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Whether you’re currently boasting smooth glowing skin, or feeling like your skin is aging years faster than the rest of you, this article is for you. Regardless of your age, the earlier you start to apply anti-aging creams, the better. If you’re proactive about caring for your skin, you can significantly delay the signs of your aging.
So, while you’re here, why not go for the best anti-aging creams out there? There are different factors to consider depending on your skin type and how early on you start applying your cream. The bottom line is that you don’t have to feel that aging skin is inevitable. Skincare technology is becoming increasingly advanced and there’s a huge amount of information out there so you can continue to look as young as you feel, and leave the fruitless search for the fountain of youth to someone else.
The anti-aging market was valued at over 42 billion USD in 2020 and is projected to continue to grow. There are an overwhelming number of anti-aging creams available on the market, so it can be challenging to identify where to start. This article blends the best of the best, giving you cream options that have science-backed, natural ingredients. This will allow you to develop a skincare routine that works alongside your body’s natural defense line and moisturizing ability.
Skin type
On average, men’s skin is around 20 – 25% thicker than women’s, which provides a significant advantage—as it’s tougher and contains more collagen. This means males have longer before their signs of aging catch up with them. However, this also means that men require products that are tailored to these differences. Men also have more pores than women.
These are the openings in your skin that allow for the release of sweat, oil, and other essentials onto the surface of your skin. Men also have more oil glands, resulting in around twice the oil production in men than women. Then there’s shaving. While this can look great, it does make your skin more prone to irritation by exposing a sensitive skin layer. You can minimize this irritation by replacing your razors often, applying shaving gel or cream, shaving when your skin is wet and warm, and always shaving in the direction your hair grows.
If you are more prone to dry skin, then you’ll want to look for moisturizers that are both oil and water-based to help you draw in moisture. If you tend to have oily skin, then you might be thinking a moisturizer is the last thing you need. However, you still need to give your skin some extra hydration. Oily skin is best treated with water-based moisturizers. If you’re somewhere in between with more of a combination of skin types, then look for natural, lightweight solutions.
Establishing a routine
To maximize the effects of your moisturizer, it’s important to start a skincare routine. It’s also a case of remembering to be patient as it will take time to reap the benefits of your use. You’ll need to start with a cleanser. This will remove dead skin, dirt, and excess oils. This can be followed up with a toner, which helps to remove stubborn dirt and balance your skin’s pH. Finally, add your moisturizer to lock in hydration and complement your naturally found protective oils.
If you’re moisturizing in the morning, add your SPF protection after you moisturize to provide your sun protection for the day. You’ll want to apply sunscreen around 30 minutes prior to sun exposure, and reapply every 2 hours. This will differ if your moisturizer already contains built-in SPF.
Without further ado, it’s time to reveal the best anti-aging creams available for men.
1. Blu Atlas Face Moisturizer
Blu Atlas, the “new kid on the block” in the skincare market, is a brand to watch out for. They’re cruelty-free, have no artificial fragrances, and contain all-natural, scientifically-backed, ingredients.
This game-changing moisturizer contains mango butter, which is packed with vitamin C and vitamin E. Vitamin C is touted as one of the best anti-aging ingredients, as it significantly reduces wrinkles and helps you look younger and rejuvenated.
Vitamin E helps to protect the skin from the damaging effects of the sun, and is a great antioxidant. Antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that break down skin cells, leading to wrinkles. As well as this, seaweed extract is found to increase the expression of SIRT1 protein. This protein is part of the sirtuin protein family which is important for your antioxidant defense line and regulation of cellular metabolism.
Blu Atlas back all of its products with a satisfaction guarantee. They are prioritizing that men take time for themselves, working towards removing the stigma surrounding men’s skincare. While having a gym routine is important, they recognize that a skincare regimen is just as important. The benefits of a routine extend beyond the impacts it has on your physical appearance—as it can reduce stress, improve sleep, and create a space for increased productivity and creative thinking.
It’s these ingredients combined with their overall approach to men’s health that make Blu Atlas’ moisturizer the best anti-aging cream option for men.
2. Brickell men’s products: Revitalizing Anti-Aging Cream for Men
Scented with a refreshing blend of eucalyptus, peppermint, and lemongrass, it’s no wonder this moisturizer is so popular. Brickell also has an unscented option available in case you want to keep your youthful beauty secrets to yourself. Dimethylethanolamine (DMAE) is one ingredient that helps with your underlying facial muscle tone, which improves the firmness and tightness of your skin, and consequently reduces skin folds. In simple terms, DMAE = fewer wrinkles.
