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Your 50s are all about admiration. This is the decade where you truly embrace the beauty of your journey — cherishing the relationships you’ve nurtured, the family you’ve built, and the experiences that have shaped you.
Now is the moment to savor the fruits of your labor and indulge in the simple pleasures that make each day special. Tailor your self-care routine to your desires, and choose products that honor and nourish your skin’s evolving needs.
It’s time to embrace your journey, radiate confidence, and revel in the joy of who you’ve become. Ready to embark?
What happens to your skin in your 50s?
Think of your skin as a book: a story filled with vibrant experiences that have shaped you over the years. You can’t change the past (and why would you want to), because each wrinkle or scar tells a part of your story.
Like your favorite book, your skin may show signs of wear. But this only adds to its value. However, it’s only natural to ask: What changes should I expect in my 50s?
Around this time, fine lines that popped up in your 30s and 40s might become more pronounced. Cell renewal, collagen, and elastin production — essential in maintaining skin’s firmness and elasticity — gradually decrease. This can lead to a noticeable loss of vibrance and a subtle shift in texture.
The skin’s barrier function also changes, becoming less efficient at retaining moisture and protecting itself. You may notice your skin feeling drier and more sensitive than before.
Natural oil production slows down, meaning your skin might feel more dehydrated and less supple than a few years back. This, combined with your body’s natural loss of subcutaneous fat, especially in areas like the face and hands, may contribute to a gradual decrease in volume and fullness.
The effects of sun exposure over the years can also become more evident, with dark spots showing up on frequently exposed areas like the face and hands.
While these changes are natural and part of the aging process, their timing and intensity can vary. Some may appear sooner, others later; some may be more noticeable, while others might be subtle. Each person’s journey is as unique as their skin.
Want to navigate these changes gracefully? The key is in your personalized skincare routine:
How to take care of your skin in your 50s and beyond
You may already have a skincare routine in place or want to enhance it to address the specific needs of mature skin. Either way, the mission is to support your skin’s health and beauty.
The ideal 50-something skincare routine focuses on well-aging with a targeted 5-step regimen. Consider key ingredients like retinal, carnosine, and tranexamic acid as your go-to allies.
☑ A gentle and hydrating cleanser
The first step in your routine truly never changes. Now, the question is: have you found your favorite cleanser yet? At this age, turn to a hydrating formula with antioxidant benefits.
An oil cleanser’s lipophilic nature can help attract and remove everything your skin doesn’t need — without stripping away your precious natural oils. In the morning, it can help your skin feel clean, soft, and hydrated, and at night, it removes waterproof makeup, sunscreen, and pollution particles. Think of it as your daily must-have for tackling the effects of daily skin stressors such as free radicals.
☑ Targeted day & night eye creams
Now that your skin is a blank canvas, it’s time to move on to the second step of your routine. While the one-size-fits-all approach might have worked a few years ago, your skin has specific needs now. So, opt for two distinct eye cream formulas: one for morning and another for evening.
Brighten your eyes by day
With endless plans on your calendar, life at 50 is as vibrant as ever. Start your day by refreshing your eyes with hero ingredient vitamin K oxide. It’s perfect for diminishing dark circles and illuminating this delicate area.
Repair your gaze by night
Your nightly routine is the perfect chance to team up with your skin and harness its natural repair mode.
Look for ingredients like melatonin and caffeine for a revitalizing and detoxing effect that helps reduce fine lines while enhancing elasticity and firmness.
☑ Serums tailored to your needs
Welcome to one of the most crucial steps in 50s skincare: serum. While you might have used serums before, at 50, they become the ultimate tool for tackling the unique challenges of maturing skin.
This decade’s most common concerns? Dark spots and wrinkles. We encourage you to embrace these little reminders of your life’s story, but that doesn’t mean you can’t soften them. The mantra for picking out serums is simple: understand your skin goals and use the right ingredients.
Looking to reduce dark spots?
It’s possible with brightening ingredients like tranexamic acid or niacinamide. In the morning, enhance your routine with a dark spot corrector. This type of serum helps brighten and even out tone, minimizing existing spots and safeguarding your skin’s future.
Looking to reduce wrinkles?
Turn to well-aging ingredients like retinal and bakuchiol. A dual-phase nighttime serum is the perfect combination, helping to speed up skin renewal and reduce visible signs of aging.
Expert tip: It all depends on your goals, but other ingredients that can benefit your routine include hyaluronic acid and vitamin C.
☑ Moisturizers to match your goals
One of the effects of aging on our skin is dehydration. Sun exposure leads to transepidermal water loss, which can worsen over time. The fourth step in your routine is crucial for restoring hydration and sealing in the concentrated ingredients you’ve applied earlier.
When it comes to aging skin at this stage, you also might want to address glycation. Glycation is the process where glucose damages the proteins that keep your skin firm and elastic. To combat this, carnosine is a key ingredient.
At 50, it’s time to embrace an unbeatable duo:
Energize your skin for the day ahead
Give your skin a kickstart with a moisturizer enriched with carnosine. This formula can help combat daily stressors and visibly smooth out fine lines and wrinkles, ensuring you face the day with a youthful, refreshed look.
Rejuvenate while you rest
Transform your nightly routine with a luxurious, antioxidant-rich moisturizer. Infused with melatonin, peptides, and carnosine, it works overnight to help repair damage and boost skin resilience — so you wake up to a renewed complexion.
Expert tip: Both AM and PM, remember to extend your moisturizer beyond your face. Areas like your neck and chest are just as important.
☑ Sunscreen with photoaging defense
Most of the visible signs of skin aging come from sun exposure. To combat this process, AKA photoaging, sun protection is essential. But the right sunscreen for 50-something skin goes beyond protection; it also helps repair the existing signs of sun damage. Include repairing ingredients in this skincare step to help make your routine more effective overall. That means choosing a sunscreen that:
Helps repair sun damage
Offers high protection with SPF 50 or above
Fits your lifestyle: tinted or invisible, the choice is yours
Make it a lifestyle
Over the years, you’ve probably noticed how your lifestyle can impact your appearance. So, here’s a gentle reminder that it’s never too late to try new things, take care of yourself, and slow down.
Here are three essential tips to help you age gracefully, inside and out:
Rest, because you deserve it. This is the perfect age to prioritize aspects of your life like sleep. Good sleep can improve your mood and your skin — aim for 7 to 8 hours each night.
Make plans that fill you up, lift you up, and bring you joy. Try new things and create new traditions. It’s also the ideal time to focus on yourself.
Keep your body happy with the right foods. Nourish yourself with all the essential nutrients you need through a healthy, balanced diet. Whole foods can help to nurture you from the inside out.
The rest of your story is still unfolding. Keep celebrating yourself, because the best way to embrace your 50s is with your best skin yet.
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Editorial TeamOur namesake embodies the spirit of embracing life and all its wonder. As wellness journalists, we explore topics that invigorate the senses and keep curiosity alive. We believe that glowing skin is the result of a healthy body and mind. Weaving beauty with science, we aim to inspire you to live young at every age.
