When people speak of "mature skin," they're usually referring to the skin of people over 50, sometimes over 40. The truth is, once we hit 30, our skin begins to undergo some changes, beginning with the production of less collagen. This causes our skin to slowly but surely develop the telltale signs of aging such as wrinkles, rough texture and sagging. Your 30s might also be the age when you start to see finer horizontal lines on your forehead or notice crow's feet forming around your eyes when you smile. Still, skin isn't "mature" in your 30s, as the signs don't manifest themselves as clearly until you hit your 40s and beyond. Because of this, at this age you are more likely to start showing interest in anti-aging serums and creams. But why stop there?
If aging is an issue, you might also want to consider re-evaluating your foundation. After all, you might use foundation every day, and if you have one that's specially formulated for mature skin, it could enhance your anti-aging routine. That makes sense—especially since many of the foundations formulated for mature, aging skin contain special ingredients like hyaluronic acid or vitamin C that you'd find in anti-aging serums that promise to restore that youthful glow to your face.
Regular use of a good foundation can not only help you conceal and conceal imperfections, but also actively help fight signs of aging. It's a win-win situation. A bad foundation, on the other hand, can dry you out and accentuate fine lines and wrinkles. However, before we list our picks of the best foundations for mature skin and makeup for older women, let's talk more about mature skin and how to care for it.
What Causes Mature, Aging Skin?
As we age, a number of factors affect our skin. This includes primarily genetics, but lifestyle also has a major impact on our appearance. If you are a smoker, drinker or love to tan under the sun or in salons, you are definitely putting your skin at risk. Not only can tanning on a regular basis cause cancer, it also depletes and dries out the natural collagen and elastin in your skin. Alcohol and smoking also have a negative effect on your complexion, making it rough and sallow and aging you faster than if you weren't drinking.
Collagen & Elastin
Collagen and elastin are extremely important as they are the structural fibers in our skin that keep it taut. Collagen is the most abundant protein found throughout the body and can also be found in the joints. In the skin, it is important to maintain structure and prevent sagging. When collagen breaks down, it causes the skin to develop fine lines and wrinkles. Like collagen, elastin is also a protein. It gives skin its bounce and suppleness - basically what allows skin to recover after being pulled. You can imagine why when these proteins are compromised, it affects the skin so dramatically - they are crucial to keeping our skin looking youthful.
hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid (a popular ingredient in many skin care products) also plays a role in skin aging. Hyaluronic acid is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) that has the remarkable ability to retain moisture in the skin, up to 1,000 times its own weight. It is a naturally occurring substance in the skin and joints and gives the eyeballs their shape. In recent years, more and more skincare brands have added hyaluronic acid to their moisturizers and serums for a plumping and hydrating effect that can help skin look younger and more radiant. But like collagen and elastin, hyaluronic acid also degrades with age. By taking it off our skin, it causes the skin to become drier and less plump. Babies, for example, have a lot of hyaluronic acid in their skin, which you can see just by looking at their adorable, super-plump, dimpled cheeks. If we could all have as much hyaluronic acid as babies, we would look impossibly young forever. Unfortunately, we have to deal with the fact that our faces lose moisture and oil as we get older. Yes, the natural fat that plumps up our skin also decreases with age. Sometimes this fat loss results in an overall "slumped" appearance that makes you look limp and sometimes even gaunt.
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Aging
Skin researchers often divide aging into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic aging refers to the innate aging that affects the skin in the same way it affects the rest of the body. Extrinsic aging refers to all of the external factors, like free radical damage and sun damage, that drive aging and make us all look older much faster than we would if these things weren't a problem.
The UVA rays generated by the sun break down collagen and elastin and dry out the skin, accelerating the aging process. Even if you're not the type to tan regularly, even a short daily walk, lasting only 15 minutes, that still exposes you to the sun can have negative effects. Free radical damage is consequently also caused by the sun and environmental factors. Free radicals are unstable atoms that need to be neutralized by antioxidants. If they are not neutralized, they can lead to all kinds of cell damage. By damaging skin cells, they can cause premature aging, resulting in wrinkles and fine lines. Sunscreen is one of the best ways to prevent extrinsic aging, and it IS preventable. You just have to be very careful about always wearing sunscreen, staying in the shade and generally avoiding the sun during peak hours.
Best ingredients for mature skin
If you are curious as to what type of ingredients to look for or ask when purchasing the right foundation for mature skin or makeup for older women (or any other type of skincare/beauty product), look no further! We're about to break down the top-performing ingredients that should be in skincare products to give you the results you want.
- Hyaluronic Acid – By now you have a good idea of the importance of hyaluronic acid. It's also found in many skin care products, so you won't have to look far to find it. Because it can hold 1,000 times its weight in water, it's a great moisturizer and plumper, leaving skin looking and feeling perfectly hydrated. Hyaluronic acid or sodium hyaluronate (the salt of hyaluronic acid) should definitely be an ingredient to look out for in your beauty creams and lotions if you want to look your best.
