My skincare routine at 52 and the ingredients that really work for mature skin

What does a reasonably simple but effective skincare routine look like for mature skin? 

I’m 52 and as a journalist dedicated to exploring skincare and healthy aging here and on The Honest Channel.

The skincare routine I follow is based on the expert advice I’ve picked up from my interviews along the way and what has made a visible difference to my skin.  

I follow what are considered to be the cornerstones of an ideal skincare routine for mature skin.

What are they? A moisture-protective cleanser, antioxidant serum, retinoid, peptides, ceramides, omega fatty acids and SPF. And I also include a couple of devices to help stimulate collagen production.  

PM ROUTINE

Cleansing

One of the less-considered elements of a skincare routine is how we cleanse our skin and I’ve come to realize it’s actually one of THE most important elements. 

Our skin gets drier as we age because we produce less sebum or oil. That starts changing our skin microbiome which negatively impacts skin cell productivity and the amount of collagen produced. 

So we want to make sure our cleanser is not stripping our skin of moisture. 

At night I cleanse with a gentle oil-based balm.

The one I use most frequently is Heimish All Clean Balm approx £16/$20 for 120ml and it’s widely available internationally. 

To use an oil-based cleansing balm, I firstly wet my hands, but not my face, that’s an important bit because you want the balm to be easy to apply but not overwhelmed by the water. 

So I put a 5p coin or dime sized amount in the palm of my hands and rub it over my face, working out my mascara and sweeping the balm down my neck and then removing everything with a hot wet face towel which I sweep over once, rinse and then do it again. 

Retinoids

A few nights a week after cleansing l use a retinal serum.

Retinal is short for retinaldehyde which sits in between retinol and retinoic acid in terms of the speed of its effect on the skin. 

Retinol is a less potent form of vitamin A that is a couple of conversion steps away from the form of vitamin A that’s made in our skin – retinoic acid.  

Most of you will have heard of Retin A or tretinoin which is retinoic acid.

It’s prescription only because it’s the most biologically active form of vitamin A that gets to work on the skin straight away. Our skin doesn’t have to convert it because it’s already in its bioavailable form – which is why our skin reacts more strongly to it. 

Retinaldehyde sits between those two because it’s just one conversion step away from that most potent and active form.

Despite its potency, I find it to be more gentle on my skin than retinol while still doing a great job on smoothing out the surface over time. So to me it’s less irritating than a strong retinol and hugely less irritating than tretinoin/retinoic acid. 

The benefits for mature skin are retinoids’ undoubted potential to reduce fine lines and skin pigmentation.  

When we get the balance right on our skin so we’re not going too strong too often, retinoids are a really helpful addition to any skincare routine. 

My favorite retinals

Like retinol and retinoic acid, retinal comes in different strengths.  

My mainstay is the highest strength retinal from Geek & Gorgeous at 0.2% but I was able to go straight to that strength because I switched from tretinoin. If you’re new to retinoids, start with a lower strength retinal and build up.  

The Geek & Gorgeous retinal is an uncomplicated unfragranced formula and well priced too at £18 or $20. 

Along the way I’ve tried the Medik8 retinal in the 0.1% strength which does a very similar job but has a more sophisticated formula, it glides very nicely over the skin so it has a smoother finish, but it’s more expensive at around £90 or $110.  

The Naturium retinal at £35 or $45 in the same strength is a good mid-point option. 

Peptides & Growth Factors

I finish my evening routine by applying either Calecim ‘s Multiaction Cream or a peptide-based serum.  

Calecim is a growth-factor rich skin and hair line. I’ve used the cream in cycles for a couple of years now, while my dad and husband also use the hair system.

I cycle the Calecim cream because it expensive with a 50 gram pot costing £175 or $200 so I only use it in the evenings and one pot will last me about 12 weeks.  

The growth factors are derived from stem cells found in the umbilical cords of red deer. Being a biological product, although it’s cruelty free, it’s not for everyone.

The Calecim products are naturally very rich in growth factors and peptides and we have seen clear benefits using this range.  

Going through menopause my skin is more prone to redness on my cheeks and that is calmed almost overnight when I use Calecim. Over time I think it has been really good for balancing my skin, it feels nourished and looks less lined but its anti-aging effects do take time and I wish it was less expensive.

