If you go searching online for skincare recommendations geared towards fifty-something skin, we guarantee most of the products you’ll find boast attributes like “anti-aging” or “youth-boosting”. But have you ever asked yourself why the natural (and normal!) progression of getting older is something so many try to avoid?

For many, entering this decade has been preached as fearful with the anticipation of a so-called ‘midlife crisis’ coupled with a slowing body and unexpected skin changes. The struggles you faced in your younger years become even more pronounced. Hormones, collagen, lipid content, and water retention are at their lowest levels and impact the skin’s overall appearance. 

We’d be lying if we said that there isn’t a lot of change that comes with reaching this age. But what if we changed the narrative? What if instead of fear we felt bliss in these changes by celebrating the life they mark rather than trying to reverse them?

Through skincare, we want to help you find serenity and confidence in your aging. So, we’ve identified the top three skincare concerns people face in their fifties and have pulled ingredient-forward products to help you face and embrace them. 

WRINKLES

By the time you reach this age, your folds and creases are a part of your skin’s story and as much as we want you to find beauty in this fact, we know there’s a lot more that goes into it. 

As with previous ones, this decade brings a lot of hormonal changes, particularly for women. Your fifties mark the onset of menopause, which brings a drop in collagen production and decline in skin’s elasticity. As a result, wrinkles form. 

If you’re looking to combat, your skin needs two very important things: vitamin C and hydration. Skin loses its ability to retain nutrients and moisture with age, so incorporating deeply nourishing and hydrating steps in your routine is crucial for blurring wrinkles.

Whether you spent your youth basking in the sun sans SPF or simply have your genes to thank (or not), there’s a serum for that. Say goodbye to creased texture and hello to plump skin with our choice from Agent Nateur.

We Love: Agent Nateur - Holi Lift Ageless Lifting and Firming Serum

 Price: $210

Formulated specifically for mature skin, this serum is packed with revolutionary and potent ingredients that deeply hydrate, brighten, and lift skin. One being Leucojum Aestivum (aka Summer Snowflake) bulb extract, a naturally-extracted youth elixir. Acting in a similar way to botox, this ingredient slows down muscle contraction, which causes sagging skin to tighten and refine. It works well alongside New Zealand red seaweed, which quenches moisture and effectively brightens the skin.

The formula’s vitamin C comes from pitaya and French silk peptides, which are flooded with nutrients that revitalize skin tone and leave skin feeling firm and lifted. For maximum hydration and suppleness, vitamin E-packed aloe, rosehip, and rice bran oils work in synergy to deliver moisture to your skin and impart a smooth texture.

DRYNESS

At the root of nearly every aging skin woe—wrinkles, drooping under eyes, crepey lip creases—is one thing: dehydration. As you age, your oil and sweat glands become less active, meaning your skin is working overtime to hold onto as much moisture as possible.

To support (and give your body’s efforts a break), we recommend seeking formulas that deliver hydration topically and nourish skin deeply by rebuilding its protective barrier. By treating dryness from within, you’re able to recover skin and strengthen it in the short and long term. 

Our recommendation when it comes to results you can count on, fast, will forever be from cult-followed brand, Maya Chia.

We Love: MAYA CHIA - The Advanced Response Complex Treatment

 Price: $160

This innovative treatment cream from the brand is designed to hasten your skin’s response mechanisms to the aging process. The unique formula helps to regenerate healthy skin cells, smooth fine lines caused by dryness, and replenish lost moisture. 

At the forefront of this revolutionary product is a proprietary peptide-rich growth factor, which acts as a healing agent to boost collagen, improve firmness and elasticity, and strengthen the skin barrier. According to a 6-week consumer study 100% of the participants felt their skin had a smoother texture and brighter appearance—knocking out both dullness and dehydration.

UNEVEN TONE

After many years of sun-bathing and late nights, it should be no surprise if you experience discoloration in your skin. You’ve given yourself ample exposure time to free-radicals (sun, environmental pollutants, food chemicals) allowing for their damage to settle in. Which, may we add, is of no fault of yours only.

While this damage can’t be reversed, it can be treated. As skin ages, cellular turnover slows to a point of nearly stopping, which is why an uneven tone seems to be of greatest concern in your fifties.

The key is incorporating antioxidants through both skin-loving acids and hydrating actives to balance out texture, promote healthy turnover, and help you maintain a bright complexion. We can’t help but turn to the holy-grail: goop’s Dark Spot Exfoliating Sleep Milk as our recommendation, for it provides all of this in one easy skincare step.

We Love: Goop - GOOPGlow Dark Spot Exfoliating Sleep Milk

 Price: $128

This silky 10% multi-acid milk serum targets dark spots, uneven tone, and dullness by resurfacing skin overnight. Free-form, encapsulated glycolic and lactic acid work in tandem to gently, yet effectively, exfoliate and encourage healthy cellular turnover. 

The formula also houses skin-restoring “desert milk” which soothes and smooths skin, thanks to its potent extracts. To underscore the benefits of this milk, hyaluronic acid and squalane are added to the mix (major winners in skincare hydration!) to replenish the skin barrier and reveal a more even-toned complexion.

Have other concerns that weren’t covered?

We get, your skin tells the unique story of your life’s experiences. Get customized product picks to guide you through the next chapter of your skincare journey.

These products were meticulously curated by our team of experts based on their innovation, performance, and buzz-worthiness. At the Detox Market, all of the products we carry have pure ingredients, exceptional performance, and cruelty free formulations. We've been the trusted clean beauty experts for over a decade, cutting through the clean beauty noise and providing you with nothing but the best in green beauty. You can learn more about our commitment to clean beauty here.

DISCOVER SKINCARE FOR YOUR 50s