Best plumping face cream for mature skin: The best products to beat wrinkles, fight fine lines and restore glow
Keep ageing at bay with the best moisturisers for mature skin
The best plumping moisturisers for mature skin can be game-changers in the battle to keep looking younger for longer.
Even if you’ve spent years shirking skincare, getting older makes great moisturiser a must-have as our natural elasticity and collagen levels reduce with every birthday. Although no miracle product can turn back the clock and erase any wrinkles you already have, the best moisturisers for mature skin can improve the skin texture, boost all-important hydration and prevent more fine lines developing.
It’s no good relying on the same old moisturiser you’ve used since you were a teenager either. The best plumping moisturisers for mature skin include glow-giving ingredients such as ceramides, peptides and antioxidants which smooth lines, improve skin tone and repair the skin’s natural barrier to avoid future signs of ageing.
We tried several moisturisers to find the ones best suited to our mature skin, applying them every morning as recommended and noticing how well each one was absorbed, if there was any obvious effect on our skin’s tone and texture, and if they made any difference to our fine lines and wrinkles.
Read on to discover our guide to picking the perfect plumping moisturiser for mature skin, then our list of the ones that will really earn their place in your bathroom cabinet.
Best plumping moisturisers for mature skin: At a glance
| Best plumping moisturiser for mature skin | Clarins Super Restorative Day Cream | £70 | Check price at Amazon |
| Best for dry skin | ESPA Tri-Active Regenerating Phyto-Collagen Plumping Cream | £70 | Check price at Look Fantastic |
| Best all-in-one moisturiser | Avène Hydrance Aqua-Gel | £25 | Check price at Boots |
| Best affordable moisturiser for mature skin | Q+A Collagen Face Cream | £12 | Check price at Sephora |
How to choose the best plumping moisturiser for mature skin
Do I need a day and a night cream?
The short answer is no. Most moisturisers will function as either a day or night cream if you’d rather cut down on the number of products cluttering up your bathroom. Using either is better for mature skin than skipping moisturiser entirely, but it’s best to choose an all-in-one product specifically formulated for both day and night use.
If the moisturiser recommends using for day or night only, it’s advisable to use it as suggested. Day creams are lighter than night creams and may contain SPF, which you won’t want on your face as you snooze. Night creams also contain super-ingredients like retinol and peptides which can cause sensitivity in the sun so are best used to repair skin damage as you sleep.
READ NEXT: The best moisturisers to buy
What ingredients should I look for?
Skin gets drier with age so hydration is crucial for mature skin. For creams used during the day only, it’s great if the moisturiser contains a high, broad-spectrum SPF or you’ll need to wear one on top. Other hero ingredients for mature skin include collagen to plump and reduce wrinkles, vitamin C to protect against skin damage and hyaluronic acid to give radiance and help retain moisture.
READ NEXT: The best SPF moisturisers to buy
For smooth, brighter skin, peptides and antioxidants like niacinamide will work wonders while retinol can improve skin tone, diminish fine lines and stimulate collagen production. Be aware retinol can make the skin sensitive to the sun so it’s important to always wear SPF when using it.
How much do I need to spend?
It’s not essential to blow the budget on a moisturiser as there are some excellent ones with a price tag that won’t make you wince.
However, if you’re willing to splash some cash on just one beauty product, a moisturiser is a good one to go for. Many have more of the all-important anti-ageing ingredients that really make the difference and are so good, they can be used sparingly to make them last as long as possible.
Just because a cream is expensive, doesn’t necessarily make it better however, and there are plenty of excellent, cheaper moisturisers around if you shop wisely. If you are going to splurge, it’s a good idea to ask to try a sample tube first to be sure the moisturiser suits your skin and doesn’t cause any sensitivity.
What is the best way to apply moisturiser?
Always cleanse thoroughly before even thinking about moisturiser. Apply toner and serum next if you use them, then use the moisturiser. It helps if the skin is still slightly damp after washing to lock in even more hydration. Make sure you apply all over the face in circular or upwards movements, including the upper lip area, the sides of the nose and between the eyebrows. Don’t forget your neck either! Apply in light upward strokes to keep it looking as good as your face.
How we test plumping moisturisers
At Expert Reviews, we know nothing beats hands-on experience when it comes to finding the perfect product for your skin. We personally tested a range of moisturisers that claimed they would plump mature skin to find the very best for our round-up below. We used every one on our skin for weeks at a time, avoiding any other creams, face masks or serums to get a true picture of how effective the moisturiser alone was. We followed each cream’s directions exactly, using them every morning after cleansing as instructed.
For each one, we noticed how easy the moisturiser was to use, if it was absorbed quickly, how it smelt and how quickly make-up could be applied afterwards. We also considered how our skin felt immediately after use and if it had improved within several days, paying particular attention to fine lines and wrinkles, skin tone and texture and any areas we felt had lost natural elasticity over the years. We also noted which plumping moisturisers contained wonder ingredients like peptides and ceramides, how pricey each cream was and if anyone noticed a difference in our skin while using it.
READ NEXT: The best serums to buy
The best plumping moisturisers for mature skin to buy in 2023
1. Clarins Super Restorative Day Cream: The best plumping moisturiser for mature skin
Price when reviewed: £70 | Check price at Amazon
Hot flushes and low mood aren’t the only dreaded side effects of the menopause. Changing hormone levels also affect the production of collagen, elastin and the dermal matrix, leaving skin dull and delicate. This Clarins day cream is designed especially for menopausal skin, with organic harungana and gorse extract to provide a visible lifting effect similar to retinol but tolerated by all skin types.