Methylsulfonylmethane helps behind the scenes by regulating genes that play a role in maintaining healthy and younger-looking skin. It is particularly good at reducing crow’s feet—these are the fine lines and wrinkles found at the corners of your eyes.
As we age, our skin becomes far more susceptible to drying. Hyaluronic acid, a key ingredient in this moisturizer, has a ridiculous ability to retain water—holding up to 1000x its weight in water! It’s these ingredients alongside other natural, well-researched components that make this anti-aging cream a great runner-up to Blu Atlas.
Brickell also has a restoring eye cream if you’re needing to particularly target your eye wrinkles, bags, fine lines, and dark circles. If you’re not convinced by the sound of their products, they offer a free sample box that contains their essential daily moisturizer, charcoal face wash, gel face wash, face scrub, anti-aging cream, eye cream, daily strengthening shampoo, and finally, their mint body wash.
3. Skin Essence Organics: E-cream Soothing Skin Balm
Another member of the all-star moisturizer team is this natural, cruelty-free moisturizer! This cream definitely lives up to its promises and can be used all over the body. To experience the full benefits of its anti-aging properties, use it on your face daily.
That feeling of your skin loosening with age is partly because of a loss of collagen fibers—these help keep your face tight and elastic. Calendula Flower Extract, the main ingredient in this cream, enhances your body’s collagen production and allows the skin to retain more water.
As a certified organic skincare brand, they are committed to verifying every step of the process of creating their products. This makes them a standout in the industry, which remains relatively unregulated. Sustainability is at the forefront in their production line, ensuring their manufacturing, packaging, and shipping have minimal impacts on the environment.
They offer entirely recyclable packaging, produced locally to reduce their carbon footprint. Glass bottles offer not only a sustainable alternative to plastic, but they also protect their product from the damaging effects of UV rays—as these can compromise the effects of their natural ingredients.
4. Dr. Dennis Gross: Advanced Retinol + Ferulic Intense Wrinkle Cream
This powerful cream uses a combination of ingredients that collaborate to promote your body’s natural anti-aging processes. Retinol and bakuchiol help with your collagen and elastin production, softening wrinkles and fine lines. Rambutan hydrates the skin by locking in moisture and working alongside retinol and bakuchiol to promote collagen production.
It’s particularly good if you’re wanting to target your crow’s feet, those eye wrinkles. Ferulic acid is another fighter of free radicals, helping to make your skin look rejuvenated. All of this is packed in with a faint citrus scent—what’s not to love?
With over 25 years of experience, dermatologist and dermatological surgeon Dennis Gross has developed a luxurious formula to make caring for your skin a source of joy. His cancer research and practice as a dermatologist have enabled over 1650 ingredients to be removed due to their potential to harm or irritate the skin.
All of their products undergo significant laboratory, safety, and clinical studies before they hit the market. This means that you can be sure the moisturizer you’re getting is well researched, cruelty-free, and designed for results.
5. Rugged & Dapper Face Moisturizer for Men
If you’re after a natural, scent-free, undetectable product, then this is the cream for you! They guarantee 500 uses when you’re using their recommended dime-sized amount twice a day. As both a moisturizer and aftershave balm, this cream can help you start your day feeling and looking on form.
It boasts aloe vera, which minimizes wrinkles, combined with the antioxidant power of jojoba oil. Green tea also helps you fight off DNA damage from the sun’s rays with its green tea power.
Rugged and Dapper aren’t about cutting corners. They believe in all-natural, organic ingredients with none of the cheaper, harsh, and potentially toxic chemicals found in most skincare products on the market.
6. AM1 Anti-Aging Moisturizer | Normal to Dry Skin
This strong blend of science-backed ingredients will bring back your radiant complexion, allowing you to feel confident no matter what your day entails. With creatine to promote collagen production and hyaluronic acid to plump up your skin to make your wrinkles vanish, all topped off with a sandalwood cologne, you’ll be left smiling day in and day out!
While this product is more expensive, they have worked tirelessly with one of the top formulation labs in New York, alongside neuroscientists and geneticists to create top-of-the-line skincare products. A constant need to find perfection has culminated in a refined moisturizer. They also reward your loyalty with “Patrick’s Points,” entitling you to birthday gifts, special offers, and more. What’s not to love?
7. Origins Plantscription SPF 25 Power Anti-Aging Cream
Sun exposure is one of the main causes of aging skin, and in reality, we should be wearing sunscreen every day. This includes overcast days or times when we’re spending most of the day indoors—as UV rays can still penetrate the skin and cause damage on cooler or overcast days!
