Frequently Asked Questions
Which signs of skin aging appear on the body?
As we all know, aging is a wonderfully natural process that affects every part of our bodies, including our largest organ, the skin. But before we get into treatments, it’s important to understand what’s happening inside your body.
Wrinkles and sagging skin
As you mature, your skin’s once-supple texture becomes more lax due to the loss of collagen, according to Dr. Shirazi. Collagen is the main protein that acts as the support beam for your body’s connective tissues, including your skin, and as you age, your body’s natural supply depletes. This depletion leads to the formation of wrinkles, crepiness, and skin sagging. “Crepey or loose skin, particularly on the abdomen, upper arms, back of the hands, and thighs, known as skin laxity, becomes more pronounced with age,” explains Dr. Shirazi. She also notes that the loss of collagen around blood vessels, particularly in areas with lots of movement, like the backs of your hands, can increase bruising without noticeable trauma to the skin. “This is common on the hands and back of arms, known as actinic purpura,” she adds.
Another visible change? As you age, your skin’s ability to retain moisture and produce much-needed oil also diminishes, according to Dr. Shirazi. This leads to a drier, rougher texture and pronounced wrinkles—while we can’t reverse these processes altogether, we can mitigate them with the right body lotion.
If you’ve noticed a few dark spots pop up on your body, these could be age spots. “Age spots, also known as liver spots or sunspots, can happen when the skin is [over]exposed to the sun,” explains Dr. Patel. Factors like genetics and lifestyle habits can also impact the formation of this form of hyperpigmentation, but you’ll most likely notice it on sun-exposed areas of your skin, like your face, neck, forearms, hands, and legs. “They can come up as raised growths that are tan-dark brown with a wavy surface, called seborrheic keratosis, or they can be flat,” adds Dr. Shirazi.
Like any form of hyperpigmentation, these spots may be permanent, but lotions and creams with brightening ingredients can minimize their pigmentation. To make sure they don’t intensify, we always recommend our golden rule for skin care: Wear (and reapply!) sunscreen every day.
What are the best ingredients for maturing skin?
There’s nothing on the market that’ll erase wrinkles, textural concerns, and hyperpigmentation entirely, but the best body lotion for aging skin can pack quite a few derm-approved ingredients to tone down their look.
Retinol, also known as vitamin A, is known as one of the gold-standard ingredients for aging skin due to its fine line- and discoloration-reducing properties. “Retinols help improve the quality of the skin, lighten discoloration, boost cellular renewal, and stimulate collagen and hyaluronic acid production,” says Dr. Shirazi. Due to its numerous benefits, Dr. Shirazi recommends incorporating this ingredient into your body-care routine. Keep in mind that retinol’s known to irritate sensitive skin and heighten sun sensitivity, which is why it’s essential to apply retinol at night and use sunscreen during the daytime.
Both Dr. Shirazi and Dr. Patel agree that alpha-hydroxy acids, a group of chemical exfoliators also known as AHAs or fruit acids, play a key role in achieving supple, firm skin. “Our skin cells become lazy with age, so exfoliating acids help promote cellular turnover and remove dead skin cells that build up on the outer skin layer,” explains Dr. Shirazi. She recommends glycolic acid, an intensive AHA that unclogs pores, smooths skin, and even acts as a hydrating humectant.
Like retinol, glycolic acid is an active ingredient that can feel harsh on sensitive skin types, so opt for lower concentrations of the ingredient when introducing it to your skin or try gentler AHAs, like lactic acid. “[Lactic acid] removes dead skin cells, improves skin texture, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles,” Dr. Patel suggests.
Overall, antioxidants are a wonderful addition to any skin-care regimen. But, like alpha hydroxy acids, “antioxidants” is an umbrella term for a group of molecules (including vitamin A, shouted out above) that neutralize the effects of free radicals, also known as oxidants, that are created from both your metabolism and external factors, like air pollution and sunlight.
One of the most popular antioxidants is vitamin C. On top of its antioxidant benefits, board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD, based in New York City, previously told Allure this ingredient supports collagen production, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and minimizes hyperpigmentation. Since vitamin C can smooth skin, increase cellular turnover, and reduce the look of acne scars, it’s the ideal daytime counterpart to your nighttime retinol and AHAs.
Another underrated antioxidant Dr. Shirazi suggests is coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant known for its anti-inflammatory, tone-evening benefits. “As an antioxidant, it helps protect and repair the skin by reducing oxidative stress from UV and environmental stressors,” she explains. Beyond its antioxidant properties, she also notes that CoQ10 addresses discoloration like age spots and minimizes the look of crepey skin by supporting skin barrier function, cellular turnover, and production of collagen and elastin, leaving skin firm and supple.
Peptides play a major role in supporting your skin’s firmness and elasticity, as they are short chains of amino acids. Amino acids are the smallest molecules that make up the proteins in your body, so they’re an important part of maintaining skin elasticity and structure. “These short-chain amino acids trick your skin into making collagen and elastin while also calming inflammation and boosting cellular renewal,” says Dr. Shirazi.
What’s more: Peptides are more productive than other skin-firming ingredients due to their smaller molecular size. Particles can only be so big in order to penetrate past the epidermis (the top layer of our skin), and since peptides are amino acids, and not proteins in and of themselves, they can penetrate the skin when applied topically, unlike, say, collagen.
Meet the experts
- Brendan Camp, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
- Whitney Hovenic, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of Spooge based in Reno, Nevada
- Purvisha Patel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Memphis and founder of Visha Skin
- Kellie Reed, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Austin
- Stephanie Saxton-Daniels, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Westlake Dermatology based in Dallas
- Azadeh Shirazi, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and founder of AziMD based in La Jolla, CA
- Geeta Yadav, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Facet Dermatology, based in Toronto, Canada
- Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of the best body lotions for mature skin, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
