Dermatologists Say These Anti-Aging Creams Could Help You Look Less Tired

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THE PRIVILEGE OF growing older is a beautiful thing. Wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, and dullness? Not so much. As you age, your skin changes–which means that your skincare routine should, too. If you’re reading this right now, chances are you’re experiencing at least one of the visible signs of aging. Fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots or uneven tone, loss of volume and moisture, rough texture or visible pores, and dullness are all discernible signifiers as we grow older. These factors can be affected by everything from genetics to lifestyle choices like a balanced diet, regular exercise, getting adequate sleep, and reducing sun exposure. Enter the best anti-aging creams for men, which can help reduce the appearance of fine lines, dull skin, and age spot. In short, they're handsome-improving formulas that you need to add to your grooming stack.

Anti-aging products and night creams with active ingredients can keep skin firmer, brighter, smoother, and overall healthier looking. According to the experts we spoke with, the best anti-aging creams for men feature tried-and-true ingredients that could help reduce the appearance of wrinkle. So: retinoids like retinol and adapalene, hydrating agents like hyaluronic acid, and exfoliants like glycolic acid. For this story, we spent the past year testing more than 40 anti-aging creams across a variety of skin types, and consulted with board-certified dermatologists like Dr. Brendan Camp, MD, to find the absolute best anti-aging skin creams for every budget, skin type, and concern.

Skin Renewing Night Cream

Dermatologist-developed Cerave is a no-fail choice for anyone starting to care for their skin. This renewing night cream uses encapsulated retinol, niacinamide, and ceramides to mildly exfoliate and balance the skin barrier by the morning.

"This night cream helps refresh the look of tired skin overnight," says contributor Cristina Montemayor in her testing of the best night creams. "It’s also specially designed to continually release moisturizing ingredients throughout the night for lasting hydration."

Read more: Best Moisturizers for Men

A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced Anti-Wrinkle Cream

Dr. Camp recommends this luxury formula for his patients. "It's formulated with a proprietary skin hydrating agent called Proxylane, and is combined with antioxidants and skin calming ingredients to reduce the appearance of lines and maintain youthful skin," Camp says. In other words: if you can afford the high price point, this skin-tightening cream is worth it.

In our testing, its ultra-rich consistency also made it ideal as a moisturizer for dry skin. "Its innovative formula attacks glycation, a process in your skin that can cause the collagen and elastin in your skin to become weak, leading to the signs of aging," says MH Grooming Editor Garrett Munce.

Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum

La Roche-Posay, which is famed for its non-irritating, ultra-protecting sunscreens, also makes great anti-aging serums. Take this one, which is loaded with star ingredient Vitamin B5 that helps reduce age marks, skin discoloration, and helps retain moisture on your skin. That's great news if you need an everyday serum during the winter. "It provides excellent hydration without overwhelming oily skin," says Dr. Stacy Tull, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and owner of St. Charles County Dermatologic Surgery.

In our testing, we found that this handsome-improving serum glides and absorbs easily, unlike other formulas which go on thick, and don't mix well with other moisturizers or night creams.

UV Clear Face Sunscreen, SPF 46

We've waxed poetic about the anti-aging benefits of sunscreen, which serve as a shield against wrinkle-causing UVAs. But to be honest, a lot of the SPFs I've tried caused me to break out, and their formulas look greasy on my brown skin. Not so with EltaMD's award-winning sunscreens. This one comes highly recommended by Dr. Camp. "It contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate skin and niacinamide to calm irritation," he says.

TNS Advanced+ Serum

If you're going to splurge on an anti-aging product, our dermatologists recommend this one. "This is by far the most effective anti-aging serum on the market," says Dr. Tull. "It contains human cultured growth factors clinically proven to address sagging skin." Indeed, testers who've used this for a month did find that their skin tone looked more even, and overall healthier. Though you'll probably have to use this for a few months to really see skin-tightening results.

Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment

"Marketed for acne, this gel contains adapalene, which is a retinoid," says Dr. Camp. "Retinoids increase collagen production, reduce the appearance of fine lines, and can help reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation." Indeed, our commerce editors co-sign La Rache-Posay's bestselling retinoids. One reviewer found that his frown lines were less noticeable after using it consistently for three months. One note: since this is a retinoid, it will leave your skin especially sensitive to the sun. So make sure to wear sunscreen daily.

