While you may not be overwhelmingly concerned about crow’s feet and sagging skin in your carefree twenties, we can’t stress enough how important it is to nail down a good skincare routine now. These five key anti-aging skincare ingredients will help you cling onto that youthful and glowing skin for longer— making you the envy of your peers in ten, twenty, and thirty years’ time.
While it sounds intimidating, hyaluronic acid (HA) is a substance that occurs naturally in our skin. The moisture-binding acid is critical for maintaining skin hydration, keeping it plump and glowing. In fact, a single gram of hyaluronic acid can retain up to six liters of water, and paired with its ability to regulate moisture levels among cells, makes it an essential hydration ingredient in skincare. It works for all skin types – even sensitive and acne-prone skin. Not only does hyaluronic acid prevent and treat the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, and a dull complexion, its antioxidant properties protect the skin from free radicals such as UV radiation and other environmental stressors.
Another powerhouse ingredient for delivering moisture into your skin is squalene. The poly-unsaturated hydrocarbon liquid is found naturally in plants, animals, and human sebum. Best suited for those with dry skin, squalene is typically derived from plant sources such as olives, amaranth seed, wheat germ oil, and rice bran. Squalene has been shown to reduce wrinkles, eliminate dry patches, and reverse signs of sun damage such as pigmentation, while also acting to protect your skin against free radicals.
Ceramides are essential fats that make up the top layer of skin, acting as a sort of waterproof “seal” to maintain a healthy skin barrier and to lock in moisture. As we age, our bodies slowly lose the ability to produce ceramides, and ceramide depletion or imbalance can result in skin conditions such as acne, dry skin, psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema. With an extra boost of ceramides from external skincare products, your skin will be able to restore its natural defenses, as well as plump thinning skin and prevent loss of elasticity associated with aging. For oily skin types, we suggest choosing oil-free and light-weight formulas.
A form of vitamin B3, niacinamide answers myriad aging-related skin concerns. From helping restore moisture and reducing redness to shrinking enlarged ‘orange peel’ pores caused by sun damage, niacinamide is a wonderfully versatile ingredient. Niacinamide can also help to improve the natural production of skin-strengthening ceramides, addressing problems like dry, flaky skin patches. A multi-ingredient skincare approach can work wonders to prevent signs of aging, as niacinamide has the unique ability to pair brilliantly with ingredients such as retinol and vitamin C.
Retinoids are highly effective forms of vitamin A that are used to treat skin concerns from acne to age wrinkles. They come in many concentrations and forms, but the most advocated formula in anti-aging skincare is pure retinol. The heightened cell repair process not only heals DNA damage caused by the sun and environmental stressors, but also leads to improvement in signs of aging like fine lines, neck wrinkles, uneven skin tone, dullness, and discoloration.
Related: Retinol for Wrinkles: the Miracle Anti-aging Ingredient
The battle against aging isn’t always uphill. Being informed early on about the right skincare ingredients gives you a valuable head start in tackling a whole spectrum of daunting skin concerns that come naturally with age. Be confident enough to take charge of your skincare now in your early twenties, and your skin will thank you for it later!