What's your skincare like in your 40s?

[OldMaaa]

After years of being a total beauty magpie, and wasting so much money on endless beauty products, I finally feel like I have a solid routine that doesn't cost the earth and is a relatively well put together routine. That being said I'm by no means an expert and always love to read about what skincare others use.

I'm 41 and I have normal/dry skin, very fair and quite freckled (some genuine freckles that developed when I was a toddler and some sun damage from being careless when I was younger).

This is my routine.

AM Routine

• Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser or Dermatica Squalane Cleanser
• CeraVe Vitamin C (every other day)
• Byoma Balancing Mist followed by their Milky Toner.
• CeraVe Lotion.
• CeraVe AM SPF 50.

PM Routine (Evening)

• Double Cleanse with Dermatica Squalane Cleanser followed by Byoma Jelly Cleanser
• Tretinoin Night (every other night) - Dermatica Tretinoin/Azelaic Acid/Tranexamic acid
• CeraVe Moisturising Cream.
• On non-Dermatica nights I use the Milky Toner followed by Cerave Cream.

For lips I used Aquaphor Lip repair religiously and also Bepanthen.
Beef tallow (got for Christmas and probably won't repurchase) and Bepanthen on my hands (or sometimes foot cream!!) and I sleep in a cheap pair of silk gloves.

Things I'm considering adding at some point: squalene oil, facial massage (I already do a bit of this but not really consistently).
Possibly something with peptides and/or niacinamide (I have the Ordinary Niacinamide but I find since starting tretinoin it makes my skin feel sensitive - I've tried it once or twice - so I'm avoiding it for the time being).
Oral collagen (I'm on the fence about this!)
Equally I don't want to overdo it and stress my skin, and undo my efforts thus far, so I'm happy where I am at the moment, and the fact I'm not spending a fortune on skincare. But the beauty magpie in me will always wonder what else I could add, but I'm working on ignoring it.
I am also tentatively starting to use red light therapy a couple of times a week (when I remember) but very cautiously due to using tret. I have a Current Body mask I brought during covid.

I think my skin is in pretty good shape and I'm definitely seeing improvements since using tret but I'm probably not at the stage of seeing max results (I started just before Christmas on 0.05%). I have had minimal unpleasant side effects, although a fair bit of peeling initially.

Future goals are to have some treatment for a couple of small patches of broken capillaries I have on my face, but I've read mixed things about the effectiveness of the treatments available so I'm a bit on the fence about it.

Non-existent, same as it has ever been!

There’s a lot going on there. I’ve always avoided putting too much on, especially expensive, fancy portions. I’m not sure it makes a big difference, and can cause more problems than it solves. But each to their own, of course.

I use Simple face wash morning and night. Then Clinique dramatically different moisturiser- SPF 50 in the day and the normal one at night. Clarins hand cream. L’Occitaine body oil for dry bits, cocoa butter lip balm.

I am 48 and my skin is clear and healthy looking. But I think that’s more a good diet and hydration rather than skincare.

AM/PM
Winter - Oil cleanser
Spring / Autumn - Balm cleanser
Summer - Milk cleanser

twice a week - lactic acid

AM/PM when needed - hydrating toner
AM/PM when needed - hydrating serum
AM/PM Moisturiser - changes seasonally and different day to night

Specifically just now
Victoria Beckham Cleansing Oil & Lactic Acid
Heaven Orange toner, nettle serum and nettle moisturiser (AM) / Dock cream (PM)

Superdrug vitamin E oil and moisturiser.

I don’t know what half the stuff on your list is!

I tried a more complex skin routine but didn’t make much of a difference. Tried a cleansing oil (Korean) which I didn’t like.

Now I’m literally moisturiser and spf and retinol a couple of times a week.

Good diet and hydration are paramount i believe.

Bar soap + water.
Simple/nivia/easy to buy from a supermarket moisturizer.
On the rare occasion I wear make up, micellar water to remove.

Same as my mum who is nearly 80 with smooth, barely wrinkled skin.

Crikey! Surely that much stuff can’t be good for your skin?!

I think your routine looks great and I wouldn't add anything else in. I use a Vit C serum every day rather than every other day, but otherwise my routine is similar to yours. Tret is such a game changer! Thorough cleansing and SPF also mega important

I would forget the oral collagen and eat more protein instead - there's no evidence that collagen supplements are effective. Agree with others that nutrition, sleep and hydration are essential, and at least as important to consider as products, and I would include exercise in that list too 👍

There's only four active ingredients in my current skincare products though. Two cleansers, two moisturisers (one day, one night), two products with actives, and two "toners"/liquids, plus an SPF. I am careful with introducing new products though and would only introduce one new thing at a time. My skin is on the dry side and as I get older I am realising the more moisture the better (for my skin anyway I am sure not the case for all).

None of the products I use are particularly expensive either. Byoma and Cerave are both cheap as chips and well formulated. Significantly cheaper than Clinique or Clarins. Dermatica is £24.99 but at my current usage rate a tube lasts me about 3 months. The Vitamin C is the most expensive product I use - it's £29 at full price but I try and buy it on offer so it's around £20. I genuinely don't think you have to spend a lot of money to get good products these days.

