Best Anti Aging Cream For Firm, Plump, and Improve Tone
Experts recommend hydrating your skin at night to help reduce fine lines. Look for ingredients like retinol and hyaluronic acid that can firm, plump, and improve tone.
This cream aced our GH Beauty Lab anti-aging test with a blend of line-reducing retinol, collagen-boosting peptides, and barrier-replenishing ceramides. It also contains bakuchiol, a plant-based retinol alternative that helps smooth wrinkles and fade dark spots.
1. Neutrogena Retinol Night Cream
While it’s inevitable that wrinkles and dark spots will eventually appear, incorporating an anti-aging skincare routine early on helps slow the natural process. It’s also a good idea to start using an anti-aging cream with powerful ingredients like retinol as soon as possible, in order to reap the most benefits.
There are many retinol-inclusive options lining beauty shelves, but the one that dermatologists and shoppers swear by is Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Night Face Moisturizer. This potent formula has been shown to help smooth the look of fine lines and fade dark spots, while hydrating skin with Hyaluronic Acid. The result is softer, more radiant skin with less visible signs of aging.
The powerful formula is enriched with Retinol Pro+ 0.3%, a combination of patented technology and expertly stabilized pure retinol that’s been proven to work faster, yet still be gentle on skin. It also contains a nourishing blend of Hyaluronic Acid, which is known to bind up to 1000 times its weight in water, helping skin feel hydrated and look healthy. The face and neck moisturizer also helps target the appearance of deep wrinkles and stubborn dark spots, revealing visibly smoother, younger-looking skin in just a week.
The cream should be applied daily, to the clean face and neck, with a pearl-sized amount. Apply a sunscreen with broad spectrum SPF 30 or higher during the daytime. If you’re new to retinol, gradually incorporate into your skincare regimen, starting with once per week and increasing to twice per week as tolerated. Suitable for all skin types. This retinol face and neck moisturizer is paraben-free, oil-free, fragrance-free and hypoallergenic. The product is dermatologist-tested. This face and neck cream is available online and at select drugstores nationwide.
2. Olay Retinol Night Cream
This Olay product is an inexpensive retinol night cream that can be used as both a moisturizer and sunscreen. It provides 24 hours of hydration and includes SPF 30 sun protection to help protect against UVA/UVB rays. It also contains a combination of Vitamin C and retinol to brighten skin and make it look more radiant. It’s made without fragrance, parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, or synthetic dyes. The combination of Vitamin C and retinol can cause a bit of irritation, so it’s best to use them one at a time over the course of a few weeks.
Olay claims that this retinol night cream helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while visibly improving smoothness, brightness, firming, dark spots, and pores. The face cream is formulated to deliver 24-hour hydration, and it has a light, silky texture that won’t leave your skin feeling greasy or sticky. It’s a great option for those who want to try out a retinol product but are worried about their budget.
The Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 collection includes a serum, eye cream, and moisturizer, all of which contain water-capturing glycerin and skin-protecting dimethicone. The star ingredients in this line are retinol and niacinamide, which both help improve skin’s tone and texture. Niacinamide is a super-charged form of vitamin B3 that has a long list of skincare benefits and has been proven to be effective at fighting the signs of aging. It works by boosting skin’s natural collagen production and speeding up the process of cell turnover. It can also reduce redness and inflammation and help with discoloration.
3. NeoStrata Retinol Neck Cream
With peptides and shea butter, this neck cream from Elizabeth Arden helps fortify lax skin on the face and neck. It also contains wrinkle-reducing antioxidants, which helps smooth skin’s texture. It’s rich, but our tests and reviewers say it absorbs quickly, leaving skin feeling plump and moisturized without an oily sheen. It’s a good choice for dry, mature skin types.
