What Are The Top 5 Anti-Aging Ingredients?

With the world of skincare growing each year, it can be quite difficult to keep up with all the latest trends. We’ve witnessed products packed with bee venom, snail mucus, and even human skin cells, so it’s safe to say that the industry is evolving in more ways than one.

While these eyebrow-raising ingredients have products flying off the shelves, it begs the question - do they work?

In this article, Dēpology will be covering the top 5 best anti-aging ingredients used within our own products. These ingredients have been proven to fight fine lines and wrinkles, giving your skin a youthful and natural glow - without the need to go to war with a bee.

Best Ingredients For Anti-Aging

• CERAMIDES

Naturally formed in the outer layers of your skin, ceramides are lipids (fats) that play a crucial role when it comes to skin hydration and moisture. Our ceramide levels start to decline as we age and dry weather, sun damage, and diets lacking fatty acids all contribute to this.

Having a skincare regimen that includes ceramides can lock in moisture, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and smooth the skin by repairing cracks. Ceramides have also been known to protect the skin from harsh elements such as cold and dry air, or irritants in soaps and facial washes.

That all sounds fine and dandy, but do products with ceramides actually work? Well, a study conducted in 2018 tested four facial creams (one made from ceramides) on 50 men and women aged 19 - 63. Even after 24 hours of applying the cream, the one containing ceramide resulted in a significant increase in skin hydration compared to the others.

Additionally, it was shown that the cream containing ceramides was non-irritating to both adults and children, meaning it’s suitable for almost all skin types.

How ceramides can help you:

• Locks in moisture
• Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Improves skin texture
• Protects from harsh elements

When to use ceramides:

Ceramides can be found in creams, moisturizers, and skin cleansers. Where ceramides fit into your routine all depends on the product you use - moisturizers work best when applied right after a shower or bath, or as the last step in your skincare routine. Skin cleansers are designed to be used twice a day.

• RETINOL
  

Perhaps the powerhouse ingredient when it comes to fighting anti-aging, retinol can be found in most skin care products that center around reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

Retinoids work by neutralizing free radicals within the middle layer of the skin, which in turn helps skin renewal and builds up elastin. This plumping and tightening effect can reduce fine lines, wrinkles, and enlarged pores.

Another great thing about retinoids is their ability to stimulate the production of new blood vessels. This improves skin color, fights age spots, and improves the texture of the skin by softening rough patches.

If that isn’t enough to fill your boots, retinol can also be used to treat acne and acne-scarred skin.

How retinol can help you:

• Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
• Fights age spots and hyperpigmentation
• Improves skin texture
• Treats acne
• Lighten and tighten the skin

When to use retinol:

Since retinol can be used to treat hyperpigmentation, skin texture, and acne, you don’t have to wait until wrinkles begin to form.

Retinol is best applied at night as it speeds up cellular turnover. This means your skin will become extra sensitive to the sun, as well as diminishing the power of the retinol itself. When you apply retinol will depend on which product you are using, but it should always be used on clean skin.

If you are a first-time retinol user, it is recommended that you apply the product every three days to let your skin adjust.

• Hyaluronic Acid 

Next on our list of best ingredients for anti-aging is hyaluronic acid, famous for its incredible hydrating power. As we know, one of the main reasons for premature fine lines and wrinkles is dehydrated skin.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan and is the main reason why your skin has structure; in other words, it’s responsible for that hydrated, plum look we all know and love.

Why do we love HA so much? Well, it has the power to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. HA is a humectant, which means it draws moisture from the atmosphere, delivering it to the surface of your face to keep it nice and dehydrated.

How hyaluronic acid can help you:

• Hydrate the skin
• Protects against moisture loss
• Reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Increase skin elasticity
• Treat eczema
• Reduce redness
• Heal wounds
• Leaves the skin looking soft and supple

When to use hyaluronic acid:

HA can be used in a range of skincare products such as creams, serums, masks, and facial patches.

One of our favorite ways to use HA is inside microneedle facial patches. When used in this way, the ingredients don’t just sit on the skin, but they are allowed to soak just under the surface, making for a more effective treatment.

If you decide to go with a moisturizer containing HA, you can use this at the same time you would regularly moisturize in your routine. Ideally, this would be after applying serums, two times a day.

• Vitamin C

Another legendary anti-aging ingredient in the skincare world is vitamin C.

While we all know that a healthy dose of vitamin C is great for our body, it is also a fantastic antioxidant and anti-flammatory nutrient that can help improve skin tone, texture, and reduce the signs of aging.

Research shows that topical vitamin C is far more effective for your skin compared to eating fruits and vegetables. Not only can it brighten your complexion, but it can also protect against skin damage and free radicals.

How vitamin C can help you:

• Antioxidants protection
• Even skin tone - reduces redness
• Reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Repair damaged skin and heal wounds
• Brighten the complexion
• Reduce dark spots and hyperpigmentation  
• Hydrate the skin

When to use vitamin C:

This powerful antioxidant is used in a plethora of skin care products such as cleansers, serums, moisturizers, facemasks, and oils.

It is recommended to apply vitamin C 1-2 times a day, both morning and night. Serums are especially effective when it comes to using vitamin C as they are more easily absorbed on the skin.

• Glycolic Acid

Last but not least on our best ingredients for wrinkles list is glycolic acid. This popular chemical exfoliant can be found naturally in foods such as fruits, beets, and sugarcane. This magic ingredient works to remove the top layer of dead skin cells without the need for scrubbing.

Since glycolic acid is made up of teeny tiny molecules, it is more effective when penetrating the deeper layers of the skin. As it unsticks the dead skin cells, it reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, uncovering a brighter and more youthful-looking skin.

How glycolic acid can help you:

• Removes dead skin cells, in turn brightening the skin
• Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Treats hyperpigmentation and sun spots
• Hydrates the skin
• Smooths skin texture

When to use glycolic acid:

Glycolic acid can be found in cleansers, serums, acne treatments, moisturizers, toners, and facemasks. When you use the ingredient all depends on the product you are using. That being said, it is best to use at night as it could heighten the risk of sunburn.

Anti-aging Things To Do

Having a good skincare routine can only go so far; your daily life also hugely affects the way your skin reacts. Take a look at top anti-aging tips and try to incorporate a few into your lifestyle.

1. Wear sun protection every day - a sunscreen that is broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher is recommended.
2. Avoid harmful UV rays - instead of a trip to the sun beds, pick up a bottle of self-tanner.
3. Eat a well-balanced diet - try adding collagen and iron-rich foods.
4. Stop smoking.
5. Cut back on the alcohol - it dehydrates the skin!
6. Exercise often - it boosts circulation
7. And use Dēpology Micro Dart Under-eye Patches consistently!

Ingredients For Mature Skin

Our best anti-aging advice? It’s never too early to start! Fine lines and wrinkles can begin to appear as early as 25, so getting yourself a good skincare routine is always beneficial at any age.

While ingredients such as snail slime and bee venom may sound exciting, the best anti-aging ingredients have been there all along - there’s a reason why hyaluronic acid and vitamin C have been used in skincare for years!

So, next time you get drawn in by pretty packaging or the promise of a brand new you, check the ingredients list and see if anything we mentioned today is included.

Dēpology has always believed that the right ingredients are the first step to a successful skincare routine that will have both the mind and body glowing.