Adopting good habits, using products, and ingredients can help us on our way to younger, fresh, clean skin.
Here is our guide to skincare by decade for the steps you’ll want to include in your skincare routine in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond!
Hello Beautiful! Here at IN THE WILD, we understand that skincare choices at any age can be overwhelming. There are multi-step skincare routines, the endless choices of products available not to mention the endless supply of information on best practices, how to’s, holy grails, and so on.
And just as you think you have it nailed, there is the ever-changing nature of our skin concerns and skin type that come as frequently as the seasons as we age.
Good skincare doesn’t have to be complicated. Here at IN THE WILD, we want to help you with the recommended skincare steps and ingredients your skin needs through age group decades.
The Basics
Before you scroll down, let’s remind ourselves of the skincare basics.
Depending on your skin type and its condition, factors such as your lifestyle, stress levels, and personal preferences, your daily regimen can have three steps one season and 14 in another!
- Cleanser (oil and foam)
- Toner
- Essence/Serum
- Eye Cream
- Moisturiser
- Sunscreen (day)
- Night Cream/ Mask (night)
However, just because you have the multi-step routine sorted doesn’t always mean you’re doing what’s best for your skin at your age. What’s vital to healthy, age-defying skin is the skin care products you choose to use for each of these steps.
Ensuring your products complement your skin type, address your skin concerns, and that they are formulated with quality ingredients that suit your skin is vital.
Here’s our guide to some of the must-have skincare by decade products and ingredients for your 20s, 30s, and 40s.
The 20’s
This first decade of adulthood! You have moved on from being a teenager. You’re young, beautiful, and maybe enjoying the best skin you’ve ever had, and let’s face it – the decade everyone wants to be in!
However, your skin is also going through a total transformation behind the layers. You won’t see it, but your skin cells are regenerating and self-repairing more slowly than before. That’s why prevention rather than cure is the name of the game in your 20s. Your skin may look at its best right now; however, what you do to it in this stage will undoubtedly affect how it will look later in life.
Consider this the perfect time to enjoy your gorgeous skin while also adopting good habits so you can prevent the future onset signs of ageing.
SPF
The number 1 way to prevent is to protect. In terms of skincare, “protect” is simply put as SPF.
Believe it or not here in the UK, we may not have the blazing sun, but a suncream is hands down, the best way to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Getting in the habit of liberally applying and reapplying SPF will help prevent sagging skin, wrinkles, dark spots, and other signs of premature ageing and sun damage. Most makeup products and moisturisers offer a level of SPF. But if in doubt adding or mixing suncream into your moisturising step is a sure way to keep harmful UV ray damage at bay.
Oil Cleanser
Another obvious one, but double cleansing is an absolute must in this age bracket (and for the rest of your life). It is particularly key to building the lifelong foundation of good skin and good habits.
Thanks to all the beauty brands targetting this demographic on Social media, more people are experimenting with different products. Online makeup tutorials are trending, especially amongst this millennial group, and this, in turn, can lead to skin build-ups and problematic skin.
Added to this is the very lifestyle of a 20-something can make skin vulnerable to environmental pollutants, tobacco (even secondhand), and other offences. It is so important that skin must be washed away with a daily deep double cleanse.
If you are being good and applying SPF as you should, only an oil-based cleanser will do the trick of cutting through and melting it away.
Retinol
When it comes to ageing skin prevention, retinol is the ultimate for this age category. Not one to rush into, it is best to slowly start including this ingredient into your routine in your late 20s before turning to more intense formulas in your 30s.
Retinol, is a super-pure vitamin A derivative, that speeds up your skin cell turnover and stimulates collagen.
This process leads to a smoother skin texture, less visible lines and pores reduction in acne, and a brighter complexion. As there isn’t too much visible damage at the end of your 20s, retinol can not only work wonders in delaying signs of ageing but in targeting the little problem areas that can sneak in at this time of life.
The reason we say approach with care is that it has been shown that too much retinol may cause irritation and flaking, especially on sensitive skin types. We recommend using introducing it gradually, for example, every other night or via a gentle formula — until your skin shows it can handle it.
The 30’s
If you are in your 30s, it’s time to get serious and examine your entire anti-ageing skincare routine.
This is generally when your skin mechanism, noticeably, slows down and when the first signs of sun damage, past bad habits, and ageing show up on skin (e.g. sunspots, fine lines, and dull skin) so it’s all about even stronger prevention and the start of damage control.
