The Best Anti-Aging Moisturizers for Every Budget

Erin Lukas
The Best Anti-Aging Moisturizers for Every Budget

Like spilling coffee down a white T-shirt or forgetting your phone charger at home when your battery is at 10%, wrinkles happen. While aging is part of life, we totally understand if the "elevens" that have formed between your brows or the laugh lines around your mouth bother you every time you look in the mirror.

There are a ton of skincare products out there to treat premature signs of aging, but why not moisturize your skin with a firming, smoothing formula instead of adding another step into your skincare routine? Anti-aging moisturizers work to hydrate skin while simutaneous going to work on fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, and uneven texture — a two-in-one solution.

Like with any other skincare product category, not all anti-aging moisturizers are created equal. There are options for targeting specific signs of aging, as well as skin types. Not to mention, these creams range from jars you can grab on your next drugstore run to full-on splurges.

But if you're overwhelmed with all of the options, we've done the homework for you by rounding up the best anti-aging moisturizers for every budget.

RELATED: The Exact Order You Should Apply Your Skincare Products — Morning and Night

Best Firming: Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Face Lifting Soft Cream

Courtesy
Courtesy

This whipped moisturizer might have a lightweight texture, but it offers a ton of benefits. The brand's patented resveratrol (an antioxidant derived from grapes) and hyaluronic acid firms and plumps the skin. Grape seed oil and shea butter hydrate to improve texture.

Shop now: $76; sephora.com

Best SPF: Supergoop! Superscreen Daily Broad Spectrum SPF 40 PA++

Courtesy
Courtesy

Applying sunscreen everyday might feel like a chore, but it's actually the most important step in your skincare routine. Along with protecting skin from cancer-causing UV rays, wearing SPF is the best way to prevent signs of aging. A multi-tasking moisturizer is an easy way to make sure you follow through with it daily. On top of hydrating skin, Supergoop!'s cream offers SPF 40 and is infused with a mineral that shields skin from blue light omitted from your computer screen, which studies have shown can have damaging effects on skin.

Shop now: $38; sephora.com

Best Drugstore: Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Face Moisturizer

Courtesy
Courtesy

There's tons of anti-aging moisturizers out there with lofty claims, but when a cream has wild statistics to back it up, then you know it's really that good. An impressive 17 jars of Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Face Moisturizer is sold every minute, making it the top-selling anti-aging moisturizer in America. What makes it so great? The featherweight cream includes niacinamide, or B3, an ingredient that tackles hyperpigmentation, dullness, and improves the strength of the skin barrier — essential for skin to retain moisture. Hyaluronic acid and vitamin E are also in the mix to plump, moisturize, and fight off free radicals. Together, the brand says these ingredients can deliver results in just one day and will continue to improve the appearance of skin over time.

Shop now: $23; walmart.com

Best for Glowing Skin: OLEHENRIKSEN Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Crème

Courtesy
Courtesy

Retinol is touted as the gold-standard of anti-aging ingredients because it improves the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and dullness. There's just one problem with retinol: it comes with side effects like flaking and peeling. Thankfully there's plant-derived alternatives, like bakuchiol. The new-kid-on-the-block has the same benefits as retinol, but doesn't irritate skin. Coupled with exfoliating AHA acids, plant extracts and stem cells, OLEHENRIKSEN's night cream works as you sleep to hydrate, treat fine lines and wrinkles, and resurface skin so you wake up glowy.

Shop now: $55; sephora.com

Best for Wrinkles: RoC Retinol Correxion Max Daily Hydration Anti-Aging Crème

<p>Courtesy&nbsp;</p>

Courtesy 

If you're hung up on wrinkles, we understand. A moisturizer powered by retinol will reduce the look of wrinkles and smooth out fine lines as well as prevent future signs of aging. RoC has thrown hyaluronic acid into the mix for extra, long-lasting hydration. But as with any retinol product, it's best to start off slow. Use this cream every other day until for the first two weeks in order for your skin to adjust so you avoid any retinol-related irritation.

Shop now: $18; amazon.com

Best Retinol: Kate Somerville +Retinol Vitamin C Moisturizer

Courtesy
Courtesy

Given its long list of benefits, it probably seems like there's nothing vitamin C can't do for you skin. There is, however, one ingredient you shouldn't mix with it: retinol. Since vitamin C and retinol operate a dramatically different pH levels, they can cancel each other out when used inconjunction. To sum it up: Dermatologists always recommend using vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night to get results from both. One exception is Kate Somerville's +Retinol Vitamin C Moisturizer. With stablized stains of retinol and vitamin C, the brand was able to pack both ingredients into this anti-aging moisturizer. Expect to see an improvent in fine lines, wrinkles, texture, and tone.

Shop now: $90; sephora.com

Best Splurge: La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream

Courtesy
Courtesy

If your skin is in need of serious moisture, La Mer's cult-favorite Crème de la Mer is your best bet. The celebrity-favorite decadent cream deeply moisturizes skin and heals dry, flaky patches. La Mer's trademark Miracle Broth, a mix of marine algae, minimizes fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven texture.

Shop now: $180; nordstrom.com

Best for Sensitive Skin: Dr. Barbara Sturm Face Cream

Courtesy
Courtesy

Some popular anti-aging ingredients can be too harsh for sensitive skin types. This Dr. Barbara Sturm cream is powered by pursalne, an antioxidant that promotes skin rejuvination. Coupled with skullcap and shea butter, this moisturizer smooths and firms skin without pissing off tempermental skin.

Shop now: $215; sephora.com

VIDEO: Which Anti-Aging Serums to Buy for Your Skin Concerns

Best for Uneven Texture: Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer

Courtesy
Courtesy

This protein-rich moisturizer contains nine different collagen-boosting peptides, along with plant-based stem cell extracts. Together, these ingredients replenish moisture, and plump and smooth skin. The bonus: The pump-top dispenser means you'll never contaminate the moisturizer by sticking your grimy fingers in the jar.

Shop now: $68; sephora.com

Best Overall: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter

Courtesy
Courtesy

Like the name implies, SkinCeuticals' moisturizer pulls the breaks on premature signs of aging. The non-greasy cream includes a mix of wrinkle-stopping ingredients, including herbal extracts and antioxidants. It's also designed to reduce glycation, a process caused by sugar that breaks down collagen — proteins essential for skin to retain firmness and elasticity.

Shop now: $162; dermstore.com

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories