ADDING an anti-ageing serum to your skincare regimen is a great idea whether you’re in your 20s or your 50s.
But what product is best to keep the wrinkles at bay? Read on for our pick of the best anti-wrinkle products.
The best anti-ageing and wrinkle products combine active ingredients to rejuvenate and nourish your skin, as well as moisturisers to keep it hydrated and supple.
They’re also uncomplicated and easy to use, absorb into your skin without a trace, and don’t leave a greasy residue.
Choose your anti-ageing serum carefully according to your skin type and sensitivity.
If your face tends to react to beauty products, you have acne, suffer from breakouts or have generally dry skin, then use a product designed to suit your particular issue.
You don’t have to spend a fortune either: there are anti-wrinkle serums for all budgets, from the inexpensive to the eye-wateringly costly.
Selecting the best anti-ageing serum can be a bit of a nightmare if you’ve not used one before, so we’ve tested a few to help you.
Head to our shopping beauty page for more round-ups and buying tips.
How we tested
Our reviewers ranged in age from their 20s to their 50s, with different skin types and needs.
They tested each serum over at least a week, often longer, so they could more accurately see any changes in their skin.
Serums were applied according to the instructions for the individual product (so morning, night or both), after cleansing and toning, but before moisturising.
Best anti-ageing serums at a glance:
- Best anti-wrinkle serum: Tula 24-7 Ultra Hydration Triple-Hydra Complex Day & Night Serum
- Best anti-ageing serum for 30s: Kiehls Ultra Pure High-Potency Serum
- Best serum for ageing skin: Evolve Organic Beauty Age Defying Lifting Serum
- Best anti-ageing serum for 40s: Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum
- Best luxury serum: SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF Vitamin C Salicylic Acid Antioxidant Serum
Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum
Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum[/caption]
Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum, £24.95
Pros: Glides onto your skin, leaves skin feeling soft, non-sticky
Cons: It feels like it sits on your skin, rather than sinking into it, caused minor breakouts for me
Rating: 4/5
No 7 Protect & Perfect has many fans, myself among them and while I’ve used the day and night moisturisers in the past, I’ve not tried the serum until now.
The first thing I noticed about this Boots item was the texture – it’s very soft but feels a little plasticky, which has to be down to silicone being one of the biggest ingredients.
That’s not a bad thing – lots of skincare products contain silicone in one form or another. But it can cause breakouts in some people.
I found that after using the serum for a while I had lots of tiny bumps or milia along my cheekbones and while I don’t know for sure if this is down to the silicone content, I suspect it is.
Protect & Perfect promises to re-energise your skin, boosting glow and smoothing texture.
It contains vitamins A, C and E, as well as hyaluronic acid, matrixyl and antioxidants, all of which make for a nourishing skincare cocktail.
On the plus side, I was happy to see the fine lines around my mouth looked less noticeable, as did the lines on my brow, though my skin didn’t particularly look any brighter.
Size: 30ml bottle, Hero ingredients: Matrixyl 3000 Plus, pro-retinol, hyaluronic acid, Cruelty-free: Yes, Vegan: Yes
Review by Lisa Burn
Kiehls Ultra Pure High-Potency Serum 1.5%
Kiehls Ultra Pure High-Potency Serum 1.5%[/caption]
Kiehls Ultra Pure High-Potency Serum 1.5%, £30
Pros: Skin felt soft and moisturised, kind to sensitive skin, only need a small amount, absorbs quickly leaving no residue, fragrance-free, visible difference to fine lines around the eyes and mouth
Cons: There wasn’t a noticeable effect on deeper forehead lines
Rating: 4/5
I tested this moisture-plumping serum on my sensitive skin, which is prone to rosacea and eczema.
It contains just seven ingredients, including 1.5% hyaluronic acid, which was well tolerated. I liked the fact it’s fragrance-free and contains no colouring, which are potential triggers for sensitive skin.
Results were visible from day two, with skin appearing brighter and softer. The serum absorbed quickly, with no residue, so it had no effect on make-up applied afterwards.
After 10 days skin felt more hydrated and less irritated. Flare-ups lessened and fine lines around the mouth and eyes looked less prominent. The serum didn’t seem to have much of an effect on forehead lines, but these were deeper and more established.
Read our full Kiehls Ultra Pure High-Potency Serum review.
Size: 30ml bottle, Hero ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, Cruelty-free: No, Vegan: Unknown
Review by Joanna Carrigan
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Kiehl’s Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum
Kiehl’s Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum[/caption]
Kiehl’s Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum, from £50
Pros: smooths skin, skin looks more youthful, hydrating, anti-ageing
Cons: Best to use at night only
Rating: 4/5
If you’ve not used retinol before then it can seem a bit of a scary ingredient in skincare, however, it is a potent player and can really improve your complexion by evening out skin tone and texture, brightening and firming the skin, and reducing lines and wrinkles.
This product from Kiehl’s contains retinol alongside hydrating and moisturising ingredients such as ceramides and peptides and is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive ones.
Although the serum was yellow when first pumped from the bottle, I found it became clear once massaged into my skin, leaving it glistening.
Retinol promotes cell turnover and encourages collagen production, so it’s a great addition to an anti-ageing skincare regimen.
I found it best to use this serum before bed so it could work overnight. Generally speaking, retinol products should be used at night, rather than in the morning as they make skin more sensitive to the sun.
Read our full Kiehl’s review.
Size: 30ml bottle, Hero ingredients: Retinol, ceramides and peptide Cruelty-free: No, Vegan: Unknown
Review by Olivia Perl
Lumin Men’s Skincare
Lumin Wrinkle Defence Serum[/caption]
Lumin Men’s Skincare Badass Bundle, from £83.39
Pros: Skin feels brighter and more even after use, each product is light and non-greasy, no strong scents, just good quality product
Cons: Expensive, confusing website layout
Rating: 4.5/5
Lumin specialises in men’s skin, body and hair care. It offers a complete range of skincare products that includes face wash, scrub, serum, moisturiser, anti-redness cream, face mask and dark circle balm, available to buy individually or in bundles.
I tested the Badass Bundle, consisting of Wrinkle Defense Serum, Charcoal Face Wash, Charcoal Scrub, Dark Circle Defense Balm and Daily Face Moisturizer.
All products were great to use: they’re light and non-greasy, contain skincare actives such as niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, as well as herb and spice extracts such as meadowfoam seed oil and ginger.
The Wrinkle Defense Serum is designed to target signs of premature ageing and has a gel-like consistency, which spreads easily.
It contains hyaluronic acid for hydration, ferulic acid to fight wrinkles, fine lines and age spots, and vitamin C to protect skin from pollution and UV damage.
I used the serum in conjunction with the moisturiser and dark circle balm for a month and at the end of that time I noticed definite improvements – dark circles were less noticeable, skin redness decreased, breakouts were fewer and skin tone was more even. Overall, my complexion looked brighter and healthier.
Read our full Lumin review.
Size: 15ml bottle, Hero ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and ferulic acid Cruelty-free: Yes, Vegan: Unknown
Review by Charlie Thomas
SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF Vitamin C Salicylic Acid Antioxidant Serum
SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF Vitamin C Salicylic Acid Antioxidant Serum[/caption]
SkinCeuticals Silymarin CF Vitamin C
Salicylic Acid Antioxidant Serum, £165
Pros: Reduces oil production and breakouts, lightweight and non-greasy, non-drying, feels great on the skin
Cons: Very expensive, not for all skin types
Rating: 5/5
This serum contains 15% L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) with antioxidant ferulic acid and salicylic acid. It’s designed for blemish-prone or oily skin, reducing sebum and helping get rid of spots and blackheads.
I found the formula was potent but happily it didn’t dry out my skin; it’s lightweight, fragrance-free and feels great when I apply it, I could tell it was having beneficial effects.
