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Investing in a high-quality anti-aging serum is a good idea no matter your skin type. It can help with a number of skin concerns, from fighting wrinkles and fine lines to boosting collagen and smoothing out overall texture. Picking one can be tricky, though, since the market’s so saturated with products claiming to do all of that and more. Powerhouse ingredients to look out for include retinol or bakuchiol (read up on the gentler anti-aging active in my bakuchiol explainer), antioxidants like vitamin C, peptides, and hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and niacinamide.
Before diving into the products, the experts I spoke to had a couple words of advice. First, don’t overload your skin since it could cause more harm than good. That’s why Dr. Heidi Prather of Westlake Dermatology in Austin recommends picking an efficient multitasker, as opposed to layering on multiple anti-aging serums. Next, start at a low percentage — especially when it comes to common irritating ingredients like retinol and vitamin C — and work your way up gradually. And lastly, consistency and patience are essential. “These actives are not immediate solutions, so you do have to be invested into using them over a prolonged period of time,” says Manessa Lormejuste, a beauty scientist and product developer. “Sometimes you’re not going to see results until four weeks. Sometimes it’s eight weeks. It could even be 12. A lot of times, that usage is communicated by the brand, though, because it’s how they do their clinical testing.”
To find some of the very best anti-aging serums out there, I spoke to Lormejuste, Dr. Prather and three other dermatologists and scoured our archive of beauty content. One last important note: Every dermatologist I spoke to emphasized the importance of SPF. It’s the first and most important step in anti-aging, and if you’re skipping this, any of the products below won’t be nearly as effective.
Update on September 10, 2024: Updated prices and checked stock for all products.
Best anti-aging serum overall
Medik8’s Crystal Retinal Serum’s hero ingredient is retinaldehyde, which fights wrinkles and fine lines quicker than other commonly used retinols, according to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick. Even though it’s fast-acting and potent, the serum doesn’t cause irritation or redness, side effects usually associated with retinoids. That’s thanks to its double-encapsulation system, which releases the vitamin A throughout the night instead of all at once. Other ingredients include hydrating glycerin and hyaluronic acid for smooth and plump-looking skin. Since this is both gentle enough for all skin types and highly effective, this anti-aging serum takes the cake.
Best less expensive anti-aging serum overall
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that CeraVe’s retinol serum would top our list as an excellent affordable option. It’s been recommended by dermatologists before and was brought up again when I spoke to Dr. Garshick. The formula includes an encapsulated retinol that is released into the skin over time, meaning all the benefits (reducing the appearance of fine lines and dullness) without any irritation. Plus, the added niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and ceramides strengthen the skin barrier.
Best anti-aging serum for dark spots
If you’re tackling dark spots, Lormejuste says your best bet is a vitamin-C serum. It not only helps fade dark spots over time, but it also helps protect against future sun damage. SkinCeuticals’s C E Ferulic was recommended by her, and it happens to be our top favorite in the category. It’s incredibly potent with 15 percent L-ascorbic acid, but it doesn’t cause redness or irritation because of its high pH level. As its name suggests, it also contains the antioxidant ferulic acid, which is used to fight off free radicals (known to cause age spots and wrinkles).
Best anti-aging serum for sensitive skin
If you have sensitive skin and are wary of retinoids, there is an alternative. Bakuchiol, touted as “nature’s retinol,” increases cell turnover and reduces fine lines and wrinkles without negative side effects. Dr. Brendan Camp of MDCS Dermatology says his go-to is Herbivore Botanicals’s Moon Fruit serum. Packed with peptides and glycerin, the formula also firms and strengthens skin elasticity.
Best less expensive anti-aging serum for sensitive skin
Dr. Garshick also sang praises for bakuchiol, but called out this TruSkin serum at half the cost of the serum made by Herbivore Botanicals. The same anti-aging benefits from bakuchiol apply here, but this serum doesn’t contain peptides and glycerin. Instead, it’s formulated with lingonberry stem cells, which protect the skin from oxidative stress and blue light (known to worsen hyperpigmentation).