Lower cost peptide serums

Growth factors are proteins that stimulate cell growth and repair, while peptides are short chains of amino acids that can signal to cells to start repairing and increasing their collagen production. So they play a similar role and I think are worth including in your skincare routine.

By cycling Calecim it means I get to try out lots of other great peptide-based products too.   

I really like the new peptide serum from Medik8 which they recently launched.

They focused on a few key peptides which have better evidence behind them and then worked on a delivery system which helps them better penetrate the skin barrier. 

It includes the Matrixyl 3000 peptide complex which has some good supporting evidence but it’s a little pricey at £79 for 30ml or $92. 

At the less expensive end of the market though The Ordinary’s Multi-Peptide & Copper Peptide Serum I think is a solid choice at around £30 or dollars and it also includes Matrixyl.  

No7’s Future Renew Serum is another lower-priced peptide-based product that has good evidence behind it.

Ceramides and Omega Fatty Acids

Finally, I make sure to add a product with ceramides and omega fatty acids to my evening routine.

I like to see both those ingredients included in either a moisturizer or a facial oil. 

Ceramides are naturally occurring lipids or fats in our skin that form a protective barrier, helping to lock in moisture and prevent water loss.  

Omega fatty acids provide nourishment and nutrients to our skin and have been found to have multiple benefits including helping to regulate oil production, improve hydration and reduce inflammation. 

A few months ago my mum and I switched to Atopalm moisturizer which has been found in independent studies to protect the skin barrier and reduce inflammatory cytokines in the skin – and consequently in our blood! It really makes a difference to skin hydration (£18/$24) for 60ml.

AM ROUTINE

The cleansing part in the mornings is easy as I mentioned because I just rinse my skin with water in the shower. It doesn’t need another cleanse.

Really I’m trying to hold on to all the natural moisture I can.  

Antioxidant serum

Next I still use the Aeonia Age Defying Serum from Delavie Sciences.

It contains basillus lysate, a kind of super-antioxidant discovered by Nasa scientists.

It protects the skin against UV damage and significantly boost its hydration too, and the makers, Delavie Sciencies, say it also stimulates a signalling protein in our skin called Sirt1 helping cells to become more productive and repair themselves as well. 

I like the additional UV protection for my skin but also I think it has helped plump out the fine lines around my eyes in particular and supports my skin’s hydration generally.  

It’s £100 or $125 dollars which is why I only use it once a day and, like the Calecim, I do alternate it to save money, particularly over winter with a lower cost but similar product. 

Lower-cost alternative

A higher-strength vitamin C serum is a cheaper alternative to Aeonia, though has the potential to be irritating so you may have to go easy on it to begin with.

Vitamin C will provide both a skin-brightening and protective effect on the skin. Great options are Medik8 (higher price but brilliantly formulated) and Geek and Gorgeous (cost effective).

Sun protection

For a sunscreen I mainly use Bluelene’s Sun Fix moisturizer.

It contains the physical sunscreen zinc oxide and the anti-aging ingredient methylene blue which has been found to slow cell aging and protect the skin from sun damage.

The official SPF is 21 but that’s because methylene blue is not recognized yet as a sunscreen by the FDA.

But I love this because it sits really nicely on my skin, provides a bit of added moisture, isn’t irritating and I think does a good job with sun protection.

A great and cheaper alternative is Beauty of Joseon’s sunscreen. It uses next-generation chemical filters which are less likely to be absorbed into the bloodstream. It sits beautifully on the skin and I found it totally non-irritating.

Anti-aging devices and treatments

In terms of devices, I’m still using the ZIIP Halo microcurrent device to help with muscle toning and to boost bloodflow to the skin and therefore the skin cells.

Most days I also use the Nira Pro laser which, over time, has delivered some impressive results in terms of reducing wrinkle depth.

I started using it on my face again after my recent interview with Nira founder David Bean in which I quizzed him with audience questions for an hour.

By the end of it I felt I fully understood how the device works. It’s targeting water in the surface layers of our skin to stimulate collagen production, reaching less than a millimeter, making it safe to use regularly.

Red light

Frequent use of red light is still one of the most important parts of my routine. Red light helps energize our aging skin cells and used consistently you will see a difference to skin quality and fine lines.

I use a panel from Maysama so I can cover face, neck and décolletage in one go and it also has a pulsed light option which gives you all the benefits but makes sure you don’t overdo it with prolonged exposure.

My typical frequency and duration is around 6 minutes four mornings a week.

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