Best Anti-Aging Creams to Buy in 2024
Keep fine lines and wrinkles at bay with the best anti-aging creams we’ve tested
As we age, our skin becomes thinner, drier, less elastic, and more prone to fine lines and discoloration. While no pot of cream can promise eternal youth, the best anti-aging creams claim to slow the effects of aging and help maturing skin look and feel its best.
No matter your skin type, a good face cream with anti-aging ingredients should soften and tone the skin, as well as boosting the body’s natural healing processes, helping to plump and renew the skin’s cells to reduce the appearance of fine lines.
We’ve tested our way through heaps of day and night creams to find the formulas that really work. Below, you’ll find quick links to our top anti-aging picks, or you can scroll down to our mini reviews of our favorite tried and tested creams. Be sure to also check out our buying guide at the bottom of this page if you’re looking for advice on the best cream to buy.
Best anti-aging cream: At a glance
| Best high end day cream | Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF30 (~$140) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best budget cream | L’Oreal Revitalift Brightening Moisturizer SPF 30 (~$20) | Check price at Amazon |
| Best for fine lines | Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream (~$69) | Check price at Sephora |
| Best for mature skin | L’Occitane Immortelle Divine Cream (~$118) | Check price at Amazon |
How we test anti-aging creams
We know that hands-on testing delivers the best and most complete understanding of a product. We’ve personally tested all of the anti-aging creams in the roundup below, following the directions on the packaging.
We use the creams as directed for several weeks and note any impact they have on fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture, and the firmness of the skin. It’s important to consider how the product feels and smells in use, too. We note how the skin feels immediately after using – or the next morning in the case of products intended for overnight use – and the effects with repeated usage. If a product is fragranced, we check the smell isn’t overpowering, and if it isn’t, we check for that infamous fragrance-free tang.
Any issues with heaviness, greasiness, or residue are taken into account as these can dramatically impact the application of makeup, as well as how the skin looks over the course of the day. Our expert testers also examine the ingredients of the creams, noting any potential irritants we might want to avoid.
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The best anti-aging creams you can buy in 2024, according to our tests
1. L’Oreal Revitalift Brightening Moisturiser SPF30: Best budget anti-aging cream
Price when reviewed: $20 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… SPF protection, brightening
- Keep in mind… retinol and Vitamin C can be irritating
L’Oreal’s brightening moisturizer mixes retinol – a powerful ingredient known to soften skin and promote healing – with a protective SPF 30 sunscreen and vitamin C to target dark spots and discoloration. After daily use, we noticed smoother, brighter, more evenly toned skin. This pleasant-smelling moisturizer also went on smoothly and was absorbed quickly.
From our testing, if you use it twice daily, after cleansing, you should see results in a matter of weeks. For a cream that costs far less than many other anti-aging creams, that’s incredibly impressive. Just watch out if you have very sensitive skin, as retinol and vitamin C can be irritating when used together, even at low doses.
Key features – Suitable for: All skin types; Quantity: 1fl oz; Best time to apply: Day; Key ingredients: Retinol, SPF 30, vitamin C, glycolic acid, glycerin; Cruelty free: No
2. Drunk Elephant Protini PolyPeptide Cream: Best for fine lines
Price when reviewed: $69 | Check price at Sephora
- Great for… first signs of ageing, discolouration, sensitive skin
- Keep in mind… no retinol or SPF protection in formula
If you’re starting to notice fine lines, a lack of firmness, or discoloration from sun damage then Drunk Elephant’s potent combination of cell-boosting peptides and amino acids promises to help turn around your skin’s tone and texture. The high-protein concentrate contains nourishing marula oil and pygmy waterlily, together with signal peptides that direct the skin cells to renew their own cell-building proteins. This cream can be used on its own or added to a moisturizer or serum.
The formula is silicone- and fragrance-free. We noticed firmer, plumper skin from the first application and fewer fine lines and dark spots over time. That’s great results fuelled by powerful peptides. That being said – there’s no resurfacing retinol in this cream, so the formula will be milder than others on the market. Depending on your needs though, this might be a benefit or negative.
Key features – Suitable for: All skin types; Quantity: 1.69fl oz; Best time to apply: Day and night; Key ingredients: Amino acids, growth factors, signal peptides, glycerin; Cruelty free: Yes
3. L’Occitane Immortelle Divine Cream: Best for mature skin
Price when reviewed: $118 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… mature skin, wrinkles
- Keep in mind… fragranced formula
According to our expert tester, this face cream will make you feel as if you’ve just had a facial. Though, for such a high price, you would certainly hope so. The product’s name comes from the wonderfully fragrant, antioxidant extract of immortelle flower, otherwise known as the “flower that never dies”.