- Vitamin C – Vitamin C is a great ingredient with multiple benefits. For one, it can lighten dark spots and brighten a complexion. It also helps in the synthesis of collagen, which means it stimulates collagen production in your skin. This is important as we have already established that collagen is an important building block in the skin that keeps it firm and youthful.
- Vitamin E – Vitamin E is also found in many skin care products. It is mainly used as an antioxidant to fight free radical damage and protect the skin from future problems. It can prevent skin from developing more wrinkles and fine lines over the years.
- Retinol – Retinol is a vitamin A derivative used to fight signs of aging and acne. It works by helping to remove dead skin cells so new skin cells can grow. This helps reduce the appearance of lines and decrease acne lesions. Some foundations for mature skin contain this ingredient due to this remarkable ability.
Best foundations for mature skin, aging skin
Colorescience Sunforgettable Tint Du Soleil
This cleverly named foundation contains peptides, a vitamin complex and ceramides to nourish and hydrate mature skin. Ceramides are waxy lipids that help restore moisture and improve skin tone and texture.
Dermablend concealing cream
The high performance pigments in this foundation can cover just about anything including scars, hyperpigmentation, vitiligo, lupus and birthmarks. It's never sticky or overwhelming, although it can cover almost anything.
Chantecailleskin of the future
Chantecaille's oil-free gel foundation is ultra-light and doesn't feel heavy on the face. A variety of botanical extracts, including aloe, allow this foundation to moisturize your skin and keep it soft.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation
Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Foundation is rich in antioxidants to help treat and prevent the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. It also contains vitamin C and hyaluronic acid to brighten and hydrate respectively. It is among the best foundations for wrinkles.
NeutrogenaAnti-aging perfector for healthy skin
Key ingredients in this foundation include retinol and retinyl palmitate, which stimulate collagen production. It offers a transparent cover and is very light. This is one of the best foundations for mature skin over 60.
L’Oreal Visible Lift Foundation
This foundation also contains retinyl palmitate to stimulate collagen and sodium hyaluronate to plump and moisturize. It also contains SPF to protect skin from sun damage during the day.
Dior Nude Air Serum
Dior describes this as an ultra fluid, lightweight foundation. It contains anti-aging ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and botanical oils (rosemary leaf extract and cranberry oil) to nourish, protect and hydrate mature skin.
Lancome Renergie Lift Makeup
Pure vitamin E is an important component of Renergie Lift, which acts as a powerful antioxidant to fight free radicals. Reflective microbeads also ensure a radiant look. Meanwhile, flexible microbubbles create "air pockets" for the skin, preventing foundation from settling into lines and wrinkles. This ability makes it the top choice for mature skin.
Estee Lauder Double WearStay-in-Place-Stiftung
Available in over 55 shades, this is a 24-hour liquid foundation with a matte finish. It's also oil-free and oil-controlling to prevent skin from looking too shiny. Beyond that, you don't have to worry
Giorgio Armani Luminous Skin Foundation
This award-winning and popular foundation features Micro-Fil technology that combines high-impact pigments with an incredibly lightweight texture to ensure the result is a silky, luminous, weightless look and feel. This foundation continues to top the list for best makeup for older women.
BareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15
This loose powder foundation is ideal for normal, dry and mature combination skin. It blends flawlessly and blends into a silky cream upon application of powder. This is one of the best makeup for older women, although it can be used on people of all ages.
It cosmeticsBye FoundationAll-over moisturizer with SPF 50+
This is a moisturizer first and a foundation second. It deeply nourishes and hydrates, fills in lines and wrinkles to make them less noticeable and combats dryness. It also helps cover up redness like rosacea, large pores, pimples and dark spots. The best part is that it offers coverage without wrinkles or tears.
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20
Here's another moisturizer that doubles as a foundation and offers excellent coverage while targeting dryness and fine lines and wrinkles. It contains macadamia and kukui seed oils to moisturize and leave skin with a dewy finish.
ClinicEven betterMakeup broad spectrum SPF 15
Clinique's Even Better Foundation contains vitamin C and vitamin E as key ingredients that brighten the skin and protect against free radicals. This foundation also moisturizes and offers moderate coverage. It is ideal for oily, normal, dry and combination skin.
Maybelline New York Fit Me Matte Plus Poreless Foundation
Excellent for oily skin, this foundation helps to blur pores and make fine lines and wrinkles less visible. It also absorbs oil to give you a truly matte look that never shines. Ingredients include vitamin E and glycerin, a humectant that attracts moisture to keep skin hydrated.
Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick
Whether your skin needs hydration or oil control, this foundation stick from Bobbi Brown takes care of it. This highly rated and popular foundation uses olive extract and shea butter to moisturize and keep dry skin soft. It also won't sink into creases to accentuate them and slides on easily.
References: Dermato Endocrinology, "Hyaluronic Acid: A Key Molecule in Skin Aging"; Indian Dermatology Online Journal, “Vitamin C in Dermatology”