Dr. Sam Ellis has covered more than 70 products for mature skin. Her record comes in at an approval rate of 81%. She approves most of what she tries, but her bar on evidence is firm. If a pricier product is going to get her backing, she expects clinical data.
What does Dr. Sam Ellis recommend for mature skin?
Vitamin C, retinoids, and peptides show up again and again in her approved takes. She named CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum a winner because it uses L-ascorbic acid. That's the most proven form of vitamin C. She says the slightly lower concentration suits sensitive skin especially well. For pricier products, she looks for clinical data before she backs them. She approved SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum because it has studies behind it. Those studies show real improvements in fine lines, wrinkles, and even sagging around the neck. Very few products can say that.
Dr. Sam Ellis's anti-aging picks, in her words
"A couple of peptide serums that I absolutely love are the one from The Ordinary, the multi-peptide serum, which you can get at Sephora and is very reasonably priced."
"I am obsessed with this. They have really good clinical data on this specific formula. It is lovely. This formula uses tetrahexyl ascorbate, also known as THD ascorbate. It's just a different form of vitamin C, less irritating, little more stable too. So you'll see that this is white, whereas most vitamin C serums are going to be slightly yellowish, and that's from the vitamin C starting to oxidize a little bit. But this is so beautiful."
"One of my favorites for this is the Timeless Coenzyme Q10 Serum. This not only has the coenzyme Q10, but also has Matrixyl 3000, which is probably the best anti-aging peptide. So you get a peptide, you get coenzyme Q10 in this really luxurious, non-irritating serum that you can use morning or night. It's also super affordable."
"I'm using the Stratia Night Shift. [...] I talk about this retinol all the time. I think it is a beautiful product, encapsulated retinol, so creamy and luscious, so nourishing. [...] I have plenty of people who use this on their face—it's a great face retinol as well. It still packs a punch, it's still effective, but much less irritating on the more delicate structures."
"I really like my Glytone Enhanced Brightening Complex. This is a complex that has glycolic acid and [azelaic] acid. During my pregnancy I was able to use it pretty much every single night. But [...] now that I still like to incorporate that, I only use it from time to time because I'm using a retinoid and I don't need it as often."
"I also really like the Eye Cream from Alastin. It helps with puffiness and dark circles and fine lines and wrinkles. If you have those early changes, I do think some of those more proprietary eye creams can be great, and the one from Alastin is really nice because it's lightweight and has those clinically proven results."
How many products has Dr. Sam Ellis reviewed for mature skin?
Dr. Sam Ellis has reviewed 77 products for mature skin, for an approval rate of 81%. 62 approved, 11 mixed, and 4 skipped.
What has Dr. Sam Ellis skipped for mature skin?
She skipped only a handful of products, and her usual concern is evidence. She skipped ZIIP Halo 2.0 because she sees little proof that microcurrent does much. Any subtle lift right afterward, she says, comes from the massage and pressure, not the current. She skipped NIRA Precision Laser on evidence too. Its wavelength resembles a clinic-grade laser, but the power is far too low to stimulate collagen in any meaningful way. She also passed on The Ordinary Growth Factor 15% Solution, because its growth factors come from plants and she says the data is not there yet that they work on human skin.
"The challenge with a laser like that is that the power is incredibly low. The wavelength of a laser is only one aspect of what determines if it's effective. The power, the density of the beams, the duration of treatment, how many passes you do, these are all things that also determine whether or not you're going to have collagen stimulation. In this case, that's the goal for these."
"Don't buy Crepe Erase. I feel like they really capitalized on having the name crepe in the title but that is not a special product in any way and there are so many better things you can be doing if you're struggling with crepy skin."
"The Ordinary offers plant-derived growth factors [...] that cost under $100, but for me the data just isn't there yet because they're plant derived. We don't expect those growth factors to work on human skin the way human-derived growth factors would. I'm sure they could lead to certain benefits in your skin and they might make it feel more supple or smoother, but I feel like you can get that from other skincare as well, so that's not a place I would personally invest."
"On one hand, these are safe, relatively painless. You might see some subtle snatch right afterward, but that has nothing really to do with the microcurrent that's being delivered to the muscles and much more to do with just the manual pressure and massage. On [...] the con side, there's really no evidence that they provide a lasting result of any kind, and they're generally quite expensive, usually in the $200 to $500 range. For me, for the lack of evidence that exists, that's not worth it."
What should you take from Dr. Sam Ellis's picks?
Dr. Sam Ellis's mature-skin record rewards evidence and ingredient quality over price. She named several outright winners. They range from the affordable CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum to the Omnilux Face Contour Red Light Therapy Mask, making clear that budget does not decide her verdict. Anyone looking for a dermatologist's take in plain language will find her reviews a solid place to start.
Watch Dr. Sam Ellis say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- CurrentBody LED Light Therapy Mask Series 1Named a winnerWatch at 12:03
- Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%Named a winnerWatch at 4:16
- Omnilux Face Contour Red Light Therapy MaskNamed a winnerWatch at 12:05
- Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides with Amino Acids, Iron and ProteinNamed a winnerWatch at 6:20
- Timeless Coenzyme Q10 SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 7:49
- Neocutis Bio Serum Firm Hydrating and Anti-Aging SerumNamed a winnerWatch at 5:31
- Glytone Enhanced Brightening ComplexNamed a winnerWatch at 11:44
- NIRA Precision LaserSkipped itWatch at 10:33
- Crepe Erase Body Firm Ultra Smoothing Neck RepairSkipped itWatch at 2:59
- The Ordinary Growth Factor 15% SolutionSkipped itWatch at 6:20
- ZIIP Halo 2.0Skipped itWatch at 5:21
- The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Hyaluronic Acid SerumRated itWatch at 7:58
- Revision Skincare C+ Correcting Complex 30%Rated itWatch at 9:17
- Stratia Night Shift Retinol CreamRated itWatch at 16:01
- Alastin Restorative Eye TreatmentRated itWatch at 10:54
- The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% SerumRated itWatch at 3:34
- Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night MoisturizerRated itWatch at 8:28
- OneSkin OS-01 Face Topical SupplementRated itWatch at 14:25
- NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3:1Rated itWatch at 3:16
- La Roche-Posay Mela B3 Serum and SunscreenRated itWatch at 4:36
- Olay Micro-Sculpting CreamRated itWatch at 7:37
- Naturium Retinaldehyde Cream Serum 0.5%Rated itWatch at 9:15
- Shani Darden Retinol Reform 1% Encapsulated RetinolRated itWatch at 6:04
- Naturium Skin Renewing Retinol Body LotionRated itWatch at 10:12
About this expert
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This guide reflects what Dr. Sam Ellis said across her videos about 77 products for mature skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.