12 Men’s Anti-Aging Creams That’ll Help You Look Younger, Longer
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission.
In theory, all skincare is anti-aging in nature. If a product helps to maintain healthy skin, even in a small way, it technically counts. But when we use this term, what we imply is a more proactive push towards keeping the skin firmer, brighter, clearer and smoother for longer than those conditions would last in the absence of such products. The best anti-aging creams, serums, oils and other products shower your face with antioxidants to shield the skin against everyday damage from pollution and UV exposure. Their extra doses of vitamins and other active ingredients go a step above and beyond the standard-issue moisturizer.
More from Robb Report
The 10 Best Floor Lamps, From Traditional Swing-Arms to Statement-Making Arcs
The 10 Best Beard Oils to Keep Your Facial Hair Smooth and Soft
How Topical Finasteride Helps You Regrow--and Keep--Your Hair
For perspective, here is what those standard moisturizers do: These everyday workhorses trap moisture inside the skin, as well as reinforce the skin’s barrier defenses against pollutants, bacteria and the like. Because most top-performing “anti-aging” creams are denser than daytime moisturizers, most of them are parsed off for nighttime use. That’s not a universal rule, but it is certainly the norm. “The main differences between daytime and nighttime products are ingredients and texture,” says dermatologist Rosmy Barrios, MD, regenerative medicine specialist and Senior Medical Advisor at Health Reporter. “Daytime ‘anti-aging’ products are lighter, should contain SPF, and skin-lightening ingredients such as vitamin C. On the other hand, nighttime ‘anti-aging’ products are thicker in texture and contain active ingredients like retinol. So, it’s fair to say that day-time anti-aging products are formulated for fast absorption while nighttime products are formulated to absorb slowly into the skin.”
So, anything “anti-aging” will combat the visible signs of time and wear, such as fine lines, wrinkles, rough texture, hyperpigmentation, looseness and so forth. These signs are accelerated by sun exposure, toxins/pollutants in the air (especially in big cities), as well as habits like lack of sleep, smoking/alcohol/drug consumption, unhealthy diets, stress, and more.
Here are 12 of the best anti-aging creams for men, with picks for every budget and priority.
Best Natural Anti-Aging Cream
Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream
Ursa Major has long since earned a grooming gold medal for its eco-conscious, effective formulas. This day-or-night cream can do more in an afternoon than a soccer dad in a minivan: It soothes the skin with calendula, softens with phytosterols, firms with carotenoids and Vitamin A, builds defenses with antioxidants and Vitamin E, brightens with Vitamin C and then doubles down on all of the above with fatty acids including omega 3, 6, 7 and 9 oils.
Buy Now on Amazon:
Best Quick-Firming Anti-Aging Cream
Orveda Firm Brew Botanical Cream
Orveda takes a firm stance on anti-aging: No retinol, ever. It’s not that the notorious age-reversing ingredient is necessarily bad, but the company believes in slowly reinforcing the skin’s natural barrier, rather than risking irritation with a high-grade ingredient. The brand’s day cream proves you can do without retinol with its notoriously fast-acting blend of botanical ingredients, which contains 12 actives as well as hyaluronic acid. Daily use gives you long-term tautness, and occasional use delivers a radiance and firmness you can see soon after application.
Buy Now on Saks Fifth Avenue:
Best Anti-Aging Cream for Minimalists
Doré La Crème
Garance Doré’s new skincare line is pared down for minimalists and is cost-effective at the same time. This day-and-night cream plumps skin and preserves buoyancy with hyaluronic acid and counters environmental damage with white lily extract. Its sea algae helps to reinforce your skin’s natural collagen and elastin.
Buy Now on We Are Doré:
Best Proactive Anti-Aging Cream
Le Domaine The Cream
The youngest cream in this roster is also “anti” the term “anti-aging”—at least that’s what co-founder Brad Pitt told us. All Benjamin Button jokes aside, this cream might get you the closest thing to a no-filter, camera-ready mug, thanks to a heavily researched, patent-pending, proactive formula: It harnesses the antioxidant, skin-reinforcing powers of grapes (from the very same Rhône Valley vineyard that grows Château de Beaucastel’s beloved Châteauneuf-du-Pape), and contains two active compounds (known as GSM10 and ProGR3) that might best retinol as a time turner.
