A good serum is the lynchpin of any good skincare routine, whatever your age, but for mature skin, they’re particularly important. “Serums are a great addition to any skincare routine for mature skin because they’re formulated to target specific concerns, many of which become more pronounced as we age. “This could include issues such as pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, sensitivity and inflammation or dehydration,” says aesthetic doctor Dr David Jack.
Vogue’s best serums for mature skin at a glance:
Be careful not to confuse a serum with a moisturiser though – the two have very distinct roles in your skincare routine. Although both have their benefits, serums are generally considered a more potent and effective option for targeting specific concerns like fine lines, UV-induced hyperpigmentation and age-related dullness. “Serums have become an essential component of any skincare regimen due to their ability to deliver more potent active ingredients deep into the skin,” explains Jack. “Unlike moisturisers, which primarily focus on hydration and forming a protective barrier, serums generally have a thinner consistency and a higher concentration of active ingredients, allowing them to target specific skin concerns more effectively.”
With all that being said, there are so many options available that finding the right one for your particular concerns can be tricky. To help you, we’ve narrowed down an edit of some of the best serums for mature skin, including those that focus on hyaluronic acid to deliver deep hydration and those that smooth out fine lines and boost collagen production.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Inspired by the rise of injectable wrinkle-relaxing treatments (i.e., Botox), SkinCeuticals’ P-Tiox Serum is designed to target expression lines while helping skin look smoother, firmer and more refined overall. The lightweight formula combines a cocktail of peptides – which help support collagen production and skin elasticity – with hydrating ingredients that instantly boost moisture levels and soften the appearance of fine lines. Unlike heavier rich creams, it absorbs quickly and layers seamlessly beneath moisturiser and SPF, making it suitable for all skin types – whether you’ve got dry or blemish-prone skin. The immediate payoff is skin that looks fresher and more hydrated, while continued use helps improve texture and visible signs of ageing over time.
- Key ingredients: peptides, PHAs, niacinamide
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: The beauty of The Ordinary is that it cuts through all the noise and tells you exactly what’s in each formula. This one in particular blends 92 per cent volufiline and 1 per cent pal-isoleucine to target volume loss, plump fine lines and support skin elasticity.
- Editor’s experience: “The texture of this formula is unexpected – leaning more watery-oil than traditional serum. That said, I like to be very particular with where and how I apply it. My target area is my hollow under-eyes, so I dispense two small drops onto my fingers before massaging it into the orbital bone. That way, the serum doesn’t get in my eyes. It’s the first volufiline formula that I tried, and the one that got me hooked. Its benefits are subtle but cumulative. I can always tell a difference the next morning.” —Kiana Murden, beauty shopping editor
- More to know:
- Key ingredients: 92 per cent volufiline, palmitoyl isoleucine
- Size: 15 ml
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: When skin is looking tired, dehydrated or dull, this is the sort of serum that can make a noticeable difference almost immediately. Sea rockweed extract and vitamin B12 help comfort stressed, dehydrated skin, while Sisley’s signature Black Rose molecular extract works to protect against environmental aggressors. Elsewhere, a plumping biosaccharide helps boost hydration and support skin’s natural collagen production, while lemon extract gently refines texture and enhances radiance. While it won’t replace lost volume, it expertly addresses one of the biggest contributors to lacklustre skin: dehydration. The lightweight texture absorbs quickly, helping skin look smoother, fresher and more supple, with a subtle plumping effect that softens the appearance of fine lines.
- Key ingredients: antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B12
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: If you’re already a fan of Medik8’s range of vitamin C serums, you’ll love the latest addition to the roster. While it offers a punchy dose of stabilised vitamin C (20 per cent in this case), the real secret to its efficacy lies in the adjoining ingredients. While acetyl zingerone, an omni antioxidant with hefty studies that it protects against London pollution, delivers further protection against free radicals (as well as enhancing the vitamin C), it’s the inclusion of phtyo-exosomes that’s exciting. Chosen because they pose zero skin barrier disruption, they work hard to ensure the formula is highly tolerated and able to get to where it needs to go without issue.
