The 20 Skincare Products Women Over 40 Swear By

Simply put, it’s our job to find the best beauty products out there for you. From the newest serum to the hottest lipstick color to the dry shampoo that will change your life, we will find it, test it, and let you know what we think. We’re not complaining. It’s a pretty fun gig, and we’ll volunteer to be beauty guinea pigs any day.

But one of the cool things to come out of this is finding out what products you’re loving and buying. It helps us figure out what you want to learn more about and what you’re into so we can bring even more personalized recs to you.

Because we share a lot of our favorites with you every single day, we recognize it might be hard to keep up. So we’ve decided to put together a handy weekly list of what we love and what you love—consider this a CliffsNotes, one-stop shop of what’s really trending and worth adding to your cart at this very moment.

Take a look at what the Who What Wear universe (including editors, staffers, and readers) is obsessed with right now, and if you don’t see a new favorite on this list, we’d love to know. Send us a DM

Beauty blogger Melissa Meyers says these eye masks are a quick and easy way to de-puff and reduce dark circles. She puts them on for 15 minutes in the morning to get ready for the day.

Former model Catherine McCord can’t live without this tinted sunscreen. “I’m so bummed out at myself every time I think of being on modeling shoots in Miami for 12 hours and thinking I wouldn’t get a sunburn,” the 45 year old says. “I feel women in their 20s and early 30s know better. They grew up much more conscious sunscreen and protecting their skin.”

Fifty-something Instagrammer Grece Ghanem uses SkinCeuticals’s brightening serum in the morning. It’s a combination of vitamin C and E plus ferulic acid that works to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and protect against free radicals.

Who What Wear’s senior news editor Erin Fitzpatrick’s 68-year-old mom, Lucy, loves this drugstore cream. “As my face has started to sag, I have really appreciated this stiff, rich cream that is supposed to act as a sling of sorts, holding up your face!” she says. “This is a super-popular cream that literally firms and lifts. I like to use it under my jaw, and I apply it with quick upward strokes from the base of my neck upward. It has a thick, smooth consistency and stays put (thus the lifting effect).”

Erin and Sara Foster’s 89-year-old grandma, Nita Marshall, has been using Buf-Puf Facial Sponges for 40 years. With skin as flawless as hers, we consider this product a winner.

Meyers also uses this mask to polish and refine her skin (she says it’s perfect for Zoom calls). Ingredients include tumeric, papaya enzymes, and aspen bark to unclog pores and reduce uneven texture.

This drugstore find is a favorite of beauty editor Erin Jahns’ mom. She uses the cleansing water every morning before she goes on her walks.

Marshall uses La Prairie’s Foam Cleanser along with her trusted Buf-Puf. The cleanser contains plant extracts. You can use it to remove makeup and dirt. It doesn’t dry your skin out, either.

Renata Jazdzyk, a 50-something Instagrammer, says that vitamin C helps make her skin look younger, reduces her wrinkles, and makes her face look more radiant. Her go-to is Murad’s serum.

McCord said she picked up this soothing cream from a makeup-artist hack. The thick cream moisturizes super-dry skin and you can use it all over your body.

Forty-something lifestyle influencer Tennille Murphy uses this vitamin C serum on her mature, oily blemish-prone skin. “Give me all the superheroes like a lovely vitamin C to fight against premature aging,” she says. Along with vitamin C, the product contains sea grape caviar and hyaluronic acid.

In addition to her Olay night cream, Lucy also has this one from Aveeno in her rotation. “This is affordable, really moisturizes my dry skin, and since it’s Aveeno, you know it’s hypoallergenic,” she says. “It works on lines and wrinkles and really calms my skin if I’ve been out on a windy day or in the pool or ocean. So it ticks a lot of boxes!”

Meyers has sensitive eyes, but she says Barbara Sturm’s fragrance-free eye cream is very gentle and effective. “I’ve noticed the bags under my eyes have calmed down significantly. Our eyes tell our age, so it’s a great product to invest in if you want to take years off your face without actually going under the knife!” she says.

Marshall sometimes incorporates witch hazel toner into her skincare routine. This one from Thayers contains natural botanicals that cleanses, tones, and moisturizes.

Meyers says that Versed’s serum booster is light and absorbs quickly. She’s been adding it to her daily moisturizer says and it keeps her dry skin hydrated throughout the day.

Jahns’ mom uses this night cream two to three times a week, as it promotes cell turnover. The cream is formulated with 10% glycolic acid, 2% phytic acid, and 1% soothing complex (a combination of natural oils and botanicals).

Sothys is one of Marshall’s favorite skincare brands. This eye cream works to minimize the appearance of fine lines and dark circles, treat inflammation, and moisturize.

Jahns’ mom calls this serum a triple threat. She says it helps decrease redness and uneven patches in her complexion. In addition to coenzyme Q10, it contains hyaluronic acid and Matrixyl 3000, a wrinkle-fighting ingredient.

This exfoliator is Meyers’ go-to. It’s got micro-exfoliating minerals and glycolic acid to smooth and remove dry, dead skin. Plus, the Australian kakadu plum leaves the skin glowy.

“This is my go-to night cream. It has a unique blend of multitasking ingredients like RES and glycolic acid so you get some exfoliation benefits in addition to the hydrated glow you wake up with the next morning,” Jahns’ mom says. It’s good for all skin types. Next up, dermatologists rank the 4 worst exfoliating mistakes.