So, if you want ultimate protection combined with your daily moisturizing routine, then this is the product for you. It boasts hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture, brown algae to boost the skin’s natural collagen and angiogenesis.
Derived from the African bark tree, African tribes have used this for wound healing and to make it into bacteria cleansing drinks. It has been discovered that bark from this tree stimulates the growth of fibrillin, which helps form your elastic fibers, resulting in smoother skin and reversal of signs of aging. This cream is best for dry or combination skin types.
Origins have also pledged to plant and care for over 1.8 million trees around the world. They are serious about minimizing their carbon footprint and combating climate change through global tree planting initiatives.
8. Rituals: The Ritual of Samurai Anti-Aging Cream
This cream uses potent ingredients to maximize its anti-aging capabilities—including sencha, the most potent green tea in the world with the largest number of antioxidants, and the camu camu fruit, which boasts the highest amount of vitamin C. They recommend that you add this to your morning and evening skincare routine to maximize its benefits.
Inspired by the wisdom of ancient Asian cultures, they have developed this moisturizer with a unique fragrance that is both clean and environmentally conscious.
9. Ishga: Men’s Marine Face Cream
This natural moisturizer is suitable for any skin type. Their secret to skincare perfection is an ingredient found on the North West Coast of Scotland—Hebridean seaweed. This unique ingredient is packed full of natural antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids to transform your skin.
The founder, Malcolm Macrae, discovered the potential benefits of seaweed and created the company alongside co-founder and friend, Martin Macleod, in 2005. Since then, they have been perfecting their formula to deliver a product that shares the secrets and powers of Scotland’s coastline with the world!
While it started off as a brown-colored product with a strong seaweed scent, the team has adapted it to suit the skincare market after considerable testing and refining. They discovered a way to extract the potent mineral, vitamin, and antioxidant properties of seaweed without its odor. Their product is now found all over the world at prestigious spas, and the company hopes to continue to expand the reach of its unique product.
If you’re environmentally conscious, you’ll be pleased to hear that Ishga cares about sustainability. They rotate the locations they harvest seaweed from to not deplete stores significantly. Additionally, they are now phasing out all plastic packaging and replacing it with glass bottles and aluminum caps. They’ve opted for paper bags instead of plastic packaging for other products and replaced bubble wrap with shredded paper.
10. Jaxon Lane Relax and Repair
Winner of the Grooming Awards for “Best Moisturizer,” this moisturizer has a lot to offer. If you’re more prone to oily skin, then you might be better suited to this as it offers more of a matte finish. They recommend using a pea-sized amount every night. It’s alcohol and fragrance-free, making it a great option to use after shaving as these ingredients, found in other moisturizers, can cause irritation.
This is already one of the more affordable products on offer, and you can subscribe and save even more! Skincare doesn’t necessarily have to require extravagant spending to get results.
11. Jack Black: Double-Duty Face Moisturizer
Labeled as the number 1 men’s facial moisturizer by NPD in 2020, this is one to look out for. They recommend applying 15 minutes before sun exposure to make sure you’re getting full protection.
They have avobenzone to absorb the sun’s UVA rays and octinoxate to target UVB rays. Alongside this, it has sources of vitamin E, A, and C to soothe the skin and improve its overall appearance. They also offer three different-sized bottles for your convenience, especially useful for when you’re traveling or staying at home.
Nothing complicated, just an all-in-one skincare product that will give you the results you’re after.
12. Mediheal, N.M.F Intensive Hydrating Cream
If you suffer from dry skin, this cream developed by top dermatologists is the answer. This cream uses science-backed ingredients to trap moisture in your skin. Organic humectants are hydrophilic, “water-loving” ingredients that attract water.
Mineral-rich sea salt helps to restore the skin’s protective barrier and attracts water, improving hydration by allowing the skin to retain its moisture. Sugar maple and mega-humectant snow mushrooms provide a natural, gentle exfoliant.
Exfoliation is one of the most effective ways to maintain youthful skin, by speeding up cellular turnover. As we age our natural exfoliation slows, resulting in the build-up of dull, dead skin. This Korean-based company has been researching and developing beauty products since 1969 so their expertise places them above many other competing brands.
13. Urth Skin Solutions for Men Antioxidant Face Complex
Do you feel like your skin is looking tired? This oil-free all-in-one moisturizer will help bring back your fresh and rejuvenated look. Chamomile contains powerful antioxidants including phytochemicals and polyphenols. It prevents free radical damage and reduces skin inflammation.
