Cocktailing: Four Must-Have Anti-Aging Skin-Care Ingredients

Why restrict yourself to only one line of skin-care products? Your skin is idiosyncratic, so it’s better to cherry-pick the best products from a variety of lines – augmenting tried-and-true favourites with powerhouse add-ons that address skin’s ever-changing needs.

“After 40, we lose one to two per cent of collagen per year,” says Dr. William McGillivray of Vancouver’s Project Skin MD clinic, making lines and wrinkles more visible. Our skin thins and can become more sensitive. And after 50, hormone and oil production slows, leaving skin drier than before. So create your own bespoke “cocktails” by adding any of the following proven age-effective fighters to your existing regimen for added brightening, hydration and collagen boosting.

And unlike contraindicated medications, these ingredients chosen here are proven to work well together, boosting each other’s efficacy. But if you have sensitive skin, as 68 per cent of Canadian women think they do, avoid using retinol in tandem with salicylic or glycolic acids, which already peel skin. And because all these products make skin sun-sensitive, don’t leave home without your sunscreen. But other than that one caveat, let your inner mixologist reign.  —Liza Herz

Reclaim Your Glow

Cocktailing for beginners: While moisturizer alone “has been proven to decrease [the appearance of] wrinkles by 20 per cent,” says McGillivray, you can amplify its effects and boost your complexion’s radiance by gently massaging a couple of drops of facial oil into damp skin before applying your regular moisturizer or serum. Weleda Almond Soothing Face Oil and Fresh Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil have vitamin E to nourish and maintain skin’s elasticity.

For those with oily  or acne-prone skin, try Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum. It’s made from organic grape water and is oil-free and non-comedogenic.

Brighten Up

Plump It Up

Hyaluronic acid is the skin-care ingredient that everyone over 40 needs in their cocktailing arsenal. A powerhouse molecule that can hold a thousand times its weight in water, it provides instant hydration to plump skin and minimize wrinkles. In a facial spray like Benefit Ultra Radiance Facial Rehydrating Mist, it’s an easy first step in the morning or an anytime refresher that won’t disturb your makeup. A hyaluronic acid-rich eye serum like Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair is designed for bedtime use but can also be applied before makeup for a quick under-eye pick-me-up.

Rethink Retinol