Are you using the right skincare? This is what to use from your 20s to 70s
- Vicky Chandler
Published: August 19, 2026 at 10:24 AM
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Experts share how to protect your skin at every decade
Gone are the days of one trusty moisturiser and a face scrub so harsh it felt like it could peel a layer of your skin off. Skincare is now the biggest business in beauty, projected to generate a revenue of over $200billion in 2026.
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We’re collectively spending an extraordinary amount of money on our skin, but the question is whether we’re spending it on the right things – it’s easy to be convinced you need a dozen serums and acids just to keep up.
But one thing’s for certain, as your skin shifts from decade to decade, so does what it can produce for itself and what genuinely needs a helping hand. After all, a 25 year-old’s skin and a 55 year-old’s skin are not fighting the same battle.
So, what does your skin actually need at each stage of life – and what can you stop wasting your money on? We asked five experts what your skin genuinely needs, decade by decade.
Your 20s
At a glance: Daily SPF, gentle cleansing and hydration. Consider a retinoid if you have a specific concern. Skip aggressive treatments and 10-step routines.
Your 20s should focus more on protecting healthy skin than trying to fix signs of ageing that haven't actually happened yet. “The essentials are actually very simple: daily SPF, gentle cleansing, good hydration and a routine appropriate for your individual skin concerns,” says Dr Mihaela Gulyas of SKNCode London.
It can be a good time to introduce a retinoid if you're dealing with a specific skincare concern like acne, pigmentation or texture, but there's no need to panic and start one simply because you've reached a certain birthday. Gulyas recommends starting “low and slow”, perhaps using a gentle formulation twice a week initially, moisturising well and increasing frequency according to how your skin tolerates it. “More irritation does not mean better results,” she says.
The one thing she would make non-negotiable? SPF. Every single day. “If I could convince someone in their 20s to do only one thing for the future of their skin, it would be consistent broad-spectrum SPF 30-50, ideally SPF 50,” she says. UV exposure contributes to pigmentation, collagen breakdown and visible skin ageing, making prevention considerably easier than trying to repair the damage later.
And if TikTok has convinced you that a bathroom shelf full of acids, serums and devices is the price to pay for good skin, think again. “Thinking that more skincare equals better skin” is the biggest myth Gulyas sees among her younger patients. Layering multiple actives without understanding whether your skin actually needs them can leave perfectly healthy skin irritated, sensitised and inflamed.
The same goes for expensive treatments. Unless there is a genuine skincare concern, Gulyas says most people in their 20s don't need aggressive resurfacing, excessive injectables or frequent energy-based treatments simply because they've seen them online. “Your 20s aren't about doing everything possible to your skin,” she says. “They're about creating the habits that mean you'll need less intervention later.”
Your 30s
At a glance: SPF, barrier support, Vitamin C and a carefully introduced retinoid.
Your 30s are often when your skin starts to feel a little different. The complexion you’ve known for years can suddenly look less plump, drier or more tired, while fine lines, pigmentation and changes in texture become more noticeable. This is where it becomes useful to think about using retinoids to speed up skin cell turnover while giving the skin more support with barrier-strengthening ingredients such as ceramides and hyaluronic acid, according to award-winning skin therapist Gemma Carlisle, founder of skincare clinic The Collaborative.
“The key is to start low and slow with retinol – a form of Vitamin A,” she says. “You don’t need to jump to the strongest one to get results. I’d rather see someone use a well-formulated product consistently and keep their skin barrier healthy.” Start two to three evenings a week and gradually increase depending on how your skin responds.
Some dryness, flaking or mild irritation can happen while your skin adjusts, but Carlisle is wary of calling every reaction “purging”, the term given to the temporary increase in breakouts when you start using a new skincare product. “If your skin is burning, extremely dry, sore or persistently breaking out, that’s not something you should push through,” she says. Stronger doesn't automatically mean better.
Vitamin C can also earn a place in your morning routine, although it isn't compulsory. The two ingredients have different jobs: vitamin C is an antioxidant that can help protect against environmental damage and support brighter, more even-looking skin, while vitamin A focuses more on cell turnover, collagen support, texture and fine lines.
Her biggest warning for this decade is doing too much. “I blame TikTok,” she says. It’s easy to spot your first fine line or a little pigmentation and respond by piling on retinol, acids, exfoliating toners, vitamin C, peptides and multiple serums. The irony is that you can end up compromising the skin barrier while trying to prevent something completely normal.
“I’m a huge believer in good products, not lots of products,” says Carlisle. She also encourages looking beyond the bathroom cabinet, considering hormones, nutrition, gut health, stress, sleep and lifestyle when skin suddenly changes.
“Your 30s shouldn’t be about fighting ageing,” she says. “For me, they’re about protecting the skin you’ve got, stimulating it intelligently and keeping it healthy inside and out.”
Your 40s
At a glance: SPF, niacinamide and peptides. Skip expensive eye creams.
Your 40s are typically the decade perimenopause begins, bringing fluctuating and gradually declining oestrogen – a hormone that’s directly tied to collagen production and skin plumpness.
For dermatologist Dr Katherine Armour, founder of Bespoke Skin Technology, this is the time to bank collagen and look after our skin barrier. “This is the decade to do all we can to protect and stimulate production of collagen. In doing so, it’s crucial to choose active skincare carefully to avoid disrupting the skin barrier and causing skin irritations. The skin barrier is crucial in skin longevity and health.”
Two ingredients earn her enthusiastic backing. The first is niacinamide, what she calls a dermatologist favourite, and for good reason. “It’s a multitasking powerhouse and is well-tolerated in all skin types. It supports the skin barrier, protects and stimulates collagen production, targets pigmentation and has anti-inflammatory benefits.”
