20 Best Anti-Aging Serums Including Oprah's Favorite
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If you think a face serum is just an extra step you can skip in your skincare routine, think again. Meant to be applied after you wash your face and before your favorite moisturizer or go-to cream, the best anti-aging serums are lightweight, water-based products that quickly and seamlessly penetrate skin, delivering a highly concentrated dose of potent active ingredients (think: scientifically proven retinol, hydrating hyaluronic acid, and antioxidant-rich vitamin C). That’s exactly why many dermatologists believe face serums are one of the most effective anti-aging treatments—no matter your age. “Serums are a great way to boost a basic skincare routine,” says Harvard-trained, board-certified dermatologist Anar Mikailov, MD, FAAD, founder of KP Away. “Serums are a great vehicle to provide active ingredients to the epidermis due to their great absorption properties. They are also easy to customize based on your skin needs and are easy to layer or cocktail.”
For those in their 20s or 30s, think of anti-aging serum as a proactive way to prevent wrinkles, brighten your complexion, and even texture. If you’re in your 40s, 50s, and beyond, vitamin-packed, collagen-boosting, antioxidant-spiked serums can help with wrinkles and fine lines, as well as skin’s firmness and elasticity. Even better? There's an anti-aging serum designed for every skin type—whether you have oily, acne-prone, dry, combination, or sensitive skin.
Ahead, we asked expert dermatologists to recommend the best anti-aging serums on the market, including highly effective, budget-friendly buys, splurge-worthy luxury picks, and more.
Glow Drops
This serum has the Oprah Winfrey stamp of approval. It's one of her favorite picks for giving the skin a radiant glow. "It just gives a little bit of sheen that looks like light coming through and not like grease coming through," she says. It also targets signs of aging, refines the look of large pores, and promotes a more even tone.
After Dark Anti-Aging Serum
A luxuriously moisturizing formula that combines Chaga mushroom and organic full spectrum hemp to restore skin's elasticity and improve texture. One pump is enough to moisturize your face and neck.
TNS Advanced+ Serum
Packed with powerful anti-aging ingredients, this serum visibly improves the look of deep wrinkles, fine lines, and loose skin in as little as two weeks. It works by encouraging skin cell renewal and promotion collagen and elastin production to unveil a smooth, radiant, and healthy-looking complexion.
A+ High-Dose Retinoid Serum
When you need to do serious damage control, this is the serum you choose. Though the fast-absorbing serum feels light, it delivers a healthy dose of retinol (thanks to 5 percent retinoid ester blend, one percent liposomal-encapsulated retinol blend, .5 percent blue green algae), as well as CoQ10 (a natural enzyme) and honey to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, even skin tone, and boost radiance.
Violet-C Brightening Serum
Admittedly, patience is a virtue when you want to see the full effects of your anti-aging skincare routine. But this serum satisfies those who can’t wait to see results. “Vitamin C [in the form of ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate in this product] is a major antioxidant that has been proven to fight free radicals, stimulate collagen production, even out skin tone, prevent fine lines or wrinkles, and brighten your complexion,” says dermatologist Dendy Engelman, MD, FAAD. “Since ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate is known to absorb more quickly than other types of vitamin C, it produces more immediate results.”
1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum for Face
Hyaluronic acid is a tried-and-true anti-ager that hydrates and plumps skin to minimize the visible signs of aging. The problem? Its molecular size is oftentimes too big to penetrate skin. This serum, however, contains two sizes of HA to moisturize skin’s deepest layers.
Retinol Youth Renewal Serum
This supercharged serum is formulated with not one, but two varieties of retinol—fast-acting and timed-release—plus a retinol booster and hyaluronic acid to minimize fine lines and wrinkles, promote collagen production, even skin tone, minimize dryness, and give your complexion a lit-from-within glow.
C E Ferulic
When you want a single skincare product to do the job of five, reach for a few drops of this glow-inducing serum. “This antioxidant combo of vitamins C and E with ferulic acid reduces fine lines and wrinkles, neutralizes free radicals, and reverses environmental aging. It’s a multi-functioning product that will improve texture and appearance,” says Engelman. And it stays effective for up to 72 hours after you apply it.