If I could afford to use this serum every day I would do so.
Read our full review on the best vitamin C serums.
Size: 30ml bottle, Hero ingredients: Salicylic acid, milk thistle, ferulic acid and vitamin C, Cruelty-free: No, Vegan: Unknown
Review by Laura Mulley
Tula 24-7 Ultra Hydration Triple-Hydra Complex Day & Night Serum
Tula 24-7 Ultra Hydration Triple-Hydra Complex Day & Night Serum[/caption]
Tula 24-7 Ultra Hydration Triple-Hydra
Complex Day & Night Serum, £41
Pros: Instantly hydrating, layers well
Cons: Pricey
Rating: 5/5
This serum from Tula hydrates for up to 24 hours. It contains probiotic and prebiotic extracts to restore skin balance, as well as hyaluronic acid, squalane and polyglutamic acid for maximum hydration.
It has a runny texture, which meant it was easy to spread smoothly over my face and I found it absorbed quickly – in less than a minute.
I used it on dry skin that’s prone to redness and hormonal breakouts and was impressed with the result. My skin was less dry and this lasted throughout the day; where there were flaky patches, they were soothed and moisturised.
Practically speaking, the packaging locks by twisting it, so it doesn’t leak into your bag, and it worked well with other serums.
Overall I found this gave a great hydration boost and I’ll continue to use it as part of my skincare routine going forwards.
To find out more, read my full, in-depth Tula Skincare review.
Size: 30ml, Hero ingredients: Hyaluronic acid (hydrates), polyglutamic acid (plumps), squalane (nourishes and softens), Cruelty-free: Yes, Vegan: No
Review by Natalie Chui
Evolve Organic Beauty Age Defying Lifting Serum
Evolve Organic Beauty Age Defying Lifting Serum[/caption]
Evolve Organic Beauty Age Defying
Lifting Serum, from £48.60
Pros: Rich texture, absorbed quickly, spread easily, didn’t need much each time
Cons: Left a slightly tacky feel for a minute or so
Rating: 4.5/5
This anti-ageing serum promises to firm, lift and plump – all things my skin could do with more of.
It includes peptides, such as argireline and marine ingredients that boost collagen production and have a lifting effect (antarcticine and sirtalice).
I applied this morning and night, after cleansing but before moisturising. While I didn’t notice any lifting, I did think the lines on my neck looked less deep and the lines around my mouth were also fainter.
The texture is creamy but the serum sinks in quickly, though it does leave a slightly sticky feel for a minute or so.
That wasn’t a problem for me, I was happy to wait for the tackiness to go before applying moisturiser – what’s 60 seconds in the great scheme of things?
I enjoyed using this and loved the pump-action delivery as it’s easier to gauge how much product is dispensed, whereas with the more usual pipette delivery I think there’s more wastage.
You only need a couple of pumps to cover your face and neck as the serum spreads easily, so the bottle should last a while, which is a good thing as it’s rather expensive.
Size: 30ml bottle, Hero ingredients: Reunion Island Marine Active (sirtalice), antarcticine and argireline, Cruelty-free: Yes, Vegan: Yes
Review by Lisa Burn
Trinny London Overnight Clarity
Trinny London Overnight Clarity[/caption]
Trinny London Overnight Clarity, £75
Pros: My skin looked brighter the next morning
Cons: Slight tingling a couple of time I used it, no difference to facial lines, no noticeable difference to pigmentation, can stain, price
Rating: 3.5/5
Overnight Clarity is an evening treatment that works its magic while you sleep and though it’s expensive, Trinny London says you just need one pump of the product to cover your face.
I started off as per the instructions using the serum twice a week – the first time I experienced slight tingling but other than that, the only other time I experienced this was when I applied the product just after taking a shower.
From first use I noticed my skin looked brighter, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly had changed. I increased the number of days I used the product until I was using it nightly, but while my skin continued to look brighter, I saw no difference to pigmentation (I have freckles) or lines, fine or otherwise.