Peptides are the newer addition to the conversation now that there have been enough clinical studies published to back up their effectiveness, says Armour. “Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act as ‘messenger’ molecules, signalling skin cells to perform specific functions,” she explains. Some prompt collagen and elastin production, others deliver minerals that support wound healing, others soften the nerve-to-muscle signalling behind expression lines.
SPF, unsurprisingly, isn’t going anywhere either. Armour is unequivocal that sun exposure remains responsible for the vast majority of visible skin ageing, calling it the ‘single biggest factor in skin longevity.’
One thing you can skip, however, is the expensive eye cream. “In almost every instance, the skincare products that you apply in the morning and at night on the rest of your face will do all you need to look after the skin around your eyes,” Armour says.
Your 50s
At a glance: SPF, hydration and barrier support. Consider carefully chosen collagen-supporting actives.
If your skin seems to change almost overnight in your 50s, menopause is likely to have something to do with it. We start losing collagen from our mid-20s onwards, but the drop in oestrogen around menopause can accelerate that process significantly. In fact, we can lose around 30% of our skin’s collagen in the first five years following menopause.
The knock-on effect is considerable: less firmness and elasticity, increased dryness, a thinner skin structure, more visible lines and a slower ability to repair itself. Oestrogen also plays an important role in maintaining hydration and the skin barrier, so many women notice their skin becoming much drier or more sensitive around this time.
“For me, the answer isn't to suddenly throw every anti-ageing active at the skin,” says Alice Henshaw, founder and CEO of Harley Street Injectables and SKIN|CYCLES. “It's about becoming much more strategic.” Her priorities are daily SPF, good hydration and barrier support, alongside ingredients that support collagen and overall skin quality.
Henshaw also recommends looking beyond one supercharged ingredient: humectants such as hyaluronic acid and glycerin attract water to the skin, while ceramides, squalane and fatty acids help support the barrier. Don't be afraid of a richer moisturiser either. “If your barrier is compromised, restoring it is fundamental. Healthy skin needs both hydration and lipids,” she says.
Retinoids and acids aren't suddenly off the menu in your 50s, but menopausal skin can have a lower tolerance for irritation. Henshaw's advice is to adjust rather than abandon them, like using an appropriate strength less frequently if necessary.
And don't try to solve every change with another trip to the beauty counter. Any new, persistent, changing or unexplained skin change should be medically assessed. Menopause itself also deserves attention beyond skincare. If you're experiencing significant symptoms, Henshaw recommends speaking to your GP rather than trying to manage everything through products. “Skincare and aesthetic treatments can absolutely support skin quality, but they shouldn't replace looking at the bigger picture of what's happening hormonally.”
Your 60s and 70s
At a glance: SPF, a good moisturiser and barrier support. Retinoids or gentle acids if your skin can tolerate them.
By your 60s and 70s, the priority is less about throwing increasingly powerful actives at your face, and more about protecting what you have. “Skin is often drier, thinner and less resilient than it was in earlier decades,” says Dr Hansel Misquitta, expert for CACI Beauty. “I become much more interested in protecting the skin barrier and keeping the skin comfortable rather than constantly adding stronger and stronger actives.”
This doesn’t mean prevention suddenly goes out the window, in fact quite the opposite. UV exposure continues to contribute to pigmentation, collagen breakdown, roughness, precancerous changes and skin cancer throughout life, making SPF just as important at 70 as it was at 30.
Moisturiser also becomes increasingly important as skin gets drier and more reactive. Ceramides are particularly useful here because they form part of the skin barrier, helping keep water in and irritants out. But you don't need a separate ceramide toner, serum, mist and night cream: a well-formulated moisturiser containing ceramides, alongside ingredients such as glycerin and other barrier-supporting lipids, can do the job. “Sometimes the least exciting product in your skincare shelf is doing the most useful job,” says Dr Hans.
And what about exfoliation? This is where things get more nuanced. Older skin doesn't automatically need less exfoliation, just more intelligent exfoliation. For someone with significant sun damage, roughness and pigmentation, controlled use of ingredients such as glycolic acid or other AHAs can improve the appearance of photodamaged skin, while retinoids can help with cell turnover, collagen and several signs of photoageing.
The catch is that older skin can take longer to recover from irritation. Throwing glycolic acid, retinol, scrubs and peels at it all at once isn't a shortcut to younger-looking skin. “It is just inflammation with good branding and a good spend,” says Dr Hans. The condition of the skin, rather than simply its age, should dictate what you use.
And perhaps that's the most useful advice of all. “Stop trying to punish your skin into looking younger,” says Dr Hans. “Healthy skin at 70 should still look like 70-year-old skin. It should just look like the healthiest version of it.”
Ultimately, good skincare isn’t about having the biggest bathroom cabinet or chasing every new ingredient that is generating buzz. It’s about understanding what your skin needs now and recognising that those needs will change.
Across every decade, the fundamentals remain surprisingly consistent: protect your skin from the sun, keep it hydrated and support a healthy barrier. From there, ingredients such as retinoids, vitamin C, niacinamide, peptides and gentle acids can be useful additions, but only when they suit your skin and its concern.
The biggest mistake is assuming that stronger, more expensive or more complicated products automatically means better. Your skin doesn’t need to be constantly pushed to its limits to look healthy. In fact, knowing when to do less may be just as important as knowing what to reach for. So, rather than completely overhauling your routine every time you reach a new decade, think of it as an ongoing conversation with your skin – protect it, listen to it and adjust when it changes.
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Vicky Chandler
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