Shirazi shares a bit more helpful application guidance:
“If you are starting a retinol, avoid or reduce your exfoliation until your skin gets acclimated. For those with sensitive skin, avoid a retinol with other potent actives like vitamin C or glycolic acid at the same time. Wait 2–4 weeks before adding one or the other. Some may not tolerate strong acids like glycolic or salicylic acid with a retinol. I suggest skipping the retinol the nights you exfoliate with a strong acid.”
Read on to discover the best wrinkle creams our experts actually recommend—along with important ingredient callouts and application best practices.
The Illuminating Cream
“[This] cream goes beyond your normal anti-aging cream,” Marino says. Good for all skin types, she continues, “This provides an instant glow and brings life back to dull, depleted complexions.”
- Key Ingredients: “It boasts a patented growth factor technology, along with peptides, antioxidants, and alpha hydroxy acids to renew the skin,” Marino explains of this illuminating moisturizer.
- Skin Benefits: Crafted to deliver a glow-y complexion, “This moisturizing cream is good for all skin types from combination to dry, and helps reduce all signs of aging while stimulating the skin’s own collagen synthesis and aiding in micro-exfoliation,” she says.
- When to Apply: According to Jan Marini, this can be applied both morning and night to the face and neck.