The 12 Best Anti-Aging Night Creams for Skin in Your 50s

Aging is a fact of life, and each decade depicts a different metamorphosis. While some people embrace the skin they’re in regardless of age, for others, accepting changes in physical appearance can be difficult to accept. Even so, there are ways to age gracefully, providing you’re willing to commit to living a healthy lifestyle and a solid skincare routine. However, even though reaching the half-century mark is a significant milestone, your 50s is when a whole new crop of changes that you may not be prepared for starts to appear (we’ll get into the specifics in a bit.) With that said, one of the core products to include in your daily regime is a night cream.

It’s crucial to use a different formula than what you’d use during the day because your skin doesn’t perform the same way while sleeping as it does during the daylight hours when you’re awake. Your skin is in a defense mode throughout the day, safeguarding itself from harmful UV rays, the weather, bacterial growth, and pollution — this is where a day cream and SPF come into play. However, when you’re sleeping, the skin is in a reparative mode, working hard to regenerate and rebuild the damage precipitated by daily activities and habits. When you’re in your 50s, you need a night cream that targets specific concerns and changes. To help you out, we’ve rounded up 12 of the best to help you fight visible signs of aging.

The List

BEST OVERALL

BEST: Carrot & Stick The Moisturizer, $60

Carrot & Stick The Face Oil, $70

FULL LIST

Formulyst Anti-Aging Night Cream, $80

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer, $17.84

EltaMD PM Therapy Facial Moisturizer, $36

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, $25

SkinCeuticals AGE Interrupter, $162

Crepe Erase Overnight Facial Plumping Treatment, $54

CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, $13.89

Ole Henriksen Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Creme, $55

SkinBetter AlphaRet Overnight Cream, $125

Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Night Cream With Hyaluronic Acid, $16

StriVectin -AR Advanced Retinol Intensive Night Moisturizer, $79

No7 Restore and Renew Face and Neck Multi-Action Night Cream, $26.99

How Your Skin Changes in Your 50s

Several changes occur when you’re in your 50s, including thinner skin, loss of elasticity, more prominent wrinkles, a tendency to bruise easily, excessive dryness, and age spots. Let’s take a more detailed look.

Your Skin Becomes Thinner

One of the most noticeable skin changes in your 50s is thinner and less toned skin that’s typically associated with dryness, all of which continue to evolve throughout this decade. Research finds that as a person ages, the proliferation of cells in the basal layer reduces. The epidermis then becomes thinner, and the contact surface area between the dermis and epidermis decreases. Additionally, as the skin isn’t as strong as it was in the past, you’re more prone to cuts and bruises.

Wrinkles Become More Apparent

The fine lines and wrinkles you’ve been battling in your 30s and 40s typically become permanent in your 50s. Not to mention, they are deeper and more pronounced. The good news is that studies show that the baby boomer generation doesn’t believe in “growing old gracefully.” Instead, they wish to embrace their age with youthful vigor. In fact, 63 percent of the women accepted wrinkles are part of getting older; only 15 percent wanted to look younger.”

You Start to Notice Crepiness

As the name implies, crepey skin looks like tightly packed, condensed wrinkles resembling crinkled crepe paper — it also tends to be on the thin and fragile side. While wrinkles are often associated with repetitive motions such as squinting, crepey skin is primarily caused by the thinning of the epidermis and dermis due to the breakdown of collagen and elastin, which in turn makes it more fragile and susceptible to damage.

You’re More Apt to See Sunspots and/or Moles

It’s essential to keep an eye out for any changes to any new or existing moles and sunspots, as your 50s are a period where you’re more at risk for getting skin cancer. According to the Cancer Network, the median age of those diagnosed with melanoma is 53. Book an appointment with a dermatologist for a full-body examination if you have copious spots or moles — especially if you’ve spent a lot of your life in the sun.

Your Skin’s Texture Changes

Due to hormonal changes associated with menopause, the skin becomes drier and has a sandpaper-like feeling to the touch. External symptoms of skin aging result from complicated long-time processes occurring in it or arise due to a decrease in the biological activity of its cells.