Retinol Ceramide Capsules Line Erasing Night Serum
These small-but-mighty capsules do it all, which is exactly why we’re giving them a glowing review. Inside each one is a luxurious night serum packed with retinol (to increase cell turnover), ceramides (to strengthen the skin barrier), peptides (to boost collagen production), and emollient oils (to deeply moisturize), so you’ll wake up with healthier and more hydrated skin.
Firm Up Deep Wrinkle Serum
What you won’t find in this silky serum: parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, phthalates, preservatives, and formaldehyde—all of which may irritate sensitive skin. What you will find: a powerful blend of probiotics and vitamin C, which work together to neutralize damaging free radicals, reduce inflammation, promote healthy collagen production, boost hydration, and brighten dull skin.
Hydrance Intense Rehydrating Serum
This is the skincare equivalent of a tall glass of water. Consisting of three different lipids, a plant-based glycerin, and the brand’s proprietary spring water, this intensely refreshing cocktail quenches soothes even the most parched skin. (Not to mention it also reinforces skin’s natural barrier, so it can retain moisture—and prevent future dryness.)
Ginger + Vitamin C Serum Shot
Who says vitamin C can’t be fun? Not the folks behind Sweet Chef, who’ve paired this tried-and-true ingredient with ginger and turmeric to add an additional brightening benefit. “This proven multitasker brightens skin, helps boost SPF protection, increases collagen production, and is fantastic in serum form,” says Mikailov.
Just Breathe Clarifying Serum
Acne-sufferers will see spots run thanks to this serum’s blend of blemish-busting ingredients. “Great for acne-prone skin, this serum combines salicylic acid with anti-inflammatory ingredients like white willow bark extract, niacinamide, and zinc,” says Mikailov.
Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum
Retinoids are great, but for some they can be very irritating. To the rescue: bakuchiol, a plant-derived alternative that may have many similar effects but without the downsides. “This is my favorite ingredient for those with eczema prone or very sensitive skin,” says Mikailov. “You get the benefit of retinol without the possible irritant reactions.”
Dew You Hyaluronic Acid Serum
“This serum is a great daily serum to add extra hydration for all skin types, even oily skin types,” says Mikailov. That means even slick skin will benefit from the plumping benefits of hydrating serums. “It has a few different weights of hyaluronic acids, different plant derivatives with humectant properties to add extra hydration.”
C-Firma Day Serum
You know the way your body feels when you eat right and take your vitamins? This vitamin C-packed serum has the same rejuvenating effect on your skin. “It also contains fruit enzymes that gently exfoliate your outermost layers of skin. It has a dual effect: Not only does it smooth and brighten skin, but it helps the antioxidants of your serum penetrate more deeply,” says dermatologist Sejal Shah, MD, of SmarterSkin Dermatology.
Universal C Skin Refiner
Not all vitamin C is created equal—which is exactly why we love this powerhouse treatment from cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson. Not only is it packed with 20 percent L-ascorbic acid (the most effective form and highest concentration of vitamin C), but each of the particles are also protected from oxidation using a patented encapsulation system. You can be sure that the very last drop is just as potent as the very first.
Active Serum
Use this cult-favorite serum to address the trifecta of top skin issues: fine lines, acne, and dryness. “This anti-aging serum contains natural sources of glycolic and lactic acid to keep your skin smooth and even-toned while salicylic acid is great as an acne treatment to keep pores clear and prevent blemishes,” says celebrity aesthetician Shani Darden.
Bio Complete Serum
Make the most of your beauty sleep with this serum that proves to be a real triple threat—hence, the price tag. “It combines hyaluronic acid to maintain moisture levels, heparan sulfate analog (which helps the production of collagen and also binds water for skin hydration), plus time-release retinol, which improves retinoid tolerability for those with sensitive skin,” says Engleman.
Retinol Reform
Encapsulated retinol, which does just about everything—encourages collagen production, increases cell turnover, reduces hyperpigmentation, protects against free radical damage, you name it—is the MVP of this wrinkle-relaxing serum. But lactic acid provides a real assist. The natural alpha hydroxy acid helps exfoliate dead skin cells, so your complexion is smoother, clearer, and more radiant.
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