Our Best Skincare Routine For Wrinkles

Creating an effective skincare routine for addressing wrinkles involves a combination of preventative measures, targeted treatments, and consistent care. While we’ve got nothing against aging — it is, after all, a fact of life — we do get a bit frustrated with how it changes your skin. It feels like just when you’ve gotten a handle on your routine and what works best for you, your complexion does a 180 and you’re now trying to figure out what can you do to minimize the look of your wrinkles. What gives?

Think about your skin like your favorite pair of jeans: They’re crisp and sturdy when you first buy them, but as you wear and wash them over time, they begin to lose their shape, becoming baggier, thinner and more likely to tear. Your skin is the pair of jeans in this scenario. Over time — which varies from person to person based on environmental damage or genetics or both — your collagen no longer behaves like it used to. It starts to lose firmness and the appearance of fine lines become more pronounced. Add to that a weakened skin barrier and loss of moisture and here comes the wrinkles.

Fortunately, there are product solutions that actually make a noticeable difference in how bad those wrinkles and fine lines appear. The trick is having a routine that is both preventative (defending against the appearance of new wrinkles) and restorative (minimizing the appearance of the ones you already have). Ahead, we’ve put together our ideal daily skincare routine for the appearance of wrinkles. Follow along to learn how to keep your barrier strong and your skin appearing younger looking.

Cleanse

No matter your age, cleansing is always an important step. However, if you’re dealing with wrinkles, you want to be sure you aren’t stripping away any of the oils that keep skin supple and hydrated. You’ll need a hydrating cleanser like the Kiehl’s classic Ultra Facial Cleanser to clean away the dirt, oil, and debris that builds up over the day on the skin’s surface.

The Ultra Facial Cleanser is our mildest face wash thanks to the inclusion of emollients like Squalane. This formula with Vitamin E, Avocado Oil and Apricot Kernel Oil is gentle and pH- balanced to maintain skin’s natural balance.

Prep

Unfortunately, hydration alone isn’t going to provide you with an adequate wrinkle treatment plan. To truly get the best results, you’ll want to add an anti-aging activator into the mix. The Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence is an essential first step to minimize the appearance of wrinkles — it’s formulated with a blend of Lipo Hydroxy Acid and Sodium Hyaluronate, improves the appeareance of fine lines, dullness and rough texture overtime, and preps the skin for your routine — the treatment step.

Treat

Here’s where things get really interesting. L-Ascorbic Acid, is the most powerful form of Vitamin C. Numerous studies have shown that it boosts collagen production as well as effectively firms and protects against damaging free radicals.

Look for a supercharged treatment like the Kiehl’s Powerful-Strength Line-Reducing Concentrate. It uses an impressive 12.5% L-Ascorbic Acid to visibly reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, plus skin-plumping and hydrating Hyaluronic Acid.

Hydrate

When skin is properly hydrated, it becomes soft, plump and bouncy (i.e. firmer and more elastic). This effect also temporarily smooths the appearance of wrinkles by expanding the skin cells via moisture, thus minimizing the look of lines. Long story short: Your skin needs to be hydrated in order to look youthful.

Enter the Kiehl’s Super Multi-Corrective Cream. It contains Sodium Hyaluronate and Beech Tree Extract, our formula visibly lifts, firms and texturizes skin, since as we get older skin tends to lose some of its properties. Plus, our formula has sunscreen — an ultimate anti-aging ingredient.