Sephora is everything we could ever want in a beauty store. With wall-to-wall products of lipsticks, shampoos and foundations to tools, serums and lotions, getting lost in Sephora is a beauty lover's dream. Add that experience to the brand's seemingly unlimited online stock. There's no shortage of concoctions and buzz-worthy innovations to get lost in wherever you are. Beauty browsing at Sephora is definitely my idea of a good time. But, sometimes sleuthing through endless products isn't always realistic—that's where beauty editors and fellow shoppers come in.
As an editor, woman and mom of two in her late 30s, there's one thing I always do when looking for new cosmetics—read the reviews of my elders. I recently searched Sephora.com for a new moisturizer for my seasonally drier skin (thank you, winter). I filtered the overwhelming amount of skin-care reviews down to shoppers 45 and older only to get the real scoop on what's worth the hype when it comes to hydrating, firming and plumping aging skin. (You can never start too soon, right?) After scrolling through hundreds of reviews, these 12 skin-care picks are the real deal for mature skin, per Sephora shoppers over 45.
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Skin-strengthening, barrier repair products are must-haves for hydrated, soothed and balanced skin. ILIA's does-it-moisturizer, accepted by the National Eczema Association, has no fragrance or fussy ingredients, just colloidal oatmeal, algae hydragel and ceramides to support and replenish skin while attracting and locking in moisture like a magnet.
BUY NOW - $64
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Sephora named iNNBEAUTY PROJECT its 2024 breakout brand of the year, and the brand founders, Alisa Metzger and Jen Shane, previously shared with us they "invested over $100K in independent, third-party clinical testing to ensure industry-leading results in elasticity, firmness and collagen production" from the best-selling Extreme Cream.
BUY NOW - $48
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Experts say Dermalogica's latest eye cream is "ideal for the eyes" thanks to an arsenal of refining, smoothing, hydrating and tightening ingredients such as quinoa seed extract, peptides, matcha butter, squalane, vitamin E, pro-vitamin B5 and CoQ-10. Designed for the entire eye area, it's especially great for sagging upper eyelids where the formula delivers an "immediate lift," per the brand's clinical trials.
BUY NOW - $115
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A true cult classic, the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is made with natural oils and has a rich buttery texture that turns into a hydrating milk as it easily removes makeup, deeply cleans and softens skin.
BUY NOW - $40
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Resveratrol is an antioxidant you may be familiar with—it's found in wine and the skin of grapes, blueberries and raspberries. French brand Caudalíe was the first to patent it as an active ingredient for its firming and anti-aging benefits, making this resveratrol-rich serum a best-seller ever since.
BUY NOW - $84
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Retinaldehyde, a form of vitamin A, is dermatologist-recommended for sensitive skin types who want to reap all the benefits of retinol—think wrinkle reduction, stimulating collagen production, increased cell turnover, faded dark spots, smaller pores and less acne—without the irritation. This treatment from Paula's Choice features a blend of encapsulated retinaldehyde, plus retinoid adapinoid and pomegranate peel to deliver the closest version of prescription-strength retinoic acid, per the brand.
BUY NOW - $68
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Legendary Advanced Night Repair by Estée Lauder is a no-brainer for healthier, more youthful-looking skin come morning. The night-time serum is adored by celebrities, editors and shoppers of every generation, thanks to a formula of powerful peptides, hydrating hyaluronic acid and repairing antioxidants.
BUY NOW - $85
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Another best-selling skin-care product that's so good it crosses generational divides is Tatcha's The Dewy Skin Cream. Thousands of shoppers in their 20s, 30s (like Bridgerton‘s Nicola Coughlan), 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond call it “the best ever,” “glorious” and “a miracle” for dry and mature skin. Bonus: the brand recently transformed the signature purple jar into refillable vessels to prioritize sustainability.
BUY NOW - $72
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I hate nothing more than the feeling of heavy face makeup sitting on my skin. Naturally, tinted SPFs are now some of my favorite beauty products. This one from ISDIN protects skin from UV rays, and uses DNA Repairsomes to help repair existing sun damage, while evening out tone and blurring the look of fine lines with a natural-finish universal tint.
BUY NOW - $50
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Powered by Augustinus Bader's famous TFC8® technology, The Cream Cleansing Gel also uses rose flower water and aloe leaf juice to gently cleanse, hydrate, soothe and support a strong skin barrier every time you wash your face.
BUY NOW - $74
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The name says it all. One or two spritzes of Great Skin deliver an instant glow I have yet to see with any other skin-care serum. But the best part is, hands down, how much better makeup looks with Great Skin underneath it. For anyone with dry skin, this serum is a game-changer.
BUY NOW - $38
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Reducing the look of lines and wrinkles around the eye is no easy feat, but shoppers love Murad's ophthalmologist-tested Youth Renewal formula. It uses retinol tri-active technology, swertia flower extract and hyaluronic acid to smooth, firm and hydrate the delicate eye-area skin, with results visible in just four weeks, per the brand.
BUY NOW - $89
