matter your age.