The serum is bright yellow so you need to wait until it’s fully absorbed before going to bed otherwise you could end up with stained pillows. It absorbs pretty quickly though.
Overall, I was a little disappointed, I had high hopes for this serum but sadly it didn’t really live up to them. It was okay, but it’s not something I’ll continue to use.
Size: 30ml, Hero ingredients: retinal (which converts into high strength vitamin A), niacinamide (boosts hydration, repairs and supports collagen production), azelaic acid (for hyperpigmentation and inflammation), Cruelty-free: Yes, Vegan: Yes
Review by Lisa Burn
What is anti-ageing serum?
Anti-ageing serum is a product you apply to your face and neck before applying your moisturiser.
It’s an extra layer of skincare that contains ingredients that benefit your skin in a variety of ways.
These may include hyaluronic acid, which locks in moisture; vitamin C to protect against environmental and sun damage, retinol, which reveals brighter skin, or nourishing peptides and ceramides.
Vitamin C and retinol also support and boost collagen production, which helps with your skin’s firmness – an essential plus point for older skin that can sag.
Some serums, such as retinol, are designed to be worn at night, while others are used during the day, and some are suitable for both day and nighttime skincare regimes.
When should you start using anti ageing serums
Although anti-ageing serums are not a necessity if you’re still in your 20s, it’s never too early to start benefitting from their ingredients if you wish.
A lot depends on the state of your skin – if you’re prone to breakouts a serum might be too much, but if your skin is dry you may enjoy the extra layer of moisturisation they provide.
Sun damage ages skin early, causing fine lines and brown spots, so a serum containing vitamin C could provide extra protection (though you should apply facial sunscreen for optimum protection from UV rays).
You may just like the reassurance of an anti-ageing serum, a sort of guarantee against future lines and wrinkles, and while it’s not the fountain of youth it will certainly help keep your face feeling firmer, hydrated, smoother and rejuvenated.
How to prevent wrinkles
While you can’t stop yourself getting older, you can help prevent wrinkles with a few sensible steps that should become routine:
- Wear sunscreen on your face all year round, not just in summer. Not sure which to buy? Read our best SPF for faces article.
- Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and stop you from squinting – the cause of laughter lines and fine lines on your forehead
- Apply moisturiser every day – this will help keep your skin hydrated and protect it from environmental damage
- Drink plenty of water – to help keep your skin moisturised from the inside, looking plump and firm
- Eat healthily, with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, good fats (such as omega 3 from oily fish), nuts and seeds. Reduce the amount of processed food you consume, especially ultra-processed foods
- Cleanse skin properly and remove make-up every evening
- Try not to frown – try and reduce stress so you’re not wrinkling up your face in worry lines
- Sleep well – make sure you get enough shut eye for you every night, whether that’s seven, eight, nine hours or more
- Cut down on alcohol – it’s drying and very ageing
- Stop smoking – as well as being bad for your health it’s ageing to your skin, speeding up elasticity loss. All that pursing of your lips when you inhale causes lines and wrinkles around your mouth as well!
Where to buy anti-ageing serums in the UK
Anti-ageing serums have become so popular in recent years that they’re now a part of many people’s skincare routines and are widely available.
Check out the skincare counters of department store beauty sections, as well as large branches of pharmacies, such as Boots or Superdrug, and specialist beauty retailers.
Online, you’ll find the biggest choice at large beauty retailers such as Look Fantastic and Sephora, while Amazon is always worth checking, especially because it often has special offers on products.
We found the anti-ageing serums tested by our reviewers at:
How much do anti-ageing serums cost?
Anti-ageing serums vary in price, from just a few pounds up to over £100.
Cost depends on the active ingredients as well as the brand, with designer names costing more than a generic product from the pharmacy.
The anti-ageing serums reviewed in our feature cost from £30 and went up to £165 for the most expensive product tested.
The average seems to be between £25 and £50.
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