We’re still waiting for someone to discover the real thing, but for now, the closest we can get to a sip from the mythical Fountain of Youth lies in these 14 game-changing products. They might not exactly turn us into Tuck Everlasting, but we’ll take what we can get.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Shani Darden Texture Reform
The hands-down winner of our 2018 Beauty Innovator Awards is the rare — if not heretofore unheard of — retinoid that suits even overly touchy skin types. With a genius list of ingredients that combines a gentle vitamin-A derivative and exfoliating lactic acid with soothing aloe vera, niacinamide, and coffee extract for a hit of anti-inflammatory antioxidants, it's a brightening, collagen-boosting, pore-clearing powerhouse that nearly all of our editors swear by.
Shani Darden Texture Reform™ Gentle Resurfacing Serum, $, available at Shani Darden
Augustinus Bader The Cream
The hype is real: Straddling the line between clinical efficacy and straight-up luxury, this intensely reparative — but surprisingly lightweight! — cream is everything you could ever want from your anti-aging skin-care routine, in one heavy, expensive-looking bottle. The price tag might be tough to swallow, but considering there are 30 years of stem-cell research behind this formula (shoutout to Professor Bader himself), it's a splurge we — and countless other in-the-know beauty enthusiasts who swear by the recent launch — are willing to make.
Augustinus Bader The Cream, $, available at Violet Grey
Peace Out Wrinkles
— PAID —
This overnight spot treatment for fine lines and wrinkles is unlike anything else out there. The premium patches marry microneedling and patch technology with powerful ingredients (retinol, vitamin C and a 7-peptide blend) to ward off unwanted wrinkles overnight. Each patch contains 450 dissolving hyaluronic-acid microneedles which, when applied to skin, create tiny pathways that allow enhanced absorption of the patch’s fine line-reducing ingredients.
Peace Out Microneedling Anti-Wrinkle Retinol Patches, $, available at Sephora
MALIN+GOETZ recovery treatment oil
Nothing feels more indulgent than drenching your skin in a luxe oil at the end of your skin-care routine. This botanical blend nourishes and improves the appearance of fine lines and texture with vitamins C and E suspended in a concoction of primrose, argan, grapeseed, rosehip, and jojoba oils.
MALIN+GOETZ recovery treatment oil., $, available at MALIN+GOETZ
Clinique Fresh Pressed Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%
Like a teaspoon of Tang in your water, add this super-concentrated serum to your favorite moisturizer for skin that’s preternaturally bright. It's like switching the lights on inside your face.
Clinique Fresh Pressed Daily Booster with Pure Vitamin C 10%, $, available at Sephora
Eve Lom Time Retreat
Whether you’re staving off the first signs of aging or trying to do away with the fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots that already exist, this light-as-air treatment has you covered for restoring your skin's youthful glow — and with its silky, serum-like texture, it actually makes applying unsexy, science-y retinol feel chic and indulgent.
Eve Lom Time Retreat Face Treatment, $, available at DermStore
RoC Retinol Correxion Daily Hydration Crème
If you're going to promise visibly smoother skin in just one week of use, you better deliver. This rich hydrating cream certainly does, working to blur away fine lines and wrinkles, fade dark spots, and keep skin just the right amount of moisturized without feeling heavy — all in an oil-free, non-comedogenic formula that even the acne-prone can embrace.
RoC Retinol Correxion Max Daily Hydration Anti-Aging Cream, $, available at Target
SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier
If dewiness has always eluded you, this serum boosts the skin’s natural ability to produce hyaluronic acid — a.k.a. the stuff that makes it glow — for a brighter, healthier, fresher-looking complexion.
SkinCeuticals Hyaluronic Acid Intensifier, $, available at DermStore
Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops
Not only does this unique booster — meant to be mixed in with your usual serum, sunscreen, oil, or moisturizer — deliver a naturally bronzed glow without ever seeing the sun, but it does you one better, mimicking the antioxidant benefits of vitamin D and defending against pollution and environmental stressors, so you can get all the benefits of sunlight without any of the bad shit.
Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi™ Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops, $, available at Sephora
The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
Some retinoids are too expensive, others are too drying, but we have good news for you, Goldilocks: This one, which hydrates like a lotion and costs less than $10, is just right.
The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion, $, available at Sephora
Joanna Vargas Supernova Serum
Over at the other end of the price spectrum, this powerful treatment — a high-potency blend of vitamin A, fatty acids, and soothing extracts of chamomile and Persian silk tree — will quickly become the hardest-working component of your skin-care routine. Pair it with a gentle cleanser, a lightweight moisturizer, and sunscreen for daytime, and it's really all you need.
Joanna Vargas Supernova Serum, $, available at DermStore
Murad Rapid Resurfacing Peel
The potent brightening power of glycolic acid and vitamin C now comes in the most convenient form ever. Slip a few in your carry-on when you're on the go, stash them at your desk for the ultimate pick-me-up when you're heading from work to a night out, or use them while watching TV for the laziest skin treatment ever — the choice is yours.
Murad Rapid Resurfacing Peel, $, available at Sephora
Epi.logic Double Feature Retinol + AHA Overnight Facial
There may be no magical recipe for brand-new skin overnight, but this AHA-packed formula comes pretty close. It has just about every ingredient you need for baby-soft skin, including retinol, lactic acid, glycolic acid, algae extract, and squalene that works its magic while you sleep.
epi.logic Double Feature Retinol + AHA Overnight Facial, $, available at epi.logic
BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner
A good vitamin C serum (that won't go bad before you can see any actual results) is hard to come by. That's why we hold this one from BeautyStat close to our hearts. The formula, which has a cult following online, contains 5% pure stabilized vitamin C, green tea extract, and hyaluronic acid to brighten, soothe, and plump the skin at the same damn time.
BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner, $, available at Violet Grey
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