Best Skin Care for Your 30s

Let’s be honest, once you hit your thirties, your skin just doesn’t look the same anymore. This is the decade when the first signs of aging start to appear, seemingly overnight. Whether its fine lines around the eyes or dull and uneven skin tone, skin in your thirties has definitely changed. Some of these changes are natural and part of aging. By your mid-20s, important mechanisms like collagen production and cell renewal start to slow down. Skin becomes thinner and dull. Other issues like dark spots or uneven skin tone are often the result of acne scarring or past sunburns or unprotected exposure to the environment.

Clearly, if you weren’t serious about your skin care routine before, now is the time to start.

The first step is to make sure your skincare routine includes a cleanser and toner that are right for your skin. If your skin feels tight after cleansing, it is time to change your cleanser. In fact, washing with a cleanser that is too harsh can be damaging to your skin’s barrier. Make sure your skin feels clean and soft after cleansing and toning. Also, look for products that are formulated to address anti-aging with ingredients like glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is great for mild exfoliation and will keep your skin clean, clear and soft.

Speaking of anti-aging, you’ll definitely want to add products that protect your skin and help prevent further damage. Besides applying sunscreen, start using serums that are formulated with powerful antioxidants like vitamin C & E. Not only will they provide increased environmental protection, they will also help correct early damage by brightening dull skin.

Another tried-and-true ingredient for improving and strengthening the skin is retinol. Retinol is a go-to ingredient for keeping the skin looking firm and smooth. If irritation is a concern, try bakuchiol, a plant based ingredient used for millennia in Ayurvedic traditions. It’s a natural alternative to retinol and an effective anti-aging ingredient that helps to visibly smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

Since oil production starts to slow down in your thirties, make sure you’re receiving adequate hydration for your skin. We recommend using products with hyaluronic acid for maintaining the skin’s moisture balance and strengthening its barrier. Hydration is essential for keeping the skin radiant and healthy. Many moisturizers can also address uneven skin tone with brightening ingredients like kojic acid, niacinamide and vitamin C.

Nighttime creams often address the loss of firmness. Adding a night cream with collagen, elastin or peptides can help the skin repair itself while your body is at rest. Plus applying these important ingredients at night is better since there’s no environmental stress for the skin to deal with and interfere with its absorption.

One product to be sure to add to your routine in your thirties is an eye cream. The eye area is the first place the face shows lines of aging due to its lack of oil glands. Plus, facial expressions like squinting, and smiling contribute to the development of fine lines. Protecting this delicate area with an eye cream is essential. In addition to adding moisture, look for eye products with ingredients that address your specific concern like niacinamide for dark circles or DMAE and peptides for firming.

The last beauty treatment we can all do is to take good care of ourselves – at any age. Beautiful skin requires plenty of sleep, exercise and a healthy diet. There’s only so much a skin care product can do for your skin. It’s our job to take care of our body so we can age gracefully with as few concerns as possible.