Best Drugstore Anti-Aging Night Cream
Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream
Best Drugstore Anti-Aging Night Cream
Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream
Now 30% Off
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
Best Luxury Pick
SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced Anti-Wrinkle Cream
Best Luxury Pick
SkinCeuticals 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.
Best Vitamin B5 Serum
La Roche-Posay Hyalu B5 Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Best Vitamin B5 Serum
La Roche-Posay 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.
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Best Sunscreen
EltaMD UV Clear Face Sunscreen, SPF 46
Best Sunscreen
EltaMD 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.
Best Splurge
SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum
Best Splurge
SkinMedica 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.
Best for Acne and Mature Skin
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment
Best for Acne and Mature Skin
La Roche-Posay 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.
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Best for Uneven Skin
Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Anti-Aging Cream
Best for Uneven Skin
Kiehl’s 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.
Best Budget Overnight Cream
RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream
Best Budget Overnight Cream
RoC 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.
Best Eye Cream
Medik8 Crystal Retinal® Ceramide Eye
Best Eye Cream
Medik8 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.”
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Best Daily Moisturizer
L’Oreal Paris Men Expert Vita Lift 5 Daily Moisturizer
Best Daily Moisturizer
L’Oreal Paris 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.
Best for Oily Skin
Alastin Ultra Light Moisturizer
Best for Oily Skin
Alastin 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.
Best Vitamin C Serum
BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner
Best Vitamin C Serum
BeautyStat 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.
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Best Affordable Moisturizer
CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
Best Affordable Moisturizer
CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
Now 33% Off
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.
Dr. Dennis Gross Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream
Dr. Dennis Gross 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.
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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.
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Shop More of Our Favorite Anti-Aging Products
Christian Gollayan oversees e-commerce content for Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Previously, he was the Associate Managing Editor at TheManual.com. Christian’s work has also been featured in Food & Wine, InStyle, the New York Post, and Tatler Asia.
Brendan Camp, MD, is a double board-certified dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology in New York City. He was previously an assistant professor of dermatology at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