We really could see the difference too. The divine-smelling moisturiser has quite a creamy texture but doesn’t leave a greasy feeling on the face and really got us glowing from the very first use. After two weeks, skin felt a touch firmer and noticeably nourished, with a plump, refreshed look like we’d just returned from a fortnight’s holiday.
Key details – Pack size: 50ml; Day or Night Use: Day
2. ESPA Tri-Active Regenerating Phyto-Collagen Plumping Cream: Best moisturiser for dry skin
Price when reviewed: £70 | Check price at Look Fantastic
Though we know we only needed to use this lightweight, non-greasy cream sparingly, it smelt so good, we’d have happily bathed in it. It’s packed with good stuff too including galanga leaf to support the skin’s own hyaluronic acid production, phyto-collagen to plump skin and bio retinol, a plant-based alternative to traditional retinoids.
Suitable for both day and night use, it slides on like a dream so we didn’t feel like it was too heavy for daily use. We usually need something a little thicker on our dry skin at night but this seemed to really boost its hydration and we could see the benefits when we woke up each morning. Our skin looked smoother and more radiant, even after a late night, and within two weeks, our fine lines started to appear a little less obvious.
Key details – Pack size: 55ml; Day or Night Use: Day and night
3. Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide 24 Day Cream: Best fragrance-free moisturiser
Price when reviewed: £19 | Check price at Amazon
This is a great buy for anyone with sensitive skin or who prefers their products without a fragrance, oils or any artificial dyes. A fairly lightweight cream, it’s designed to hydrate skin for an impressive 24 hours so we were astonished at just how quickly it was absorbed with zero stickiness. We could apply makeup on top within just a couple of minutes and our skin felt smooth and protected.
The moisturiser is formulated with collagen peptide and vitamin B3 to firm skin and restore skin’s moisture barrier, penetrating deep into skin’s surface layers. This meant hydration really did seem to last all day, blurring fine lines so we definitely looked a little less tired when using this.
Key details – Pack size: 50ml; Day or Night Use: Day
4. Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte’s Magic Cream: Best luxury moisturiser for mature skin
Price when reviewed: £79 | Check price at John Lewis
This much-hyped cream was devised by celebrity make up artist Charlotte Tilbury to instantly transform models’ tired skin. It’s since gone on to win a clutch of awards and now sells a staggering one pot every two minutes around the world.
It’s definitely not cheap but includes almost every hydrating, anti-ageing ingredient possible. There’s shea butter and aloe vera to moisturise and smooth, hyaluronic acid for long-lasting hydrations, vitamins C and E to brighten and even the complexion and bionymph peptide to plump. It has quite a strong floral scent and is fairly thick to apply but sinks in almost immediately so can easily be applied before makeup. Incredibly, we could see and feel the benefits straight away and our dewy, smooth skin lasted all day. More than one person commented how well we looked while using it too, so it really must have magic powers.
Key details – Pack size: 50ml; Day or Night Use: Day
5. Avène Hydrance Aqua-Gel: Best all-in-one moisturiser
Price when reviewed: £25 | Check price at Boots
If you’re short on time (and bathroom space), this is the moisturiser for you. This ingenious 3-in-1 gel-in-cream is fresh and lightweight for day use, but can be applied in a thick layer for added oomph overnight. It’s also suitable for the eye contour so there’s no need for a separate eye cream.
The gel formula does feel a little unusual to apply at first if you’re used to a heavier cream but the refreshing sensation is perfect first thing, and makes a great base for makeup. Skin feels immediately hydrated too, hardly surprising given that 75% of the moisturiser is made of skin-softening thermal spring water while active ingredient Cohederm restores natural hydration levels. A game changer for anyone with irritated or sensitive skin.
Key details – Pack size: 50ml; Day or Night Use: Day and night
6. Q+A Collagen Face Cream: Best affordable moisturiser for mature skin
Price when reviewed: £12 | Check price at Sephora
Start how you mean to go with this fantastically priced cream from Q+A that won’t make you wince every time you need to buy a new jar. This quite thick, vegetarian cream packs a real plumping punch, with seaweed-derived collagen peptide to (almost) give you the cheeks of a teenager, magnesium PCA to revitalise skin and shea butter to fight dryness.
It felt heavenly to apply on our dry, dehydrated face, especially at night, and our skin felt startlingly smooth and supple when we woke up. We’d happily wear it day and night, but anyone with oilier skin or who wants to apply makeup straight afterwards might be best saving it for bedtime.
Key details – Pack size: 50g; Day or Night Use: Day or night
7. Pai Skincare Salvation Jane Natural Moisturiser: Best vegan moisturiser for mature skin
Price when reviewed: £60 | Check price at John Lewis
Irritated or dehydrated skin won’t thank you for overloading it with chemicals. This smoothing cream ticks all the natural boxes if you’d rather keep things simple. It’s vegan and cruelty-free, has no parabens or alcohol and even comes in a cardboard box without extra laminate or a paper leaflet so it can be easily recycled.
Its hero ingredient is echium, an Australian plant nicknamed ‘Salvation Jane’ for its ability to withstand a drought. It’s combined with hyaluronic acid which holds between 10 and 50 times its weight in water for a no-fuss, skin-transforming moisturiser that will nip irritation in the bud. Though we’d find it a little heavy for summer use, the silky cream would feel wonderful in the winter or on very dry skin year-round.
Key details – Pack size: 50ml; Day or Night Use: Day or night
