Fine lines, a loss of firmness, skin that feels drier than it used to. The signs of ageing are familiar, but knowing where to start isn't always obvious. Anti-ageing skincare is a common search for people looking to address visible signs of ageing. This guide covers the ageing skincare tips worth knowing: why skin ages, what's worth doing, and how to build it into your ritual.
Why Skin Ages
Skin ages in two distinct ways, and they call for different responses. The first is simply time. Collagen production, the protein that keeps skin firm and plump, starts declining as we age, while elastin production and natural oil output slow alongside it. This is intrinsic ageing, and it's why fine lines and drier-feeling skin tend to emerge gradually rather than overnight.
The second is everything skin encounters day to day: sun, pollution, smoking, poor sleep, an unbalanced diet. We call this collection of daily stressors the exposome, and the ageing it causes is known as extrinsic ageing. UV exposure is one of the biggest contributors to visible signs of skin ageing. Intrinsic ageing can't be changed. But you can help prevent the signs of extrinsic ageing, and that's where the tips below come in.
Signs of Skin Ageing
- Fine lines and wrinkles, first around the eyes and mouth
- A loss of firmness, especially along the jawline and cheeks
- Dullness or unevenness in skin tone
- Skin that feels drier or thinner than it used to
- Visible sun damage, including pigmentation and broken capillaries
Not every sign appears at once, and how early they show depends more on sun exposure and lifestyle than age alone.
Ageing Skincare Tips Worth Knowing
Wear SPF, every single day.
Daily broad-spectrum sun protection is one of the most important steps for helping prevent visible signs of premature ageing. Apply it as the last part of your morning ritual, rain or shine.
Cleanse gently, and extend that gentleness to your neck and hands.
Harsh scrubbing and stripping cleansers irritate the skin barrier, which can leave the skin looking and feeling less resilient. A soft, botanical-rich cleanse from our cleansers range morning and night does more good than a heavy-duty one, and skin on the neck and hands is thinner, produces less natural oil, and often shows signs of ageing before the face does, even though it's usually left out of the routine.
Add a treatment serum.
Serums carry a higher concentration of active ingredients than moisturiser alone, so they earn their place straight after cleansing. Don't skip the eye area, and consider your sunglasses part of your skincare. Skin around the eyes is thinner and shows fatigue first, and repeated squinting in bright light can deepen fine lines over time. A dedicated eye formula and a good pair of sunglasses do more together than either does alone.
Moisturise to lock it all in.
From our moisturisers range, a rich formula helps nourish skin as it naturally produces less oil with age. Finish with a facial oil, if your skin wants it. A nourishing oil from our face oils range can help seal in hydration and support the skin barrier, especially for drier or more mature skin types.
Look after the basics.
Sleep, hydration, and cutting back on alcohol and cigarettes influence the skin barrier just as much as anything applied topically, and chronic stress has also been linked to a weaker skin barrier in some research.
Stick with it.
Skincare works best as a long-term habit, so give any new routine several weeks of regular use. Consistency gives these tips the best chance to show.
Building Your Skincare Ritual For Ageing Skin
Our mature skincare products collection puts these principles into practice with real, farm grown botanicals alongside proven actives.
"Caring for mature skin goes beyond correcting wrinkles. Formulations combining nourishing botanical oils and targeted actives help address multiple signs of ageing while supporting skin barrier function," says Jurlique in-house expert Aline Lerond.
Begin with the Nutri-Define Cleansing Foam from our Nutri-Define collection, a rich cream that transforms into a lightweight lather, sweeping away the day without stripping skin of what it needs.
For your treatment step, the Nutri-Define Serum is clinically proven to improve the skin's moisture barrier and suppleness¹. "What I love about this serum is how it works holistically to support the skin," says Jurlique in-house expert Katie Morris. "It helps to hydrate and enhance natural radiance."
For something lighter, the Herbal Recovery Bi-Phase Serum from our Herbal Recovery range pairs a water and oil phase and is clinically shown to reduce transepidermal water loss².
For eye care, the Herbal Recovery Eye Oil Roll-On features a cooling applicator infused with Poppy Extract and farm grown Turmeric Root, clinically proven to improve skin luminosity and reduce the appearance of under-eye wrinkles and fine lines³.
For mature skin that needs a little more richness, reach for the Nutri-Define Rich Cream. "As skin matures, maintaining both hydration and firmness becomes increasingly important," says Katie Morris. "A rich moisturiser with botanical actives like this helps to nourish the skin while achieving a smoother and more redefined appearance."
To finish, the Purely Age-Defying Firming Face Oil is shown to improve skin firmness after 28 days of consistent use⁴. "A silky botanical oil like this helps skin smoothness while enhancing radiance and vitality," says Morris.
Explore the full face collection to build a ritual around your own skin, from seed to skin, our farm to you. Still not sure where to start? Get in touch with our team for personalised advice on building a ritual that works for your skin.
FAQs
What is the best skincare routine for ageing skin?
There's no single formula, but the order matters: cleanse gently, treat with a targeted serum, care for the eye area, then moisturise and finish with an oil if needed. Sun protection sits over the top of all of it, every day.
How do I stop my skin from looking old?
You can't stop time passing, but daily sun protection is by far the biggest lever, followed by good hydration, decent sleep, and skincare built on ingredients with real evidence behind them.
Can you reverse skin ageing?
No. Ageing is a natural process, and no product can undo it. What a good routine can do is help soften the look of its visible signs.
How can I look 20 years younger naturally?
There isn't a shortcut, but the compound effect of daily sun protection, a considered ritual, good hydration and enough sleep adds up over months, not days.
What makes your skin age the most?
Sun exposure, by a significant margin. Genetics set the baseline, but pollution, smoking, poor sleep and diet, everything that makes up the exposome, all leave their mark before their time.
¹ Based on clinical studies of Nutri-Define Supreme Rejuvenating Serum: moisture barrier improved by 14% (54 subjects, 28 days); suppleness improved by up to 16% (55 subjects, 56 days).
² Based on a clinical evaluation of 32 subjects using Herbal Recovery Bi-Phase Serum twice daily for 28 days; transepidermal water loss reduced by 9%.
³ Based on clinical evaluations of Herbal Recovery Eye Oil Roll-On, used twice daily: skin luminosity improved by 19% (31 subjects, 56 days); appearance of under-eye wrinkles and fine lines reduced (31 subjects, 28 days).
⁴ Based on cutometry measurements on 30 subjects using Purely Age-Defying Firming Face Oil for 28 days; skin firmness improved by 18%.