The cream’s texture is rich, yet melts easily into the skin, leaving it feeling fresh, hydrated, and nourished. It’s worth noting that this cream is fragranced – which isn’t ideal if you have sensitive skin – however, it really does smell divine.
Immortelle Divine Cream is formulated to tackle tired-looking and thinning skin, giving it a healthy, youthful glow. Use it regularly – along with Immortelle Overnight Reset Oil-in-Serum from the same range – to plump up your skin and wipe years off your looks.
Key features – Suitable for: All skin types; Quantity: 1.7fl oz; Best time to apply: Day; Key ingredients: Immortelle flower extract, antioxidants, zinc, glycerin, vitamin E; Cruelty free: No
4. Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream SPF30: Best high-end day cream
Price when reviewed: $140 | Check price at Amazon
- Great for… SPF protection, collagen boost
- Keep in mind… lightly fragranced
This day cream is widely considered the best anti-aging cream you can buy if you’re not worried about the cost, and we can understand why. Formulated with soothing rose and Mediterranean marine algae, we found this cream to be light in texture and to deliver impressive results. In fact, after prolonged testing, we saw fewer fine lines in just two weeks, just as the product claims.
Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, Elemis Pro-Collagen is super-hydrating and has a fresh, clean smell. We also found the cream soaked into our skin in an instant, enabling us to apply makeup straight away. For added sun protection, we recommend the SPF 30 version reviewed here, but there’s also an ultra-rich version for drier skin, at the same price, and a men’s version that’s ideal for use after shaving.
Key features – Suitable for: All skin types, including sensitive; Quantity: 1.69fl oz; Best time to apply: Day; Key ingredients: Vitamin E, Mediterranean marine algae, SPF 30; Cruelty free: No
How to choose the best anti-aging cream for you
How do anti-aging creams work?
Skin products targeting the first signs of aging focus on hydrating the skin and smoothing out fine lines. Products for mature skin deliver intense nourishment to help repair skin that has lost elasticity and contain ingredients that help reduce dark spots and discoloration.
How well a product performs will depend on its ingredients, how often it’s applied, and how long you use it for. An anti-aging cream can’t reverse deep wrinkles, but evidence suggests that it can be effective at addressing fine lines, at least stemming the tide of wrinkles, even if it won’t erase them completely.
Which ingredients should I look out for?
Skin care ingredients recommended by the Mayo Clinic, a non-profit academic medical center, include:
- Retinol – a vitamin A derivative originally used in prescription creams
- Vitamin C – an antioxidant that helps protect against skin damage
- Peptides – originally used for healing wounds and treating stretch marks
- Niacinamide – another antioxidant
- Sunscreen (at least SPF 15) – ideally broad spectrum to block both UVA and UVB rays
Some of these ingredients, particularly retinol, can make skin more sensitive to the sun, which makes the use of an SPF cream even more important. Retinol can also cause irritation when first introduced, so it’s best to use such products every other day at first.
If you have skin conditions, such as eczema or rosacea, it’s recommended that you do a patch test first, or speak to a dermatologist before adding anything new to your skin care routine.
How much should I spend on anti-aging cream?
There’s really no limit to how much anti-aging products can cost, so some can cost hundreds of dollars. The good news is that there’s no evidence to suggest that price reflects the performance of a product.
In fact, participants in a British study declared that they saw results from using a relatively cheap, anti-aging cream, which saw the stores running out of the product in less than two weeks. The creams we’ve tested start at a relatively pocket-friendly $14 and, as long as your chosen cream contains some of the ingredients listed above and you use it regularly as directed, you should see some benefits.
What else should I consider when choosing an anti-aging cream?
It’s worth taking the time to research your skin type, so you can match the ingredients accordingly.
- Oily skins tend to benefit from exfoliating ingredients such as glycolic or salicylic acid that encourage the natural skin-renewal process.
- Dry and sensitive skins, on the other hand, may benefit from hydrating creams with antioxidants to boost healing, as well as limit damage from the sun and pollution.
Remember that your skin type will change as you age. A lighter cream or serum may suit you in your 30s but, as you grow older, you’ll probably find you need a more nourishing cream. Don’t forget that the delicate skin around the eyes responds best to specialist eye products.
How do I apply my anti-aging cream?
Apply the cream after cleansing, toning, and serum, if you use one. When using a day cream, wait a few minutes before applying your makeup, or if using a night cream, wait a few minutes before getting into bed, so it has time to sink into your skin.
Some creams are made for use in both the morning and the evening but, of course, creams with SPF protection are generally intended for daytime use, while night creams are often thicker and designed to sink into the skin overnight.