Your Skin Loses Its Luster

Again, due to menopause, when estrogen comes to a standstill and testosterone takes over, the skin loses a significant amount of moisture and collagen. This causes the skin to lose its natural healthy glow.

Your Skin is More Affected by Free Radicals

While free radicals such as sun exposure and pollution are destructive to the skin at any age, when you’re in your 50s, the skin loses tone and elasticity, and pores become noticeably larger, both of which are exacerbated by environmental aggressors. The skin may also become inflamed or clogged as a result.

Facial Hair May Develop

The hormonal changes you go through in your 50s can spark the abrupt development of facial hair, either peach fuzz or long, random hairs that could be coarse in texture.

Your Skin Doesn’t Heal as Quickly

Although those in their 50s (and beyond) can heal most wounds, the healing process is slower because the inflammatory and proliferative responses are decreased or delayed.

Skincare Tips for 50s Skin

Each decade brings with it a few tweaks to ensure that your skincare routine is effectively targeting the signs of aging 50s skin.

Wear Sun Protection Every Day

While you should have already been wearing sun protection (a minimum SPF of 30) in previous decades, it’s never too late to start — especially if you’ve been noticing sunspots and discoloration. If this is the case, couple your sunscreen with a serum with brightening ingredients such as vitamin C or niacinamide (vitamin B.)

Reevaluate the Products in Your Skincare Routine

What worked in your 40s will likely not be as effective in your 50s. The older you get, the drier your skin becomes — especially after menopause. Cell turnover rate slows down, so the skin appears more dry and rough. Look for serums and moisturizers with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, peptides, and ceramides.

Incorporate Retinol into Your Skincare Routine

If you haven’t already, incorporate retinol into your skincare routine. Retinol is one of the top skincare ingredients for softening and preventing fine lines and wrinkles, reducing pore size, encouraging collagen production, lessening the appearance of brown spots, increasing cell turnover, and improving the skin’s texture. Retinol serums are an excellent choice, but we also have some superb night cream recommendations below.

Wear an Ingredient-Packed Serum

Worn underneath a moisturizer, serums deliver high concentrations of various active ingredients deep into the skin because they are formulated with molecules that can penetrate deeper than creams that only work on the surface level. When treating skin in your 50s, look for a serum with a combination of the following ingredients: hyaluronic acid, peptides, niacinamide (B3), retinoids (but not if you’re already using a vitamin A derivative in a cream), and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E. Together, these ingredients will protect against free radicals (think UV rays, pollution, cigarette smoke), increase collagen production, and improve elasticity and hydration levels.

Exfoliate Regularly

It’s essential to remove dead skin cells so that your products can effectively penetrate the skin. Those in their 50s will want to exfoliate less than someone with younger, oilier skin because it can prompt inflammation and irritation, expediting aging. Suppose you’re already using products with active ingredients such as one of the acids (salicylic, glycolic, lactic acid, malic, etc.), retinol, or retinoids. In that case, you’re already covered, so there’s no need for additional exfoliation as you don’t want to strip the skin.

Wash With Tepid Water

Along with changing up your products to address these concerns, don’t use hot water to shower or wash your face as it strips the skin of its natural oils. Also, pat — don’t rub — your face dry.

Consider a Chemical Peel

Chemical peels are solutions that are applied to the skin by a dermatologist or esthetician to reduce the appearance of crepey skin via chemical exfoliation. There are various peel grades depending on whether you’re looking for a light, medium, or deep exfoliation. Some peels just target the epidermis (outer layer of skin), while those targeting wrinkles like marionette lines go deep into the dermis, the middle layer of skin.

Soften Wrinkles With a Fraxel Laser Treatment

Fraxel is a non-invasive, imperceptible laser that penetrates your skin to stimulate collagen and elastin synthesis, so it’s a treatment that targets wrinkles from the inside out. It can even treat delicate areas such as crepey skin around the eye area and on the neck. Most patients need around 2-4 treatments to see results, but it all comes down to your skin’s current condition and the area’s being treated.