- Key ingredients: vitamin C, acetyl zingerone, phyto exosomes
- Best for: Unlike the brand’s C-Tetra Luxe serum, which is more of an oil-based serum, anyone who prefers a lighter, more milky formula will adore this. It sinks in instantly and provides a great base for make-up too. Designed for hyperpigmentation, dull and sensitive skin
- Benefits: Brightening, hydrating, firming, smoothing
- How to apply: two to three pumps every morning
- Size: 30 ml
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Augustinus Bader’s skin-thirst-quenching serum is a great option for ageing skin that’s prone to dryness. Deeply hydrating with resveratrol and squalane, it's also packed with antioxidants like vitamin C, a polysaccharide moisture complex and the TFC8 technology that’s made the brand a must-try. The proprietary ingredient nourishes the skin while promoting cellular renewal.
- Key ingredients: TFC8 (a blend of vitamins, amino acids and synthesised molecules), vitamin C, polysaccharide moisture complex.
- Best for: The serum hydrates the skin, makes wrinkles less visible and dampens inflammation for a calmer, healthier complexion.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: You might not realise it, but microparticulate pollution causes significant damage to the skin, which can accumulate over time, leading to aggravated signs of ageing. This serum, powered by advanced epigenetic technology (focused on changes caused by environmental factors), is specially formulated to offer effective repair and protection. By deactivating negative chemical reactions that occur when your skin comes into contact with pollution, it also promotes better cell cleansing, slows down cellular decline and supports the skin’s DNA structure.
- Key ingredients: epigenetic peptide
- Best for: Great if you’re noticing any signs that your skin looks especially fatigued, such as increased hyperpigmentation, dullness and a lack of firmness.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: A great all-rounder that tackles issues from dullness and dryness to clarity of skin tone. The bi-phase formula combines the benefits of both an oil and a serum to nourish and condition skin, while also delivering its active ingredients efficiently. The relatively affordable price tag also makes it a great option if you are new to serums and want to dip your toe in the water before fully committing.
- Key ingredients: centella asiatica, ginseng, squalane.
- Best for: Anyone concerned about a lacklustre appearance, whose skin needs energising.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: A lack of firmness is one of the hallmarks of ageing skin, but this cleverly devised formula contains a host of actives to help you deal with it. Supercharged and clinically proven to work on things like prominent nasolabial folds, crow’s feet and the tear trough area, the serum uses a peptide complex alongside a growth factor complex and lipids to reinstate firmness and improve skin’s structure for a more youthful appearance.
- Key ingredients: 3 per cent growth factor complex, 9 per cent lifting peptide complex, MSM, copper lysinate, phospholipids, glycolipids.
- Best for: Restoring a firmer silhouette, as well as plumper and more hydrated skin.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: The blend of acids and the addition of taurine – an amino acid which helps with cellular renewal – help make this serum stand out. Phytic acid, another of the serum’s ingredients, can help encourage a more even skin tone, while mandelic acid (which is considered a gentle AHA) is a great choice for more mature skin that might be prone to irritation and sensitivity. There’s also glycolic acid, which penetrates deep into the skin to promote cell turnover, stimulate collagen production and reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation.
- Key ingredients: 7.7 per cent multi-acids (phylic, mandelic, salicylic and glycolic acids), taurine (an amino acid that promotes moisture and cell renewal).
- Best for: A great all-rounder for mature skin that’s experiencing anything from a loss of firmness to a lack of glow and an uneven skin surface.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Formulated for fast results, Elizabeth Arden’s Retinol + HPR Ceramide Capsules promise to diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. Though retinol and the promise of rapid results may signal the potential for irritation, rest assured that has been taken care of with this clever formulation. Clinically tested on sensitive skin, the product is formulated with soothing bisabolol and oat, as well as a retinol complex that’s infused with the anti-ageing, retinoic acid ester HPR. HPR works by binding directly to retinoid receptors in the skin, thus bypassing the need for any chemical conversion and subsequent associated irritation.
