After spending years perfecting my routine, these are the products actually worth buying.
Twenty years into a serious skincare routine, Cher Checchio has learned the lesson most of us learn the slow way: what worked at twenty does not necessarily work at forty. Checchio is a beauty and style editor, and her bathroom vanity tells the story — cleansers, toners, serums and moisturisers lined up for both the morning and the night. She still gets carded now and then, and strangers still mistake her for a teenager sometimes, but the products that carried her through college simply do not have the same effect on her skin now.
So she has leaned all the way into an anti-ageing routine, swapping her old staples for products that speak to what her skin needs today: dullness, fine lines and uneven tone. That covers the full day — cleansers, vitamin C serums, peptides, retinols, moisturisers, sunscreen and LED therapy, morning and night. What follows are the products she actually relies on now, tested by her, in her own routine.
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TL;DR
- Skin-boosting serums: If ageing skin needs a higher concentration of active ingredients to brighten, hydrate and help soften the look of fine lines and wrinkles, Checchio reaches for the TruSkin Vitamin C Facial Serum, the Ranavat Brightening Saffron Serum or the Medicube PDRN Peptide Serum.
- Tried-and-true favourites: Retinol and sunscreen are her non-negotiables — she loves the Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream and the La Roche-Posay Mela B3 sunscreen.
Top Picks
- Best Sunscreen for Mature Skin: La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Sunscreen – SPF 30
- Best Vitamin C Serum for Mature Skin: TruSkin Vitamin C Facial Serum
- Best for Uneven Texture: Medicube PDRN Peptide Serum
- Best for Fine Lines: Origins Plantscription Triple-Action Youth Cream
- Best Retinol Cream for Mature Skin: Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream
- Best for Dark Spots: Ranavat Brightening Saffron Serum
- Best Body Oil for Mature Skin: Stripes Beauty The Full Monty Squalane Hydrating Vitamin C Body Oil
- Best Red Light Therapy Mask for Mature Skin: Megelin Duo-Lux Laser & LED Light Therapy Mask
- Best Night Cream: Derma-E Ultra Hydrating Night Cream
- Best Eye Cream: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream Repair
Reviews
Best Sunscreen for Mature Skin: La Roche-Posay Mela B3 UV Daily Sunscreen – SPF 30
If there is one skincare hill Checchio will gladly die on for mature skin, it is sunscreen — and the older she gets, the more she means it. She owns several moisturisers with SPF, but the one she keeps coming back to is the La Roche-Posay Mela B3 dark-spot corrector, which fades discoloration while protecting against sun damage. On days when she will be outside most of the time, she reaches for an SPF 50 instead, but for everyday use this broad-spectrum SPF 30 moisturiser with an invisible finish is her go-to.
Best Vitamin C Serum for Mature Skin: TruSkin Vitamin C Facial Serum
Every routine, in Checchio’s view, should start with a gentle cleanser, an exfoliator and a toner to clear away dirt and dead skin cells and prep the skin. After that, though, she is passionate about face serums — vitamin C serums above all. This one is friendly to sensitive skin, and its vitamin C helps the look of dark spots while supporting collagen. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, aloe vera and jojoba oil, the dermatologist-tested serum leaves her dry skin hydrated and glowing.
Best for Uneven Texture: Medicube PDRN Peptide Serum
Yes, Checchio layers her face serums — and this K-Beauty serum is the one she applies last, because it has the thickest consistency of the three. Its peptides firm the skin while niacinamide strengthens the barrier, and PDRN, the anti-ageing ingredient everyone is talking about, helps with elasticity and fine lines and supports collagen production. It is her pick for loss of firmness and uneven texture, the one she reaches for when she wants her skin to look bouncier without feeling heavy.
Best for Fine Lines: Origins Plantscription Triple-Action Youth Cream
Slower collagen production and reduced cell turnover make it harder for skin to recover as we age — which is why Checchio turns to this rich moisturiser. It supports the skin’s natural collagen and elastin, and with the help of peptides, the youth cream smooths lines and wrinkles while staying lightweight enough for everyday use.
Best Retinol Cream for Mature Skin: Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream
Retinol is a vitamin A derivative, and its benefits run long: more cell turnover for a more even skin texture, and fewer fine lines and wrinkles — the classic anti-ageing concerns. Checchio has been a fan of this Drunk Elephant retinol cream, with 1.0% retinol, for over a year, because it only takes a couple of weeks to show results and it does not irritate her sensitive skin. One caution she passes on: retinol can be drying because it disrupts the skin barrier, so she suggests starting with a pea-sized amount mixed into your favourite moisturiser once or twice a week, until your skin gets used to it.
Best for Dark Spots: Ranavat Brightening Saffron Serum
Serums are good at delivering hydration and going after specific concerns, and that is why Checchio loves this saffron serum from Ranavat: it turns her dull skin into a radiant glow, thanks to antioxidants that help fade discoloration and dark spots. It works quickly and absorbs deeply, leaving a brighter, more hydrated look.
Best Body Oil for Mature Skin: Stripes Beauty The Full Monty Squalane Hydrating Vitamin C Body Oil
Checchio’s skin has always leaned dry, and at forty, hydration matters even more to her. The Stripes Beauty Full Monty body oil guards against moisture loss and improves firmness with nourishing squalane and vitamins C and E, and she smooths it all over her body after a shower, when absorption is at its best. The brand itself was founded by Naomi Watts specifically for perimenopausal and menopausal women.
Best Red Light Therapy Mask for Mature Skin: Megelin Duo-Lux Laser & LED Light Therapy Mask
Checchio is not shy about admitting she owns more than one light therapy device — but this laser and LED mask is the one she reaches for at home, after cleansing and before the rest of her routine. It offers four modes that target wrinkles, inflammation, toning and daily repair across her forehead, smile lines, crow’s feet and cheeks. Beyond the facial zone mapping — mode one for wrinkles and mode three for toning are her favourites — and the controller with its on-screen timer, it is simply comfortable, which is a must-have for her in a red light therapy mask.
Other Skincare for Mature Skin Products I Swear By
Derma-E Ultra Hydrating Night Cream
Checchio has used this moisturiser for over a year. It brings together hyaluronic acid, squalane and ceramides to deeply hydrate and restore moisture, and the night cream softens her skin so she wakes up with a smoother, healthier-looking complexion.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Eye Cream Repair
She protects the sensitive skin around her eyes with this soothing cream, made with shea butter to ease puffiness, dark circles and signs of ageing. It is fragrance-free and safe for sensitive skin.
ORA Method LED Gua Sha
Her travel-friendly LED gua sha works beneath the surface with a soothing vibration, sculpting and brightening her face in ten minutes.
RoC Deep Wrinkle Filler
This retinol filler blurs fine lines and softens deep wrinkles, especially on her forehead — and it is easy to take on the go.
Thayers Hydrating Cucumber Witch Hazel Facial Toner
Made with witch hazel and aloe, this alcohol-free toner cleans the pores and helps the rest of her skincare products absorb better.
Ole Henriksen Hydrabarrier Peptide Face Oil
This face oil is her favourite, especially in the spring, as its peptides help lock in hydration and repair her skin barrier.
