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- Best anti-ageing creams for men: At a glance
- How to choose the best anti-ageing cream for you
- How we test mens anti-ageing creams
- The best anti-ageing creams you can buy in 2023
- 1. Nivea Men Anti-Age Hyaluron SPF15: Best-value anti-ageing cream
- 2. Shiseido Men Total Revitalizer Cream: Best for guys over 40
- 3. Dr Dennis Gross Intense Wrinkle Cream: Best dermatologist-branded product
- 4. Green People Scent Free Anti-Ageing 24-hour Cream: Best organic product
- 5. Auden Age Defence Face Cream SPF30 and Peptides: Best multitasking anti-ageing cream
It might be uncool to talk about anti-ageing skincare these days (were all supposed to be pro-age rather than anti-age) but a decent anti-ageing cream is still a worthwhile addition to any mans grooming routine. After all, who doesnt want to turn back time a little?
Skin ageing is certainly a concern with the average British male, with a survey by skincare brand Clarins revealing that over a quarter of men are worried about fine lines and wrinkles, while a further 16% fret over age spots and uneven pigmentation.
Thanks to hormonal and structural differences, mens skin tends to age differently from womens, with the onset of deep wrinkles appearing later in life. Thats the good news. The bad news is that unless you never go out in the sunlight, avoid pollution and never touch sugar which weakens collagen in the skin the slow crawl to prunedom is pretty much inevitable.
Luckily, though, help is at hand in the shape of the raft of anti-ageing creams now available to men. Designed to tackle some of the most noticeable signs of the ageing process such as fine lines and wrinkles (mostly caused by sun damage), age spots (again, caused by the sun) and sagging skin (the result of changes in collagen in the skin as we age), these anti-ageing avengers are the true heroes of your skincare regime.
Theyre not miracle workers, of course. No lotion, potion or cream can stop the clock completely, but what they can do is at least slow down those unforgiving hands of time a little.
Best anti-ageing creams for men: At a glance
- Best multitasking anti-ageing cream: Auden Age Defence Face Cream SPF30 | £45
- Best-value anti-ageing cream: Nivea Men Anti-Age Hyaluron SPF15 | £9.99
- Best anti-ageing cream for mature skin: Shiseido Men Total Revitalizer Cream | £84
How to choose the best anti-ageing cream for you
Cant I just use an ordinary moisturiser?
You can and in fact any moisturiser is better than no moisturiser, since dry skin tends to age faster than skin thats adequately hydrated but by opting for an anti-ageing cream youre taking skincare to the next level.
Good creams will contain a raft of wrinkle-busting ingredients or ones that minimise age spots and guard against sun damage, helping future-proof your face against the worst of the ageing process.
READ NEXT: Best skincare products for men
What ingredients should I look out for?
Hyaluronic acid is one ingredient to have on your radar. Naturally found in skin, it has superb hydrating properties, drawing moisture to the skin and helping keep it there. Its especially important if youre an older guy, since our bodys ability to produce this crucial acid diminishes as we age.
Ingredients that aim to support collagen production, such as vitamin C, are useful too, as are antioxidants such as ferulic acid and vitamins A and E, which help counteract some of the damage done by everything from stress and sunlight to pollution. Hero ingredient retinol is good, too, as it targets skin ageing on a number of fronts.
Since the sun is the main cause of skin ageing (consultant dermatologist Dr Natalia Spierings reckons it accounts for 95% of extrinsic skin ageing), opting for a cream featuring a built-in UVA/UVB sunscreen is a good insurance policy against future wrinkling as well.
When should I start using one?
Since fine lines and wrinkles are cumulative, theres no cut-off point for using anti-ageing products. You can be 70 and still reap some benefits, but if youre savvy, youll start your anti-ageing routine before those deep wrinkles and age spots start. You know that they say prevention is better than cure. Protecting your skin with sunscreen from your teenage years onwards is certainly a good idea.
READ NEXT: Best sunscreen
Do I have to spend a fortune on an anti-ageing cream?
Not necessarily. Some of the creams we rated arent much more expensive than regular moisturisers. As with many skincare products, youre often paying for the packaging and marketing, but bear in mind that sometimes youre paying for a better range of ingredients, too.
Whats the best way to apply an anti-ageing cream?
Apply in the same way you would a regular moisturiser: once in the morning and once at night just before bed. The evening application is especially important as anti-ageing creams and their ingredients tend to be better absorbed at night when the skin is in repair and recovery mode. Dont apply one with sunscreen at night, obviously.
Take time to massage the cream into your skin with your fingertips and dont forget to apply a little to the neck area, too after all, theres no point in having the face of a teen if youve got the neck of a tortoise.
