Skincare

Best longevity skincare routine to slow visible aging.

Only two skincare interventions have randomised human trials showing they slow visible ageing: daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, which reduced measured skin ageing over four years in a randomised trial, and topical retinoids (tretinoin by prescription, retinol or retinaldehyde over the counter), which have decades of controlled trials on wrinkles and photodamage. A second tier — vitamin C, niacinamide, alpha-hydroxy acids and the copper peptide GHK-Cu — has smaller trials with modest, real effects. Collagen drinks, most 'anti-ageing' peptides, stem-cell and growth-factor creams rest on thin or manufacturer-funded evidence. The routine that follows from this is three products, not twelve.

PharmD-reviewed · Updated Sep 2026