Buy Now on Le Domaine:
Best Anti-Aging Cream with SPF
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream SPF 30
Few ingredients are truly as “anti-aging” as SPF. That’s because daily exposure to UV rays (even on cold, gray days) is one of the biggest contributing factors to accelerated signs of aging. While defending against UV rays, this SPF also firms, smooths and lifts skin with the help of floral and botanical extracts, as well as hyaluronic acid.
Buy Now on Nordstrom:
Best Anti-Aging Face Oil
La Prairie Skin Caviar Nighttime Oil
We’ve been a fan of this face oil since it launched last year, and love it as an extra layer over top of a night cream. Skin Caviar Oil is enriched with caviar-derived retinol—yes, you read that right—as well as caviar lipids to hydrate and protect your skin as you slumber. In the short term, it helps you wake up with consistently refreshed and radiant skin. In the long term, it can decrease the most noticeable signs of aging: fine lines and wrinkles.
Buy Now on La Prairie:
Buy Now on Nordstrom:
Best Lightweight Anti-Aging Cream
La Mer The Moisturizing Soft Cream
We’re big fans of La Mer’s signature moisturizing cream and are equally enthusiastic about its lightweight kin, this Soft Cream. It makes for breezy daytime wear, overnight summer wear, and everything in between, especially for oily-skinned individuals. And yes, it’s rich in the brand’s signature Miracle Broth, a sea-sourced, fermented secret that keeps signs of aging at bay.
Buy Now on Nordstrom:
Best Drugstore Anti-Aging Cream
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Face Moisturizer
Following the notion that “all skincare is anti-aging”, here’s one product I will always buy in a pinch—and it’s not a cream at all. Neutrogena’s hyaluronic acid gel delivers instant hydration and fullness to the face, and continued use prevents steady degradation due to moisture depletion. It’s lightweight, wears well year-round on all skin types and is a great low-cost approach to anti-aging through regular use. It is also an easy item to buy whenever you are without your go-to product (and are in need of an interim holdover).
Buy Now on Amazon:
Best Anti-Aging Night Mask
Narcyss Beach Grass Replenishing Night Mask
An overnight mask is very similar to a nighttime moisturizer (and the terms are often used interchangeably), but in general, you use them every few days, or weekly at least. The best ones, like this deliciously scented Narcyss night mask, work even harder than night creams to give you fully replenished, rejuvenated skin come morning. The core active ingredient here is Schisandra, a berry rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits.
Buy Now on Narcyss:
The Best Anti-Aging Serum-Cream
Superegg Sound Renewal Serum Cream
It’s a serum, it’s a cream, it’s… Superegg! This liquid-like cream is a brilliant base layer beneath any heavier cream, morning or night. It’s basically a supervitamin for your skin, too, with everything from nourishing panthenol and hydrating squalane and hyaluronic acid, to barrier-boosting fatty acids, gentle exfoliating PHA, soothing cica grass, and collagen-stimulating peptides. It even has what the brand calls Yolk Duplex, which duplicates egg yolk nutrients in a vegan recipe, including Vitamin E, lecithin, amino acids, and more.
Buy Now on Amazon:
The Best Head-to-Toe Cream
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream for Body and Face
Dr. Barrios recommends using CeraVe’s moisturizing cream for her patients for use on the body and face alike. “It’s very effective in keeping skin looking plump and fresh. Most people forget that [regular daily] moisturizing is an important part of keeping your skin young,” she says. “So, you shouldn’t [only] look for ‘anti-aging’ messaging in creams. Instead, be smart and know the basics. This cream comes with three essential ceramides as well, which prevent moisture loss and keep your skin intact.”
Buy Now on Amazon:
The Best Anti-Aging Cream With Retinol
Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Night Cream
If you want to opt for an over-the-counter retinol cream, then we can’t say enough good things about Murad’s. It suits all skin types, plus proactively reduces and prevents signs of aging as well as acne. It even bolsters the skin’s barrier functions to help promote moisture retention and thwart bacterial infiltration.
Buy Now on Sephora:
Best of Robb Report
Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