For a pricier option that’s celebrity-loved and featured in TikTok videos, go for the StriVectin Tighten & Lift Advanced Anti-Aging Neck Treatment. This product has more than 4,100 five-star reviews and was recommended by both Dr. Mehr and Dr. Brauer. It’s made with eight different firming peptides, so it improves skin structure and supports collagen for a more lifted appearance. It’s also formulated to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, visibly improve uneven tone, and help fight the look of a double chin.
Retinol is a key ingredient that can help fade the appearance of brown spots, sun damage, and discoloration by increasing skin turnover. This powerful over-the-counter version is a pure stabilized form of Vitamin A, and it’s gentler than prescription strength retinol. It can cause some dryness and irritation in sensitive skin, so work it into your regimen slowly. It also works best when used with a hydrating serum and a soothing cleanser.
If you love the effects of retinol but can’t tolerate it, this plant-based alternative is your new best friend. This formula features a plant-based peptide from the picao preto seed and hyaluronic acid to boost hydration, plus it’s cruelty free. It also helps reduce the look of fine lines, and our test panels loved it for its softening and firming results.
4. Kate Somerville Retinol Night Cream
Designed to gently infuse skin with anti-aging superstars Retinol and Vitamin C, this luxurious moisturizer improves skin texture and tone while reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles. The RetAsphere Smart Release Carrier system delivers pure Retinol in a lipid shell that melts evenly into the epidermis, where it is most effective. The formula also includes Seaweed Extract to help prevent over-drying, while bio-derived Hyaluronic Acid locks in hydration for a smoother complexion. It is enriched with plant extracts, including Wild Gooseberry Extract, to soothe and protect against free radical damage.
This unique blend of powerhouse ingredients firm, smooth & brighten skin while you sleep. Developed in Kate’s Skin Health Expert Clinic, this silky weightless face serum acts like a powerful power nap to refresh dull skin. Wake up to a visibly firmer, brighter and more luminously youthful-looking complexion.
The hydrating overnight cream features the highest-grade Retinol, which has been stabilized to reduce irritation. It works to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, even skin tone, brighten dark spots, and improve skin firmness and elasticity.
Retinol slows the breakdown of collagen and increases skin elasticity, which helps to smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles. This formula is also rich in vitamin C, which boosts collagen production and brightens the complexion. It is formulated with other plant extracts and antioxidants, including wild gooseberry extract to soothe the skin and neutralize free radicals that can cause premature aging.
5. Dr. Loretta Retinol Night Cream
A dermatologist-approved cream that reduces fine lines and wrinkles and fades dark spots and hyperpigmentation. It works to prevent aging by boosting collagen production and slowing down the breakdown of existing collagen while accelerating cell turnover to remove stores of pigment. The formula also hydrates and unclogs pores to make skin look more clear, bright, and youthful. It contains 0.5% retinol, which is safe for most skin types (excluding sensitive skin).
A 2018 Blink Beauty Winner, this concentrated serum smoothes wrinkles and boosts luminosity, tone, and pore appearance with the most skin-friendly form of retinol. Non-irritating retinoic ester and antioxidants Lipochroman and CoQ10 support collagen and improve texture while niacinamide brightens skin and ash tree bark extract helps control excess oils. It’s a good choice for retinol first-timers, too because it isn’t as harsh as prescription alternatives.
The lightweight serum is free of sulfates (SLS/SLES), phthalates, parabens, mineral oil, propylene glycol, hydroquinone, formaldehyde-releasing ingredients, talc, alcohol, DEA/TEA/MEA, triclosan, and artificial fragrance and dyes. It’s recommended to use the product 2-3 times a week on clean skin before applying your moisturizer of choice and sunscreen in the morning. If you are new to retinol, start slowly by using it only once a night and work your way up. It is best to combine retinol with a vitamin C product for maximum results. Apply both products on alternating nights for the first two weeks, then follow with your favorite moisturizer and sunscreen during the day. The product contains 20% L-ascorbic acid which lightens dark spots and makes skin appear firmer and more silky, while retinol promotes collagen growth and reduces fine lines.
