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Before you buy the next product to add to your anti-aging arsenal, look for these key ingredients that are proven to improve the youthful appearance of skin.
How to... Choose anti-aging products
Often listed as L-ascorbic acid, vitamin C is effective in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, brightening your complexion, exfoliating and stimulating collagen production. The efficacy of this powerful ingredient is why a vitamin C serum has become a skincare staple for women of all ages.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps to protect skin from cell-damaging free radicals, which accelerate the appearance of aging. It is also believed to help skin look younger by reducing the appearance of wrinkles, stretch marks, scars and age spots.
Glycolic acid is a commonly used alpha hydroxyl acid that helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles in the skin. Glycolic helps to exfoliate the skin, so it also helps to even out skin tone and clean out pores — helping to also improve acne. Because it exfoliates so well, it is important to be sure to wear sunscreen whenever you use a product that contains glycolic acid, as it can make your skin more susceptible to sunburn.
Extremely high in antioxidants, grape seed oil is another powerful moisturizing ingredient that can help to fight the signs of aging and boost your skin’s youthful appearance. This ingredient contains polyphenols, which act as anti-inflammatories and can help to clear up acne, along with helping to protect against the loss of collagen and elastin.
Sometimes listed as hyaluronate or sodium hyaluronate, this anti-aging ingredient acts as a humectant, holding 1,000 times its weight in water. In addition to being found in anti-aging topical treatments, this major moisturizer and skin-firmer is often used by dermatologists who inject it into expression lines and wrinkles as filler.
Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid that acts as an anti-inflammatory to help reduce and treat acne, as well as a highly-effective moisturizer. Linoleic acid helps to develop and maintain a healthy skin barrier that helps to keep toxins out and moisture and nutrients in.
A form of vitamin B3 that has been shown to reduce brown spots and blotchiness, while helping to correct fine lines and wrinkles in the skin. It works by increasing your skin’s elasticity for a more youthful appearance.
Peptides stimulate and increase collagen production while regulating the breakdown of existing collagen in the skin. Available in several forms, palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 — or matrixyl — is a lipopeptide that stimulates cellular repair in the skin which increases smoothness and reduces wrinkles.
A form of vitamin A, retinol is typically used to help keep skin looking young, smooth and blemish-free. It is easily absorbed through the skin and acts as an antioxidant that reduces the effects of free radicals. Retinol is a reliable and widely-used ingredient in many wrinkle creams.