- Key ingredients: Peptides and ceramides (to strengthen the moisture barrier), retinol and HPR complex (to target signs of ageing), bisabolol and oat (to soothe the skin).
- Best for: Vitamin A is considered the gold standard in any anti-ageing formulation because of its ability to support the skin’s natural collagen production and visibly smooth stubborn lines and wrinkles.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: La Roche-Posay infuses its products with thermal spring water that soothes and revives mature skin, so this is a good option if your skin is looking thirsty and fatigued. In the brand’s dark-spot-correcting serum, this is combined with brightening niacinamide and Melasyl, making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to even out their skin tone and brighten things up. The gel-serum texture absorbs quickly into the skin and can be applied morning and night to the face and neck.
- Key ingredients: Melasyl (a proprietary ingredient that reduces the appearance of dark spots), niacinamide, La Roche-Posay thermal spring water.
- Best for: A great serum that works well to prevent new hyperpigmentation from occurring and reduce the appearance of existing hyperpigmentation. Its anti-inflammatory properties also make it helpful for those with a tendency towards conditions such as rosacea.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Non-comedogenic and dermatologist-tested, RoC’s wrinkle-smoothing classic is a favourite for those tiptoeing into retinol use. Of course, the vitamin A derivative, which speeds up cellular turnover to reveal fresher-looking skin, has been known to irritate some skin types, but not with this retinol serum. It contains a stabilised form of pure retinol that’s gentle enough for the uninitiated.
- Key ingredients: Retinol, plus a mineral complex that enhances the retinol’s efficacy.
- Best for: Targeting stubborn, deep-set wrinkles that can be difficult to treat, this serum can give the skin a smoother, more youthful appearance in around three months.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Most experts will agree that the ingredients in iS Clinical Active Serum add up to be pretty much the perfect recipe for rejuvenation. The combination of AHAs and BHAs encourages effective exfoliation, accelerates cell renewal and reduces fine lines and wrinkles, while humectants like glycerin and butylene glycol ensure the skin stays hydrated and maintains elasticity. Bilberry and mushroom extracts protect against environmental damage, preserving skin’s health and preventing premature ageing. If you’re prone to breakouts, salicylic acid is on hand to unclog and minimise pores, decrease blemishes and enhance clarity.
- Key ingredients: Bilberry and sugarcane (exfoliating AHAs), mushroom (a brightening antimicrobial ingredient), white yellow bark (a botanical BHA that exfoliates and purifies the pores).
- Best for: Anyone with mature skin looking to improve skin texture, tone and overall appearance.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Medik8 Crystal Retinal 10 Serum is an excellent choice for mature skin thanks to its powerful combination of targeted ingredients that work to reduce the signs of ageing. Alongside retinal – a form of vitamin A that is more potent than retinol and promotes better cell turnover and stimulates collagen production – the serum also contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which keep mature skin hydrated and reduce the look of fine lines.
- Key ingredients: Retinal, hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
- Best for: Containing 0.1 per cent retinal, the Crystal Retinal 10 Serum isn’t for the retinal-curious. The brand recommends this product for those who have already tried and comfortably tolerated a gentler retinal serum, such as the Crystal Retinal 6, which contains 0.06 per cent retinal.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Vichy’s LiftActiv Retinol Pure Serum combines a potent dose of retinol with soothing ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid to improve skin texture, while minimising irritation. In a five-month clinical study, the serum proved to visibly reduce the look of wrinkles in all participants. It also fades dark spots, while upping the ante on radiance.
- Key ingredients: 0.2 per cent retinol, peptides, glycerin and prebiotic ferment (to soothe the skin and repair the barrier).
- Best for: If you have sensitive or oil-prone skin and prefer the feel of a lighter formula, this milky serum is for you.
