12 best anti-ageing day creams to help reduce wrinkles and boost radiance

Independent British brand Willowberry believes in “skincare for grown-ups”, with products that concentrate on protecting the skin’s natural barrier function, helping it look its best – rather than claiming to reverse ageing. Aimed at women in their 30s and upwards, it is gentle enough for younger skin, too.

With hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, vitamins and essential fatty acids, this light emulsion moisturises while imparting a healthy glow, and we love the subtle coriander seed and geranium fragrance. This delivers real-life good skin in a jar. Anti-ageing creams tend to come in on the pricey side, so this is great value for money, too.

This is a gentle yet effective choice for dry, sensitive skin. The hero ingredient of this UK dermatological brand is the “LaH6 skin hydration complex”, a blend of six active moisturisers. Omega oils and hyaluronic acid feature. As well as boosting moisture levels, this cream reduces redness, soothes sensitivity and evens skintone to brighten and bring a glow to delicate complexions. It sinks in beautifully, without feeling heavy, and smooths fine lines with its deep hydration. Our sensitive-skinned tester raves about it.

This award-winning anti-ageing cream is available in an SPF 30 version. The lightweight formula feels deliciously cool on application, making skin feel perkier and firmer to the touch. Its subtle, fresh fragrance adds to the pleasure, making it feel a treat to use. Marine algae and plant actives packed with vitamins, minerals and amino acids deliver a powerful hit of hydration and improve elasticity. We really did see an immediate improvement to the appearance of fine lines on our skin.

Smooth, non-sticky and easy to apply, this rich cream absorbed quickly and left skin feeling nourished. Even hours after application, our skin still felt beautifully soft. The formula centres around moringa plant extract, which contains calcium, potassium, vitamin C, amino acids and Omega 3 and is described by Estée Lauder as “one of the most powerful anti-ageing ingredients we’ve ever discovered”. We felt the tone and texture of our skin improved after use.

Another independent British brand, Ark Skincare groups its products by age range, making it very easy to work out which is best for you. This moisturiser is from Ark’s Age Defy range for the over 50s and is especially good for dry skin. You only need a small amount to cover the face and neck – it absorbs really easily and has a gorgeously subtle fragrance. With hyaluronic acid, peptides and vitamin C, this is a really nourishing moisturiser without being heavy upon application. Our dry skin felt more supple and hydrated after using this product. There’s also an added bonus: a redesign of the packaging now gives 10 per cent more product for the same price.

Although named a concentrate rather than a cream, this Korean wonder product still deserves inclusion in this list, as it fits perfectly into the day cream slot of a skincare routine. In fact, the brand claims this one product can replace your toner, serum, moisturiser and face oil (which may justify the hefty price tag, for some). With seven B vitamins, including niacinamide, a slew of minerals, and amino acids, this had a perky effect on our mature skin, which felt firmer and looked more radiant. The only downside is the restrictive price tag.

We like the idea of being laser renewed without actual lasers, and, while this cream doesn’t quite live up to this huge claim, it does a good job of perking up tired and dull skin. Key ingredients include beta-lipohydroxy acid (LHA) – a gentle exfoliator that sweeps away dead cells – and L’Oréal’s patented active ingredient Pro-Xylane, a molecule that boosts collagen production to make skin appear plumper.

Rated by us for its easily absorbed, soothingly thick texture, it definitely improved the moisture levels of our skin, leaving it softer, firmer and fresher looking.

This product contains Olay’s highest concentration of collagen peptide (a collagen fragment that is small enough to be absorbed into the skin) to boost elasticity, together with vitamin B3+ for cell turnover and glycerin for hydration.

The lightweight cream is formulated to keep skin moisturised for 24 hours. We found fine forehead lines to be less noticeable after a week’s use and overall skin felt tighter and therefore lifted. We would recommend it for those with oily or combination skin, as we found it had a slightly drying effect.

This cream contains a super fine grade of hyaluronic acid, a hero hydrating ingredient, to allow for deeper penetration, along with collagen-boosting spilanthes acmella and blackberry leaf. The addition of rosehip works to even out skin tone, pigmentation and scarring.

We found this fragrant, rich cream a sensory delight to use. It glides over the skin and you only need a little to feel the nourishing benefits. It made skin look smoother and plumper and softened fine lines. Definitely a great choice for winter, when your skin craves a richer, thicker moisturiser (with no hint of greasiness).

We came for the name and stayed for the intense hydration this rich cream provided. Dubbed a “rescue cream”, it strengthens the skin’s barrier with six African oils and a plant ceramide complex, while antioxidants and Omega acids work to protect the skin from the effects of environmental stress.

Its whipped formulation feels light and airy, even though it acts like a much richer cream on the skin. It made our skin feel nourished and improved the appearance of a damaged patch of skin within a few days. The airtight packaging keeps the product in optimum condition: you simply press the top to release a single dose.

The Tri-Active range from Espa is aimed at maturer skin. Intensely hydrating, it includes organic oat sugars to smooth and soften, and the fragrance of petitgrain, bergamot and lavender to calm. The texture is somewhere between a serum and a cream: light and cool to apply. We felt it had a slightly tacky feel on the skin, initially – although, this provided a good base for make-up, and it did sink in fully after a while. The heavy, frosted glass jar and spa-like scent gave a sense of occasion to the morning routine and left our skin feeling smooth and definitely firmer.

A good option for those with sensitive skin, this cream has a luxuriously smooth feel but in a light formulation. Feeling more like a lotion than a cream, it feels cool and soothing when applied, and our tester certainly found it lived up to its “gentle” name. With hyaluronic acid and plant stem cells, it delivers a good dose of hydration, while its lightweight texture provides a good base for make-up.