12 anti-aging ingredients and buzzwords that matter

Trendy “hero” ingredients pop up frequently as anti-aging skin care products continue to evolve. As brands compete to outdo one another, we sometimes see ads and commercials describing complexes no one really understands. (Even beauty PR people struggle with the terminology, believe me.) There are some basic terms and ingredients you should know that are proven to work, and which appear dozens of times in my Vibrant Nation Beauty Guide.

When shopping for effective anti-aging skin care products, look for skin transformers like retinol, retinyl palmitate, niacinamide, peptides, hexapeptides, tetrapeptides, and water retainers like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, essential fatty acids, sodium PCA, amino acids, or glycosaminoglycans that improve the barrier function of the skin by attracting and binding water to it.

Here are the top 12 to know:

1. Acids
   Some like alpha hydroxy acid (AHA), salicylic acid (aka beta hydroxy acid, or BHA), glycolic acid, and lactic acid are known for their exfoliating abilities and are often used in wrinkle creams, brightening serums, and cleansers. Others like azelaic acid, which is used in treatments for acne, and kojic acid, a skin lightener that fights hyperpigmentation, are frequently used to target specific problems.
2. Antioxidants
   These specific ingredients, including vitamins A, C, and E, minerals selenium and zinc, green tea, grape seed extract, lycopene, quercetin, green coffee extract, Idebenone, ferulic acid, and pomegranate extract, fight the oxidation process set off by free radicals (see explanation below). Applying topical antioxidants along with a sunscreen helps fight sun damage. In fact, the more antioxidants, the better since they enhance one another.
3. Collagen and elastin
   These are the fibers that make up the support structure of the skin—like the springs and stuffing in your mattress. They diminish with time, age, and estrogen loss, causing wrinkles and expression lines to deepen and skin to sag. Anything that rejuvenates collagen and elastin like vitamin C or retinol is your friend.
4. Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10 or Ubiqinone
   This vitamin-like ingredient has a small molecule that can penetrate the skin and help improve texture and sun damage.
5. Essential fatty acids
   Listed on the label often as Omega 3 and 6, EFAs (as they are also called) essentially waterproof your skin. They protect skin from moisture loss and maintain its suppleness and elasticity.
6. Essential oils
   These are therapeutic plant, flower, fruit, vegetable, and seed oils with soothing, healing antiseptic powers and aromatherapy benefits.
7. Free Radicals
   Picture these as bandits. They’re molecules missing an electron that attack healthy skin cells to steal their electrons, leading to a damaging chain reaction called oxidation. This causes loss of firmness, wrinkles, lines, and uneven skin tone. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals by donating one of their own electrons and ending the chain reaction.
8. Hyaluronic Acid
   This superstar ingredient is a humectant that attracts and holds 1,000 times its weight in water to give your skin a thicker, juicier, more cushioned texture. Dermatologists inject it into expression lines and wrinkles as filler, but its main appeal is as a huge moisture booster and skin firmer when also used topically in skin care. You may see it as hyaluronate or sodium hyaluronate in the ingredient list.
9. Niacinamide
   This is a form of vitamin B that is proven to reduce lines, wrinkles, brown spots, and blotchiness and increase skin’s supple elastic quality and clarity.
10. Peptides
    These chains of small amino acids or mini-proteins stimulate new collagen production while helping to prevent further breakdown and increase the repair of capillaries.
11. Pro-Xylane
    This sugar protein made from xylose (a sugar found in beech trees) helps firm up the “glue” between cells and defends the skin against water loss. Beech tree extract is a common ingredient in creams and serums that firm or counteract sag.
12. Retinol
    A more skin-tolerant nonprescription form of vitamin A or retinoic acid (aka Tretinoin), which is the active ingredient in Renova or Retin-A. Retinol is added to skin care to regenerate collagen and repair sun-damaged, lined skin and is used in various percentages from low to high. It is also listed as retinyl palmitate in some brands.

I could have just listed the 150 products that are best for women 50+ in my Vibrant Nation Beauty Guide, but that’d be boring, and you’d stop reading by page 2. So, instead I profiled us into 15 identities – like me, you’re probably a combo of several. I based them on all the terrific women I’ve met and talked to during my career, including readers, friends, and colleagues. Each profile has 10 product recommendations.

I suggest you select and try the ones that work for you or just get familiar with them. If you’re partial to one brand listed in the guide, check out the products I’ve highlighted for their exceptional results. Please note that product prices are subject to change and may vary according to store, online source, and special promotions. They are listed in each group in alphabetical order.

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Former beauty and fashion director of More magazine Lois Joy Johnson is the author of the Vibrant Nation Beauty Guide,
2011 Skin Care and Cosmetic Product Guide for Women Over 50: 150 Anti-aging Cosmetics and Beauty Products That Work.