Anti-ageing for men: what actually works

What skin ageing is.

Your skin ages in two ways. The first is time: from your mid-twenties, your skin makes less collagen every year, the substance that keeps it firm. The second is the sun. UV radiation speeds up skin ageing, and that is the part you have the most control over¹.

In men it often shows first around the eyes: fine lines at the corners and skin that looks tired sooner. More on that: First fine lines.

The step with the strongest evidence: daily SPF.

In Nambour, Australia, researchers followed 903 adults under 55 for four and a half years. One group applied sunscreen every morning, the other whenever they chose. In the daily group, no increase in skin ageing could be measured by the end. Their skin had aged 24% less on average than that of the other group¹.

Three things make the difference:

• Every day. Including when it's cloudy, and in winter. The effect comes from keeping at it.
• Enough. SPF is measured at 2 milligrams per square centimetre. Apply less and you get less protection.
• UVA too. In the EU, UVA protection should be at least a third of the SPF².

Our Day Cream SPF 30 is an anti-ageing day cream with SPF 30, measured on the cream itself: 30.5 on average across ten people (ISO 24444). If you're out in the sun for a long time, use sunscreen and reapply it.

What peptides do, and what they don't.

Peptides are short chains of amino acids. Some work as signalling molecules: they prompt your skin into a particular response. Research on peptides in cosmetics usually comes from the maker of the ingredient, with small groups and short durations. That doesn't make it worthless, but it is less robust than the research on SPF.

The Night Cream contains 3% iPEPTIDE®, a peptide that targets dark circles, and Synchrolife™, which works with your skin's night-time rhythm^{3, 4}. What these ingredients showed in research is listed per ingredient under Formulas and ingredients, including who measured it and on how many people.

Niacinamide and ceramides.

Niacinamide is vitamin B3. In a controlled study, 50 women applied 5% niacinamide to one half of their face for twelve weeks and a cream without the active to the other half. The niacinamide side had fewer fine lines, fewer pigment spots and a more even tone⁵. The Day Cream contains niacinamide.

Ceramides are lipids found naturally in your skin barrier. Skin with a healthy barrier holds on to moisture better⁶. The Night Cream contains five ceramides with cholesterol.

What you don't need.

• Ten steps. The more products, the smaller the chance you'll stick with it. And sticking with it is where the effect comes from.
• Promises without a source. If an ingredient doesn't say who researched it, on how many people and for how long, you don't know what you're buying.

The routine in short.

When	What you do
Morning	Wash with the Daily Face Wash, then apply the Day Cream SPF 30 to face and neck.
Evening	Wash, then apply the Night Cream.

Want to try it first? The Essentials Kit has all three in 30 ml.

What ingredients show in studies was measured on the ingredient itself, not on a finished product. You only see the difference after weeks to months of daily use. If a spot on your skin changes, grows or bleeds, see your GP.

Sources.

1. Hughes MCB et al. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2013. PubMed 23732711
2. European Commission. Recommendation 2006/647/EC on the efficacy of sunscreen products and the claims made relating thereto. EUR-Lex
3. Lipotrue. iPEPTIDE, product information from the maker. lipotrue.com
4. Croda. Synchrolife, product information from the maker. crodabeauty.com
5. Bissett DL et al. Niacinamide: a B vitamin that improves aging facial skin appearance. Dermatologic Surgery, 2005. PubMed 16029679
6. Rawlings AV, Harding CR. Moisturization and skin barrier function. Dermatologic Therapy, 2004. PubMed 14728698