Super Multi-Corrective Anti-Aging Cream

Kiehl's has been one of our go-to skincare brands for its reliable, appropriately priced potions that actually work. This cream is no exception. It's loaded with Hyaluronic Acid, which helps your skin soak up moisture, skin-smoothing Vitamin A, and Chaga Mushroom, which is said to even skin tone. And after using this consistently for three months, I'm happy to report that this thing works. The appearance of my age spots, hyperpigmentation, and overall complexion has improved considerably.

Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream

Lots of great retinols we tried are pretty expensive. That's why we were surprised to find (and love) this drugstore pick, which our testers say help fill in deep wrinkles, fix dark sports, and smooth out bumps. "If you were stranded on a desert island, this is the one product you’d want to have besides sunscreen and a case of Corona," said one reviewer. And at this price point, it's basically worth its weight in gold.

Crystal Retinal® Ceramide Eye

Winner of our 2023 Grooming Award, testers who used Medik8's retinal eye cream saw noticeable less wrinkles after just a few uses. One tester says that “it went on smoothly without feeling sticky or too slick and had more of a matte finish, which I personally like.”

Men Expert Vita Lift 5 Daily Moisturizer

This drugstore bestseller contains a pack of wrinkle-fighting ingredients, including retinol, to help smoothen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. But unlike the other retinols we've tried, which were effective but very strong, the Vita Lift 5 has a lower retinol concentration, making it ideal for everyday use. We also like its hydrating-yet-light consistency, which is easy to slap on before you run out the door.

Ultra Light Moisturizer

Alastin is one of our favorite skincare brands when it comes to reducing the appearance of scars and wrinkles, thanks to its rich formulas that hydrate and repair skin. Take this lightweight moisturizer, which left our skin feeling healthy without being greasy. It helps to restore oily or combination skin thanks to hydrating silver mushroom and calming ginger root extract.

Universal C Skin Refiner

Vitamin C is a hero ingredient for mature skin, since it can brighten hyperpigmentation (think: age spots), even skin tone, and smooth your skin's surface. But a lot of Vitamin C products have a short shelf life, and expires in under six months. Not so with BeautyStat's bestselling serum, which has an incredibly stable formula that degrades slower than other Vitamin C serums we tested. Plus, it's fragrance free, and didn't irritate testers with sensitive skin.

PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion

For mature skin, our doctors recommend looking for ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide since they provide lasting moisture, which will help improve the appearance of your wrinkles. This one from Cerave contains both ingredients in an oil-free, non-greasy formula. Pair with an anti-aging serum for a skin-tightening one-two punch.

Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream

"While all the products on this list have anti-aging benefits, none are quite as sophisticated as this one," says one contributor in their testing of the best night creams for men. "The brand combines two types of retinol with bakuchiol, rambutan, and ferulic acid to support your natural collagen production and smooth fine lines and wrinkles." Indeed, most of our testers reported that their skin looked more supple in as little as two weeks of consistently using Dr. Dennis Gross' cream. In other words: this is the real deal.

What Ingredients to Look for

Our experts say to look for ingredients that have a strong track record. "These include retinoids like retinol and adapalene, hydrating agents like hyaluronicacid, gentle exfoliating ingredients like lactic and glycolic acid,and antioxidants like vitamin C," says Dr. Camp.

When Should Men Start Using Anti-Aging Creams?

Both dermatologists say that guys should start using anti-aging creams in their 20s or 30s. "When to start largely depends on genetics (did your parents age prematurely), environmental exposures (excessive sun/UV), and skin type (dry skin ages before oily/acne prone skin)," says Dr. Tull.

Meet the Experts

• Dr. Stacey Tull, MD, is a dermatologist and owner of St. Charles County Dermatologic Surgery in Cottleville, MO.

• Dr. Brendan Camp, MD, is a board certified dermatologist of MDCS Dermatology in New York, NY.
  

How We Selected

For the past two years, we consulted with Men's Health's Grooming editors and writers on the top anti-aging creams for men. Experts including our contributor, Sara Klausing, and our Deputy Editor of Commerce, Christian Gollayan, tried hundreds of anti-aging creams and evaluated their ingredients, feel, consistency, and effectiveness. We also considered top-reviewed anti-aging creams that had at least 100 five-star customer ratings on e-commerce websites that we trust.

Shop More of Our Favorite Anti-Aging Products

Best Moisturizers for Men | Best Moisturizers With SPF | Best Eye Creams | Best Face Serums for Men | Best Cleansers for Men | Best Facial Sunscreens | Best Anti-Aging Products for Men | Best Night Creams for Men

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