Best Skin Care over 40 

Skincare is an important part of looking young and staying healthy, but with the increased accessibility to more and more product, overwhelm can quickly set in. Sometimes I think Ulta and Sephora may be schemes of satan. I go in there thinking I am going to buy one thing and come out with five. To help you with your overwhelm, I have put together a list of products I love or am trying in Best Skin Care over 40

Before you read on, you may want to check out:

Beauty over 40: What to Look for in Anti-Aging Products

Beauty over 40: Reader Skincare Favorites

Beauty over 40:  The Complete Guide

Best Skin Care over 40

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see the full disclosure in the foot bar.

MORNING SKIN ROUTINE OVER 40

I do not have a complicated morning skin routine. I just wash my face in the shower and put on sunscreen. I save all of the serums and exfoliants for the evening. My skin is dry and sensitive, so the treatment products get irritating if I use them too much.

CLEANSERS FOR SKIN CARE OVER 40

I wash my face in the shower in the mornings. I use either Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser or Cerave Hydrating Facial Cleanser depending on what I find at the store. Both are super inexpensive, are very gentle, and clean my face without the feeling of dryness or tightness.

SUNSCREEN FOR SKIN CARE OVER 40

Everything I read about anti-aging, says sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! I was blessed to grow up with a Dad who was a doctor and believed in sunscreen before sunscreen was cool. He and I both have very fair skin and he has a family history of skin cancer. I’m not saying that Coppertone SPF 4 (or whatever was available in the 1970s) completely saved my skin, but I think it helped.

The best sunscreen product is one you will use. Find one that is not irritating and feels good under makeup. My issue with sunscreen is that even with very dry skin, I find them greasy. Through research and experience, I now always buy a “mineral sunscreen.”

A favorite of mine for many years has been Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Sunscreen Multi-Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 50. It goes on easily and is not greasy.

I am also trying a tinted sunscreen for the first time: It Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50 This product was so resoundingly recommended by two readers that I ordered it to try it out. It is very thick and covers well and seems like a foundation. It is nice to tackle two tasks (sunscreen and foundation) with one product. My only complaint is that is does come off on my mask! As it is July 2020 and I wear a mask everywhere, this is an issue!

EVENING SKIN ROUTINE OVER 40

There is more to my evening skin routine than my morning. I alternate exfoliant and retinol serum to keep my sensitive skin from becoming irritated.

MAKEUP REMOVER

 Clinique Take Off the Day Cleansing Balm: I love this make-up remover. My skin is so dry and this product takes off my makeup so easily and without drying my skin at all. The jar is large and I have not taken it when I travel, using makeup wipes instead. I have started to miss the balm so much when I am not at home that I am going to get a travel size version.

TONER

I have recently been using a Micellar Water as my toner. This may not be the best idea as it does not help with my dry skin. I also use the micellar water as a quick way to cleanse my face on days I do not wear makeup. (There are a lot of those lately with the pandemic!) I will likely keep doing this, but I need to add back a real toner.

I am going to order the Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Lotion and start using it again. (Note: I am not sure why they call it a lotion because it is a toner or essense meant to be applied between cleansing and treatments.) A product to restore moisture after cleansing is a must!

I have also loved Paula’s Choice SKIN RECOVERY Enriched Calming Toner.

EXFOLIANT

I prefer chemical exfoliants to manual exfoliants most of the time. They are neater and there is so much research backing their effectiveness. (See Beauty over 40: What to Look for in Anti-Aging Products.) My go to exfoliant for years has bee the Paula’s Choice SKIN PERFECTING 8% AHA Gel Exfoliant.

TREATMENTS

 I have tried various treatments through the years and I always come back to Paula’s Choice Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum. It has a low amount of retinol (.01%) which my dry sensitive skin tolerates very well.

I add a few drops of The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% to my evening moisturizer to help my skin hold in moisture.

EYE CREAM

I use Cereve Eye Repair cream. It is an extremely cost efficient and well made eye cream. It also non-irritating. I was surprised how many readers in my Reader Recommendations survey loved it as well.

MOISTURIZER

 I currently use CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream. It is inexpensive and very hydrating.

This is my current skin care over 40. I love to try new products also. Comment below with your favorite Skin care over 40 products and also check out the Reader Recommendations.