Witch Hazel, from a tree-like plant indigenous to North America and parts of Asia, offers similar antioxidant effects. It’s also rich in tannins—these help to mop up excess oil from the skin without making it too dry, and fight off bacterial infections. Allantoin promotes the growth of new skin cells as it acts as a gentle exfoliant.
Another sustainability-friendly brand, Urth uses only recycled and biodegradable packaging. They also choose to make to order (MTO), to minimize waste.
14. LAB Series: Lab Series Anti-Age Max LS Cream
This cream attempts to counteract the inevitable effects of gravity on the skin. The creators carried out clinical testing on 28 men using their cream twice a day for 12 weeks. Their findings included firming of the skin with a visible lift, visible improvement of the skin’s elasticity, and a 14% increase in skin smoothness and encouragement of the body’s natural collagen production for skin repair.
One of their not-so-secret ingredients is anti-aging peptides. They help to not only improve the elasticity of the skin, resulting in it visibly lifting, but also to reduce wrinkles by promoting natural collagen production. Goji berry, cranberry, and blueberry extracts revitalize the skin through their high vitamin content. Their website offers the chance to talk directly to their beauty experts to determine which of their products is best for you!
15. Bulldog Skincare For Men, Age Defence Moisturizer
Bulldog offers an option for more affordable, all-natural, skincare, to be used day and night. They also offer deals when you purchase more than one at a time to maximize your savings. At only 100ml, this is a great travel-sized option. Rosemary, echinacea, and vitamin E provide powerful antioxidant effects.
Rosemary stimulates cell growth and helps to restore elasticity, resulting in firm and supple skin. Echinacea is described as a miracle herb, used for thousands of years in Native American medicine. It’s well known for its benefits to the immune system.
With antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, this flower provides strong protection from sun damage and the effects of pollution. Additionally, it boosts your body’s own natural moisturizing power by increasing levels of cholesterol, epidermal lipids, and ceramides. These combine to result in a strong, protective outer layer that prevents moisture from escaping.
16. Hims Goodnight Wrinkle Cream
This water-based, cruelty-free moisturizer works night shifts—apply before bed, and it will prevent overnight water evaporation and reduce puffiness so that you wake up looking younger every day! While you may reserve caffeine for your morning cup of Joe, its antioxidant properties help replace moisture to freshen up your skin.
Shea butter traps water in the skin, working alongside hyaluronic acid to allow cells to swell with water and smoothen out the skin. Caffeine and shea butter also reduce skin inflammation. Inflammation weakens skin structure by destroying collagen and elastin, contributing to wrinkle formation. This has a mild, calming aroma if you’re looking for a more subtle moisturizer.
Hims don’t stop at just skincare, too. They’re also committed to offering mental health support to treat stress, anxiety, burnout, and depression. They offer online therapy with licensed professionals and individual treatment plans. There is also the opportunity to join anonymous support groups to learn strategies that help you to cope with whatever it is you’re struggling with. Online psychiatry providers are also available to evaluate whether you are in need of medication and can arrange direct shipping to your door.
Other ways to prevent signs of aging
Moisturizer is not the only way to prevent signs of skin aging. There are many other steps you can take to slow or delay its onset, as your environment and how you live can influence this process. Combine these practices with your top choice of these best anti-aging creams for men and you’ll be winning.
- Protect yourself from the sun. Even if you’re just getting a tan over summer, you’re still damaging your skin as you’re exposing yourself to UV rays, which advance the aging process. Put on some sunscreen, stay in the shade, and cover up with long sleeves and you’ll have all the protection you need.
- Drink less alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates you and dries out your skin.
- Quit smoking. If you’re a smoker or intend on taking it up, stop. Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes dramatically speed up how quickly the skin ages. Oxygen flow to the skin is reduced by nicotine, as it causes blood vessels to shrink, contributing to wrinkles.
- Eat a healthy, balanced, diet. A diet rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and healthy fats will promote healthy skin. Soy products have also been recently discovered as protectors, particularly from the sun’s damage, improving firmness and structure of the skin.
- Get sufficient sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body produces cortisol, a stress hormone. This promotes the breakdown of skin cells, leading to more wrinkles. When you get sufficient sleep, you produce human growth hormone (HGH) which can improve the appearance of your skin.
- Don’t overwash your face. This may seem counterintuitive. However, when you wash your face you strip your skin of its natural barrier oils, which prevent bacteria from entering the skin, and your body’s natural moisture which limits the formation of wrinkles.