How we test mens anti-ageing creams
Unless you can travel thirty years into the future, its almost impossible to gauge how well the average anti-wrinkle cream works. What you can rate an anti-ageing cream on, however, is its commitment to slowing the ageing process via the use of known skin-improving and wrinkle-busting ingredients. Things we look for are ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, antioxidant vitamins, time reversing retinol and the addition of sunscreens to minimise photo-ageing via sunlight.
As is always the case when reviewing face creams, we test how each product feels on the skin, how easily it is absorbed, whether it leaves any greasy residue (luckily none of them did) and how they smell. Since anti-ageing creams can be one of priciest weapons in a mans grooming armoury, we also base our reviews on potential return on investment.
READ NEXT: Best moisturiser for men
The best anti-ageing creams you can buy in 2023
1. Nivea Men Anti-Age Hyaluron SPF15: Best-value anti-ageing cream
Price when reviewed: £9.99 for 50ml | Check price at Amazon
For the money, this multitasking wrinkle-buster from Nivea Mens Anti-Age range cant be beaten. Offering a comprehensive approach to the ageing process, it goes big on hyaluronic acid to help combat wrinkles and rejuvenate tired-looking skin and has been formulated to firm and tighten the skin a little, too. As well as helping improve skin in the here and now it also helps future-proof it by including an SPF15 sunscreen to help minimise sun-induced lines and age spots.
Like most Nivea Men products, it has a distinctive fragrance which we could have done without, but we loved the pump dispenser which allows you to measure out just the right amount. If you have slightly oily skin and prefer lighter products, theres a gel version too.
2. Shiseido Men Total Revitalizer Cream: Best for guys over 40
Price when reviewed: £84 for 50ml | Check price at ShiseidoGiven how good Shiseidos skincare products are its surprising they arent better known in the UK, but if youve a little cash to spend the Japanese skincare brands small mens range is well worth exploring.
Star of the range is this high-performance wrinkle buster from its three-piece Total Age Defence collection, featuring rice bran oil complex to speed up cell turnover, xylitol to moisturise and nicotinamide to increase skin elasticity and tackle pigmentation.
It claims to tackle five major skin ageing issues: wrinkles, dullness, sagging, roughness and lost firmness. We loved the super-light, quickly absorbed texture, barely-there scent and chic, minimalist packaging, and though we cant say what the effects will be years from now, it certainly made skin feel softer and smoother in the short term.
3. Dr Dennis Gross Intense Wrinkle Cream: Best dermatologist-branded product
Price when reviewed: £77 for 60ml | Check price at Space NKAn updated and reformulated version of dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross cult Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream, this turbo-charged wrinkle cream includes antioxidant ferulic acid to fight UV damage and retinol, the beauty industrys go-to ingredient when it comes to anti-ageing because of its ability to boost collagen, speed up cell turnover and minimise pigmentation. A raft of other ingredients supports these two anti-ageing heroes to create a superb support team for skin.
Its slightly heavier in texture than the original cream, but that just gives it a more luxurious feel, but just like its predecessor its swiftly absorbed and is non-greasy. Pricey, yes, but its a premium product with potent ingredients the most important of which is probably Dr Gross quarter of a centurys worth of skincare expertise.
4. Green People Scent Free Anti-Ageing 24-hour Cream: Best organic product
Price when reviewed: £24 for 50ml | Check price at Green PeopleIf you like your skincare to be organic, cruelty-free, vegan-friendly and/or are looking for an anti-ageing cream thats perfect for sensitive, easily irritated skin, this is your man. Scent-free (thus reducing any changes of skin irritation), its made from 89% organic ingredients, offers 24-hour hydration (it certainly kept skin feeling comfortable throughout the entire day) and features antioxidant green tea and squalene (derived from olives) to keep skin supple.
The hero ingredient here, though, is baicalin, a plant-derived anti-ageing antioxidant prized for its ability to increase the skins firmness and elasticity. As you might expect from Green People, the entire packaging is fully recyclable, too.
5. Auden Age Defence Face Cream SPF30 and Peptides: Best multitasking anti-ageing cream
Price when reviewed: £45 for 30ml | Check price at AudenAudens skincare range for men was specifically created to address the unique challenges mens skin faces in the 21st century: stress, pollution and environmental assault (and that includes the potentially skin-ageing effects of blue light emitted by mobile phones and laptops).
Acting a bit like a defence shield for skin, this lightweight daily moisturiser keeps skin supple and hydrated (thanks to hyaluronic acid, peptides and vitamin B5), guards against sun damage (courtesy of an SPF 30 sunscreen), and also minimises the effect of blue light due to the antioxidant power of green algae. It has a pleasant, slightly fruity smell, has a non-greasy, matte-finish texture and comes in a handy pump dispenser to prevent wastage. Auden is a small, independent British brand, too, if you like supporting homegrown businesses.
