What to Look For in a Face Moisturizer (Especially for Aging Skin)
By Heather D. Rogers, MD, FAAD, Double Board-Certified Dermatologist
When I talk to patients about moisturizers for aging skin, I want them to think of this step as nourishment - not treatment. A moisturizer is not where you ask skin to work harder. That role belongs to treatments, actives, and in-office procedures. Instead, a well-formulated moisturizer supports and feeds the skin. It provides the building blocks skin needs to respond well to treatments, recover from daily stressors, and function optimally as we age.
Remember, skin is a living organ. Like any organ in the body, it performs best when it is properly fed.
What Makes a Truly Good Moisturizer?
Many face creams are designed to feel luxurious or make skin appear instantly smoother by coating the surface. While this can look good in the short term, it does little to improve skin health. But, a truly good moisturizer does help build healthier, more resilient skin by supporting the skin barrier and supplying ingredients the skin recognizes and needs to function at its best.
What Are the Most Important Ingredients in a Face Moisturizer for Aging Skin?
The most effective moisturizers contain bioactive ingredients - ingredients your skin can actively use to support and repair itself. These are the true workhorses in a well-formulated face cream.
Squalane
Squalane is one of the most important ingredients for mature skin. It is bioidentical to lipids naturally found in youthful skin, meaning the skin recognizes it and can readily incorporate it into the barrier. As we age, lipid production declines. This leads to dryness, inflammation, and increased water loss. Squalane helps replace those missing lipids, strengthen the barrier, and reduce transepidermal water loss without clogging pores or feeling heavy. It is non-comedogenic, improves skin elasticity, and softens the appearance of fine lines by restoring proper hydration.
Shea Butter
Shea butter provides both nourishment and protection. Rich in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, it helps repair and reinforce the skin barrier while sealing in moisture. Extracted from the fruit of the shea (karité) tree, shea butter also contains antioxidants such as vitamins A and E, along with plant polyphenols that help protect aging skin from oxidative stress. It softens, smooths, and calms inflammation making it especially beneficial for dry, sensitive, or compromised skin.
Glycerin
Glycerin is essential for healthy hydration. It draws water into the skin and helps keep it evenly distributed, which supports enzymatic activity, barrier repair, and a smoother, more supple appearance. Glycerin is a natural component of healthy skin, and studies show that when paired with emollients, it speeds healing, reduces irritation, and restores normal barrier function by maintaining optimal water levels.
Many Common Ingredients Are Used For Texture - Not Nourishment
95% of face creams use petroleum, mineral oil, dimethicone or other silicones to feel luxurious and temporarily smooth the surface and reduce water loss. But these ingredients only sit on the top of the skin and they do not supply the nutrients aging skin needs to repair itself or strengthen its barrier. Their popularity is largely due to cost and cosmetic elegance, not because they are food for our skin.
Ingredient lists from top selling products with petroleum and silicone based ingredients highlighted:
Bioactive Ingredients Make Treatments Like Retinol and Peptides Work Better
Active treatments like retinol and peptides rely on the skin’s ability to respond. Retinoids activate receptors that increase cell turnover and support collagen production, while peptides act as signaling molecules that prompt the skin to produce structural proteins. But signaling only works when the skin has the resources to carry out those instructions.
If the skin barrier is compromised or the skin lacks adequate lipids and hydration, those signals are blunted or ignored. This is why active ingredients work best when paired with foundational bioactive ingredients such as squalane, shea butter, and glycerin, which restore barrier function and provide the raw materials skin needs to repair itself. Without that support, using actives is like asking your body to train hard without proper nutrition.
Why Does Aging Skin Needs More Support From a Moisturizer?
Younger skin naturally produces more oil, repairs itself more efficiently, and maintains a stronger barrier with less help. As a result, it can tolerate lighter or less well-formulated moisturizers. But, aging skin experiences lipid loss, slower cell turnover, increased inflammation, and reduced repair capacity. This means it needs more support from a moisturizer to provide the materials the skin can actually use to repair itself and function well. The Doctor Rogers Face Cream was recommended by Forbes as "The Best Moisturizer for Dry, Aging Skin".
Moisturizer Needs in Your 40s, 50s, and 60s+
Skin does not age all at once, it changes in predictable ways over time, and moisturizer needs should evolve accordingly. Big picture: as we age, our skin tolerates less but needs more.
In your 40s, early collagen loss and slower turnover often show up as dryness, fine lines, and makeup settling into creases. Many patients say their skin looks tired or that their usual moisturizer no longer feels sufficient.
In your 50s, declining estrogen leads to significant lipid loss, thinner skin, increased sensitivity, and more inflammation. Patients frequently describe sudden dryness or skin that feels like it “changed overnight.”
In your 60s and beyond, repair slows further and the barrier becomes increasingly fragile. Chronic dryness, itching, irritation, and delayed healing are common complaints.
Fine Lines, Firmness, and the Role of Ingredients
Fine lines develop and firmness declines as the skin barrier becomes less resilient, leading to dehydration layered on top of decades of collagen and elastin loss. Ingredients like glycerin improve hydration, while squalane and shea butter restore the lipid barrier, improving elasticity and smoothness. Actives such as retinoids, bakuchiol, and glycolic acid can stimulate collagen production and are better tolerated with a bioactive face cream. Sunscreen and topical vitamin C are also essential to help prevent collagen breakdown. Peptides may help by signaling collagen support, but they are less well studied and generally less impactful than these established actives—especially without proper barrier support.
Face Moisturizer for Oily but Aging Skin
Oily skin does not equal healthy hydration or barrier function. In fact, many people with oily skin have a compromised barrier, often worsened by acne treatments like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid or by avoiding moisturizer altogether.
Even oily, aging skin needs a daily moisturizer. The key is choosing lightweight but bioactive ingredients such as squalane, jojoba esters, and glycerin. These support the barrier and hydration without feeling greasy or contributing to breakouts.
Final Thoughts
A face moisturizer should do more than feel good on application - it should actively support how the skin functions. As skin ages, it loses lipids, holds less water, and repairs itself more slowly. Choosing a moisturizer with bioactive ingredients like squalane, shea butter, and glycerin helps restore the skin barrier, improve resilience, and create the conditions skin needs to respond well to active treatments. When the foundation is strong, everything else in your routine works better. Thoughtful moisturization is about giving your skin what it needs to age healthier and perform at its best.
About the Author: Dr. Heather D. Rogers, MD
Dr. Heather D. Rogers, MD is a double board-certified procedural dermatologist and Mohs surgeon and the co-founder of Modern Dermatology in Seattle, where she sees patients full-time. She is nationally recognized for her expertise in skin health, aging, and skin cancer prevention, and for her clear, evidence-based skincare guidance. Dr. Rogers serves on the American Academy of Dermatology Media Team, the Credo Beauty Council, the Sorette for Motherhood Scientific Advisory Board, and the NewBeauty Brain Trust.
She is the founder of Doctor Rogers Skincare, a dermatologist-developed line reflecting her less-is-more, science-backed approach to healthy skin. Dr. Rogers is a graduate of Stanford University, the University of Washington School of Medicine, and completed her dermatology training at Columbia University Medical Center.
Instagram: @drheatherrogers
Practice: mdinseattle.com
Skincare: doctorrogers.com
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