Tighten Crepiness With an Ultrasound Treatment

Ultherapy works similarly to a fractional laser treatment in that it uses an ultrasound device to heat the dermis to stimulate collagen growth and tighten the skin. It’s typically used to treat crepiness on the face and neck, but note it’s not as effective on the upper arms. While it can be a bit painful, there’s no downtime, and you only need one session per year. A lesser intense (and painful) option is Venus Legacy or Venus Freeze.

The Best Anti-Aging Night Creams for 50s Skin

BEST OVERALL

BEST: Carrot & Stick The Moisturizer, $60
Save money (and counter space) with The Moisturizer from Carrot & Stick. This cream can be used day and night and does a little bit of everything. It moisturizes and nourishes the skin while also firming and brightening it.

The plant-based formula includes plant proteins, vitamins, peptides and amino-collagen. A caffeine boost helps perk up the skin, while five distinct coconut elements help with cell renewal and overall conditioning.

Carrot & Stick The Face Oil, $70
This formula contains a next-generation retinoid and potent antioxidants to help reduce visible signs of aging.

FULL LIST

Formulyst Anti-Aging Night Cream, $80
When sleeping, your body goes into repair mode, so it’s an excellent opportunity to nourish 50s skin with a night cream formulated with retinol, the gold standard for anti-aging. This vitamin A derivative helps boost cell turnover and smooth out the appearance of crepey skin while soothing safflower seed and jojoba oil seal in moisture, leaving skin refreshed and renewed.

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer, $17.84
Boasting over 14,000 nearly perfect five-star reviews on Amazon, it’s safe to say this wallet-friendly night cream does what it promises, which is to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots. Along with a glucose complex and hydrating hyaluronic acid, it’s retinol (SA) to the rescue — one of the best skincare ingredients to combat the signs of aging 50s skin. Clinical studies showed that 100% of the women tested saw visible results (reduction in crow’s feet, cheek, and forehead wrinkles) in just one week.

EltaMD PM Therapy Facial Moisturizer, $36
EltaMD is known for its incredible selection of sun protection products, so it makes sense that the brand offers a night cream that addresses sunspots and discoloration. It’s ideal for those in their 50s because it repairs and restores elasticity and vitality, strengthens and protects the moisture barrier, and improves skin color and tone.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, $25
This award-winning K-beauty night cream and Sephora best-seller deeply hydrates, brightens, and smooths immediately and over time. It’s an excellent option for those in their 50s with ultra-dry skin. Still, for optimal results, use in conjunction with a results-driven serum formulated with ingredients such as vitamin C or retinol as this gel-cream will seal everything in work to repair your skin while you sleep.

SkinCeuticals AGE Interrupter, $162
As mentioned, 50s skin is accompanied by crepiness — but if it’s accompanied by itchiness and irritation, that’s a surefire sign that the skin’s barrier is compromised. AGE Interrupter is formulated with ceramides, lipids, and blueberry extract to improve crepey skin and other visible signs of aging in your 50s triggered by advanced glycation end products (AGEs), proteins, or lipids that become glycated as a result of exposure to sugars.

Crepe Erase Overnight Facial Plumping Treatment, $54
Unlike the other night creams on this list, this one is also a treatment product that effectively targets the crepiness that appears in your 50s. It’s formulated with Crepe Erase’s proprietary TruFirm Complex, which visibly smooths and restores elasticity and tone. Echinacea extract and a blend of nine super hydrators plump while promoting a more refreshed appearance that looks and feels younger. While you’ll see results instantly, more profound changes will be noticeable at the 30- and 60-day marks.

CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, $13.89
This popular drugstore night cream is formulated with a complex of biomimetic peptides, hyaluronic acid, and three essential ceramides to refresh and hydrate lackluster skin while helping to restore the skin’s natural barrier. Thanks to Cerave’s patented MVE Delivery Technology, moisturizing ingredients are continuously released throughout the night, so you wake up with a more rested and rejuvenated complexion.