- Why we love it: A clever blend of synergistic ingredients including 10% vitamin C with azelaic acid, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and glutathione, this multitasking serum formula helps protect against aggressors that exacerbate ageing and works to brighten skin, banish dullness and improve firmness. A great all-rounder in terms of skin concerns, but also a joy to use daily.
- Key ingredients: 10% vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, glutathione
- Best for: If you’re looking to improve hyperpigmentation and bring clarity to skin, this works well.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: This serum works on the mother cells in the skin, which Dior’s scientists have found diminish with age, resulting in a lack of firmness and signs of ageing. Containing an encapsulated multi-ferment Dior complex, consisting of 85 molecules that target the signs of ageing, it also features H.A. polyfiller technology, which includes a complex of hyaluronic acids and polyglycerols that give skin a plumping effect.
- Key ingredients: Longoza extract, iris extract, hyaluronic acid, polyglycerols.
- Best for: Although it addresses everything from a lack of hydration to renewed cell turnover, this is a good option if slackening skin is a concern.
- Why it’s Vogue-approved: Taking a three-pronged approach to anti-ageing, this striking serum formula uses a host of potent actives to address the most common signs of ageing. While a stable blend of vitamin C and niacinamide is on hand to reduce dark spots and encourage radiance, hyaluronic acid helps boost and retain hydration and moisture. Adding extra heavyweight status is ferulic acid, lauded for its ability to protect against environmental aggressors that cause damage and exacerbate hyperpigmentation.
- Key ingredients: Vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and ferulic acid.
- Best for: Hardworking and a sensorial joy to use, this is a good option for mature skin wanting to improve clarity and boost brightness.
FAQs
What ingredients should those with mature skin look for?
“Mature skin benefits from ingredients that promote collagen production, increase hydration and address hyperpigmentation, all of which occur due to the general ageing processes, as well as the cumulative effects of sun (UV) damage,” says Dr Jack. If you’re looking for overall skin renewal and regeneration, retinoid serums are a good idea and one of the most powerful ingredients you can find in on-shelf skincare options. “These molecules, which include retinol, retinaldehyde and others, speed up cell turnover, stimulate fibroblast activity and help to minimise hyperpigmentation through their effects on melanocyte cells.” If you want to try and reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation that’s occurred as a result of decades of UV exposure, then Dr Jack recommends looking for a serum that contains vitamin C as its standout ingredient.
“For hydration, hyaluronic acid is useful, as it holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water, keeping mature skin more hydrated and reducing the appearance of fine lines,” he continues, while peptide serums are also a good idea if you’re suffering from a lack of firmness, as they can signal the skin’s fibroblast cells to produce more collagen and elastin.
When should you apply your serum?
Apply your serums immediately after cleansing and while your skin is still damp, as this allows for maximum absorption of the active ingredient and maximum efficacy. “Serums can be used both in the morning and evening, but it’s important to tailor the type of serum to the time of day,” advises Dr Jack. “Antioxidant serums like vitamin C are best used in the morning to protect the skin from environmental damage, while retinoid-based serums should be reserved for the evening, as certain retinoids are sensitive to UV light. Cell turnover and repair processes are also highest at night, so you may get the most benefit from them at this stage of the day.”
How should you apply your serum?
“To maximise benefits, begin by applying it directly after cleansing,” says Dr Jack. “Pat your skin dry, leaving it slightly damp, and then apply a small amount of serum – about the size of a pea – onto your fingertips. Gently press the serum into your skin, focusing on areas that need the most attention, such as around the eyes or forehead. Allow the serum to fully absorb, which usually takes around 1-2 minutes, before applying your moisturiser and SPF.”
At what age should you start using an anti-ageing serum?
Despite what social media may tell you, most experts will advise starting any kind of anti-ageing routine no earlier than your mid-20s to 30s, simply because most people’s skin won’t be showing any signs of ageing before then. At the other end of the spectrum, if you’ve been diligent with your skincare routine for decades, but you’re new to serums, it’s never too late to introduce one, and you should still see results if you stick to regular application.