Best anti-aging serum for oily and acne-prone skin
If you have oily skin or are acne prone, Dr. Garshick recommends SkinCeuticals’s Blemish and Age Defense Serum. The cocktail of 2 percent dioic acid, salicylic acid, and alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic and citric acids) work hard to reduce excess sebum, unclog pores, and even out skin tone while also improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Best less expensive anti-aging serum for oily and acne-prone skin
La Roche Posay’s Effaclar Adapalene Gel is about a third of the price of the above and also works well with acne-prone skin. The main ingredient here is adapalene, which is a retinoid used for clearing and preventing acne, blackheads, and whiteheads. Dr. Camp says it doubles as an anti-aging product and is especially effective for oily skin.
Best anti-aging serum for dry skin
On the other side of the spectrum is dry skin, and Dr. Taylor Worden, celebrity aesthetician and founder of Taylor Worden Skin, recommends SkinMedica’s TNS Advanced+ Serum. Made with the brand’s TNS-MR ingredient, it fights fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin while supporting collagen and encouraging cell renewal. It’s also been recommended to us as an go-to anti-aging serum for your 40s by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Corey L. Hartman, founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, Alabama.
Best less expensive anti-aging serum for dry skin
If you don’t want to shell out nearly $300 on a serum, there’s a much more affordable alternative. Vichy’s Mineral 89 serum is just $40 with lots of skin-plumping benefits. Formulated with hyaluronic acid and minerals from Vichy volcanic water, it hydrates the skin while also strengthening and repairing the skin barrier. And though it’s highly moisturizing, it won’t cause any additional oil buildup.
Best anti-aging serum for textured skin
Sunday Riley’s Good Genes counts our readers, dermatologists, and even Redditors among its devoted fans for brightening and exfoliating skin. Dr. Camp recommends it as an effective anti-aging serum for anyone concerned with texture issues. Thanks to its star ingredient, lactic acid, it reduces the look of lines, wrinkles, and dark spots through gentle exfoliation. I use it as a once-in-a-while skin-care pick-me-up when my skin’s dull or dehydrated. Without fail, the next day after applying it, my skin has that post-facial look: brighter and smoother. I don’t use it weekly because of its high price tag, but I see myself using it more frequently when wrinkles and fine lines become more prominent.
Best less expensive anti-aging serum for textured skin
Glow Recipe’s Strawberry Serum is a little over half the price of the Sunday Riley treatment and was recommended by Dr. Garshick. It uses a combination of AHAs and BHAs (more on what the actives do here) to exfoliate for improved skin texture and tone. Its gel-like consistency and hyaluronic acid also makes it hydrating to combat dehydrated skin.
Best anti-aging serum for mature skin
Dr. Prather calls out Alastin C Radical because it’s formulated with a vitamin C that contains sodium ascorbate, which is shown to promote and restore elastin in aging and compromised skin. Prather explains that elastin (which keeps skin stretchy and elastic) repair is especially important because we have a limited supply of it and it degrades with age.
Best less expensive anti-aging serum for mature skin
Dr. Garshick likes Vichy’s Neovadiol Meno 5 Serum, which is more than $150 less than the above, because it’s formulated specifically for pre- and post-menopause. Made with a blend of proxylane, cassia extract, vitamins b3-C-E, omega fatty acids, and Vichy volcanic water, it helps to improve the appearance of dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles while also firming, brightening, and hydrating the skin.
Best anti-aging serum to use while pregnant
There are a bevy of skin-care ingredients that have anti-aging benefits but aren’t pregnancy safe. Luckily, my colleagues Rachael Griffiths and Tembe Denton-Hurst rounded up the best products to use while pregnant and nursing, according to dermatologists. This Sonage Retinol Crème is packed with bakuchiol instead of retinol but still increases cell turnover and helps with collagen production. It’s also formulated with noncomedogenic skin-barrier-protecting ceramides, so it will hydrate your skin without clogging your pores.
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