Acid exfoliation
Sounds extreme, but the cellular turnover really decreases to a sluggish pace at this stage.
If you are in your 30s, it’s time to get down to business and exfoliate skin from deep within. Gentle exfoliation will remove dead skin cells and resurface new skin, which helps maintain skin’s youthful appearance through this period of a significant slowdown.
This is now the stage where you want to add acids via products such as toners, essences, or serums into your regimen. Implementing this into your routine every other night will help to clarify pores, smooth out uneven skin texture, collagen production, and correct the appearance of any discolouration.
A note of caution here is to make sure that don’t mix these with retinol, as you may over-exfoliate. It is perhaps best to use one or the other and to alternate every few nights, weeks, or even seasons.
Vitamins
Topical vitamins by way of toners, serums, and moisturisers help the fight against free radicals brought upon by all the fun and hustle typical of this stage of life — UV sunlight, pollution, and even exercise. But let’s not forget you can also take vitamin supplements and boost your intake through your diet.
Its the free radicals that play havoc with collagen production leading to sagging, ageing skin and uneven skin tone.
Vitamins C and E in particular work really well together to reverse these problems. They can help even out skin tone and reduce the discolouration that results from hormonal shifts, breakouts and sun exposure. They also promote collagen synthesis, helping skin to look and feel more elastic and youthful.
A, B, C and E
Your health matters, and has an impact on your skin, so it’s a good idea to add other vitamins to your skincare, as well. This can be done through the use of products or through your diet.
There’s vitamin A, also known as retinoids. Vitamin A helps minimise the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines while smoothing out skin texture and reducing sebum production. Eating foods such as eggs, shrimp, fish, fortified milk, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, spinach, and mangoes is a great way to boost retinoids.
Vitamin B3, aka niacin, is found in foods such as meat, poultry, fish, fortified and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes. It works by enhancing skin tone by reducing redness and discolouration, and it also smooths out rough skin texture. It is a powerful ingredient for both skin moisturization and skin brightening and you can find it in our moisturiser LOLA.
Vitamin B5, also known as panthenol, hydrates and creates a protective barrier that seals in moisture.
Vitamin C found in foods such as citrus fruits, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts helps to brighten the complexion and improves collagen production.
And finally, Vitamin E, also known as alpha-tocopherol, is a hydrating antioxidant that protects from sun damage. Vitamin E can be sourced from vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. You can find this ingredient in our MAYA Combination Skin Moisturiser.
The 40s & beyond
There is beauty in ageing, in your 40s, you can hopefully enjoy more calm and predictable skin, but the biggest concerns for many are usually dryness and wrinkles.
Natural moisturisers and collagen in the skin start to drastically decrease once you hit 40. This decrease leads to dehydration and thin, crepey skin. That’s why in this new decade of our lives, the key is to “supercharge” your collagen-friendly and hydrating routine steps.
You need to think upgrade for your serums, moisturisers, which usually means richer, thicker, and probably more expensive products.
Hyaluronic acid, peptides, antioxidants, eye cream, neck creams, and such are the expected go-to ingredients and steps for this age group. It is also time to expand your routine to include more than just these common anti-agers.
EGF
If the letters EGF aren’t already a part of your routine, please do your skin a favour and add these to your skincare! EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) is a natural protein produced that promotes cell growth and the rejuvenation of skin on a cellular level. Our skin’s EGF supply, unfortunately, drops with age.
EGF helps improve collagen and elastin production, reduces discolouration and hyperpigmentation wrinkles, hydrates, and fortifies skin. Applying topical EGF can effectively restock your dermal cells and help skin act and look younger again.
Facial oils
Oils are fantastic at any age, but they’re a necessity in the 40s. It is during your 40’s that your skin is most susceptible to damage from free radicals and environmental stressors which cause the skin to become thin and dryness to occur. Hydration is key to sealing in moisture and ensures that your skin stays healthy – a must at this age category ladies!
Most good facial oils are packed with natural, skin-lavishing nutrients and creates a protective layer over ageing skin. Drinking plenty of water will also help the skin to rejuvenate.
Here at IN THE WILD, we have the perfect products to help you regardless of the decade you are currently in. Our serums and moisturisers work well together or alone or even as a boost to your current beauty regime.
Our products adapt to your skin, and with our natural and effective ingredients we know your skin will be nurtured through nature.
Notice the difference within days, to bring your youthful glow. Discover your inner wild.