Ole Henriksen Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Creme, $55
While retinol is an effective ingredient for those in their 50s, it can be too irritating if you have excessively dry skin. This night cream contains bakuchiol, a plant-based ingredient that works like retinol, but minus the irritation. It’s just as efficient when it comes to softening wrinkles and discoloration — even for those with sensitive skin or a condition such as rosacea.

SkinBetter AlphaRet Overnight Cream, $125
As the name suggests, this intense, results-driven night cream harnesses the power of an alpha hydroxy acid and a retinoid to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles while improving elasticity and tone. Thanks to SkinBetter’s proprietary retinol technology (and a blend of skin-soothing ingredients), you’ll reap all the benefits minus any irritation. The addition of glycolic acid visibly improves the skin’s texture while stoking the other ingredients to increase efficiency. A potent blend of peptides and antioxidants deeply hydrate the skin while protecting it from free radical damage. It’s pretty much a one-stop-shop for those in their 50s.

Cetaphil Rich Hydrating Night Cream With Hyaluronic Acid, $16
In your 50s, your skin becomes thin and delicate — maybe even inflamed. This gentle and cost-effective formula has been dermatologist tested and clinically proven to be safe for sensitive, fragile skin. It’s chock-full of nourishing, deeply hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, sweet almond oil, glyceryl stearate, along with vitamin E to help ward off UV damage.

StriVectin -AR Advanced Retinol Intensive Night Moisturizer, $79
Retinol is one of the best age-fighting ingredients out there because it softens fine lines and wrinkles while improving elasticity, tone, and texture. However, it can cause the skin to be irritated — especially for those who are sensitive. The good news is this night cream is formulated with StriVectin’s patented NIA-114 technology to help lessen any potential irritation associated with retinol. Thanks to the addition of hyaluronic acid, copper tripeptides, and plant lipids, you’ll wake up with a more radiant, supple, and youthful complexion.

No7 Restore and Renew Face and Neck Multi-Action Night Cream, $26.99
Crepiness and loss of tone don’t just affect the face alone. That’s why you must apply your day and night creams to your neck and décolleté, too. This formula is designed explicitly with ceramides, calcium, and peptides to soften the appearance of wrinkles and crepiness from the face down.

Night Creams in Your 50s: The Bottom Line

What’s the best night cream in your 50’s? Overall, our suggestion is Carrot & Stick The Moisturizer. We also recommend Carrot & Stick The Face Oil. We also recommend using a serum. Serums have a higher concentration of actives and penetrate deeper. Try Carrot & Stick Defense Serum.

In your 50s, a whole new crop of changes that you may not be prepared for starts to appear. We’re talking about thinner skin, more prominent wrinkles, crepiness, increased sensitivity, tendency to bruise more easily, a change in texture, a loss of luster, and an increased risk of skin cancer. 

You’ll have to tweak your skincare routine in your 50s if you want to target the signs of aging effectively. Incorporate retinol and an ingredient-packed serum into your regimen and consider cosmetic procedures such as laser treatments, ultrasound, and chemical peels. Take a look at the products you’re using in your daily routine — are they effective enough for skin in your 50s? Are you using a separate night cream from your daytime moisturizer?

One of the core products to include in your daily regime is a night cream. It’s crucial to use a different formula than what you’d use during the day because your skin doesn’t perform the same way while sleeping as it does during the daylight hours when you’re awake. Your skin is in a defense mode throughout the day, safeguarding itself from harmful UV rays, the weather, bacterial growth, and pollution — this is where a day cream and SPF come into play. However, when you’re sleeping, the skin is in a reparative mode, working hard to regenerate and rebuild the damage precipitated by daily activities and habits. When you’re in your 50s, you need a night cream that targets specific concerns and changes.

Sources:
Fighting Against Skin Aging,” National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, April 2018.
Over 50s Market Prefers Enhancement to Anti-Aging,” Ranconteur, September 2015.
Melanoma and Other Skin Cancers,” CancerNetwork.com, November 2015.
Skincare During the Menopause Period: Noninvasive Procedures of Beauty Studies,” December 2013.