Thanks. This is good advice.
I will aim to use the Vit C daily eventually, but I have just introduced it so I am being cautious.

I love Tret so much. I used Skin + Me before and didn't preserve with it. But I prefer Dermatica and my skin seems to be loving it.

I am on the fence regarding collagen. It seems there is some data now to indicate it might offer some benefits, but I am still havering. I am also eating better generally, more protein, and more fruit and veg, pulses, fibre. I exercise daily, but only brisk walking. I have plans to start doing more - I need to get back to Park Run and I want to start doing some work with weights too. A friend has threatened me with a spin class. I find when I exercise more I sleep better!

Good idea to be cautious with the Vit C - its one of those products that can sting / tingle a bit until you get used to it

Oh god, spin class is brilliant! It's like going to a sober rave 😁 your skin will be seriously glowing after it!

A lot of women here use that and more. To be honest my skin looks good but I’m 54 and on HRT too. Skin was good in 40s too. The only thing really bothering me is saggy jaw/jowls, I have hardly any wrinkles and just 11’s lines but not bad.

Wow you are doing a lot! Need to up my game haha

Morning: Splash of water then some cerave moisturiser.
Evening: Cleanse with cerave cleanser then cerave moisturiser.
I’m not that interested in stopping ageing - I think it’s futile - but I want my skin to feel nice!

PS do you take all that stuff with you on holiday? Must take up so much room!

My "routine" consists of washing my face with hand soap, drying, and putting on some cheap, perfume free moisturiser.

Not really. The only large items are the moisturisers (they are huge!), which I normally decant into a smaller pot if I am going away. It all fits into a toiletry bag easily.

I'm not trying to stop aging either. That would be futile. Just interested in aging as well as I can.

Quite the opposite!

AM: splash of water, Micellar water, Vit C a couple of times a week, No7 moisturiser with SPF

PM: Micellar water, cleanser which I leave on for a little while, nip n fab Vit C serum every other evening or nip n fab Dragons Blood serum (love the smell), No7 moisturiser

fridays I’ll do a face mask, currently Ren or Pixie

i have various cleaners so tend to alternate. I really love Algenist it lathers well. Liz Earle too and my fave is Dermatoliga

AM

Cleanse with micellar water, usually Simple but I'm currently using one from Lidl and it's great!

Garnier Vitamin C serum

L'Oréal Revitalift SPF 50

PM

Remove makeup with micellar water

Second, proper cleanse with Rituals velvety foam cleanser

Toner..... I use an acid toner or a milky toner on alternative nights

Nivea Bakuchiol serum

Bog standard moisturiser, currently Neutrogena

You've got lots going in in your routine op. I cant fathom the time it must take after adding the extras.

I use
Morning
Nuxe face and body wash
Clarins double serum eye and face serum and nuxe comforting face balm.

Evening

Emma hardie cleansing balm
Clarins double serum eye and face serum
Nuxe face oil
Nuxe comforting face balm

Every other Saturday

Origins resurfacing mask
Origins drink up mask
Origins drink up leave on over night cream

Ive used the same products for a long time I keep re buying. I don't chop and change my skin would be hell

Edited to add. I use laniege lip mask at night and nuxe honey lip balm in the day

If I haven’t worn makeup (90% of the time)

wash with water
serum
doublebase gel moisturiser

night wash with water and apply serum +/ oil mix (castor/black seed/frankincense)

if I have had makeup on
wash with face wash/micellar wipes

@OldMaaa I don't see any retinol on your list, unless I've misread.

I turn 45 tomorrow, when I turned 40 I upped my game and got serious with skincare.

My daily routine is:
Morning- wash face with CeraVe, then use a glycolic acid toner.
A serum, currently The Ordinary (It used to be called 'Buffet' but now they've renamed it to Peptide something or rather)
Eyecream and moisturizer with an SPF.

Evening- clean face, usually with CeraVe but I will also use a micellar water, followed by a Niacinamide serum

Then I alternate evenings with either retinol for face and eyes, (using Medi8), and a retinol roll on for the neck (ROC)
Moisturizer (quite like a night plumping one as they tend to be more heavy duty)
Squalene for extra hydration which I pat on.

On the days I don't use retinol, I use a Vitamin C instead.

I also have a Shark Facial ProGlow- I used the cooling depuffi in the mornings on my face.

Once a week, I do a full skin care routine: wash face, do a clay face mask, wash that off, then use the facial pro glow to do a full hydrofacial (extraction, then hydration with serum), then I use a Korean style face mask, before using the Current Body red LED face mask, then a moisturizer.

I also do botox every few months, its the only thing that actually gets rid of crows feet and the II between my eyes.

I have had laser to remove broken capillaries on my nose and cheeks which takes down the redness.

Obviously I drink plenty of water and have a good diet, and exercise daily, but if I want good skin, I have to invest the time and (sometimes) the money (botox isn't cheap).