The Best Anti-Aging Ingredients, According To a Doctor & Skincare Expert

When it comes to anti-aging products for your skin, pretty much every lotion and potion out there features fancy buzzwords like hyaluronic acid, retinol, collagen and more. 

So, how do you know what it all means? And which products should you actually be using? Doctor and skincare expert (she co-founded the skincare line TULA) Dr. Roshini Raj is here to break it all down.

"It is overwhelming — when we talk about anti-aging and the aging changes of our skin, what are all those ingredients? What do they mean?" Dr. Raj says.

"Well first let's talk about what's happening to your skin when you age: You are getting dehydrated, so you have less supple, hydrated skin. You're also getting hyperpigmentation, those dark spots, uneven spots on your skin. You're also of course getting a loss of firmness, so it's a little saggier, unfortunately. And then the wrinkles that we all know and hate."

The doc defines some of the most effective ingredients in anti-aging products, and explains which ingredients work to target which issues.

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WHAT IS HYALURONIC ACID + HOW DOES IT WORK?

Hyaluronic acid is good for hydration, Dr. Raj says. "If you're targeting hydration, that's what you want to look for."

Hyaluronic acid is naturally occurring in your body, according to the doc. "Unfortunately, starting in our twenties, we start to decrease in amounts. You want to get that hydration back, because hyaluronic acid draws in 10,000 times [its own weight in water]," she claims.

Using a sponge, Dr. Raj demonstrates how hyaluronic acid works — in a lotion, for example — to attract moisture and draw it into the skin. 

"The molecule itself, think of it as the sponge. It's too big to actually sink into your skin. But even sitting on the surface, it's drawing in water… and then that water is absorbed into your skin. You get more plump, hydrated, dewy looking skin," Dr. Raj says.

BEAUTY & STYLE EXPERT PRODUCT PICKS FROM OUR 2019 BEAUTY SURVEY

Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Hydra-Gel Eye Patches

Sephora/Peter Thomas Roth

• Dr. Whitney Bowe, NYC dermatologist: Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Hydra-Gel Eye Patches, $55.00
• Joe Simon, Rachael's makeup artist: Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream, $52.00
• Kyan Douglas, style expert: Hyaluronic Acid Serum, $6.80
• Jenny Patinkin, beauty expert and makeup artist: Niod Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex, $35.00
• Ashlee Glazer, makeup artist: Shiseido Benefiance WrinkleResist24 Intensive Eye Contour Cream, $60.00

WHAT IS VITAMIN C + HOW DOES IT WORK?

When it comes to the skin, vitamin C targets dark spots, the doc says. We usually think of it coming from oranges, but it's a great topical ingredient for brightening your complexion as well, she says. "It's great for hyperpigmentation… as we get older, our complexion is a little bit duller. We really want to brighten it up."

When you leave an apple slice out on the counter, it oxidizes and starts to brown, right? Well, Dr. Raj explains that when exposed to air, the apple gets discolored similarly to the way our skin does over time.

She shows us an apple slice that was pretreated with a vitamin C serum and left out the same period of time. You can see that there is no discoloration.

Check out the time-lapse below that helps demonstrate how vitamin C can work to brighten and restore an apple — or your skin's — original coloring.

"You can see, vitamin C not only can prevent the discoloration — it can actually reverse it," Dr. Raj says.

BEAUTY & STYLE EXPERT PRODUCT PICKS FROM OUR 2019 BEAUTY SURVEY

Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Brightening Serum

Sephora/Glow Recipe

• Stacy London, style expert: Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Brightening Serum, $49.00
• Carson Kressley, style expert: SkinCeuticals Vitamin C E Ferulic, $166.00
• Mally Roncal, makeup queen and founder of Mally Beauty: Dr. Dennis Gross C+ Collagen Deep Cream, $72.00
• Milly Almodovar, beauty and lifestyle expert: Kakadu C Serum by DERMAdoctor, $95.00
• Tommy DiDario, style expert: Dr. Dennis Gross Vitamin C Serum Spray, $78.00

WHAT ARE PROBIOTICS + HOW DO THEY WORK?

"Probiotics — this is what TULA, my skincare line is all about," Dr. Raj says. "Good, healthy bacteria helps with hydration and also has a soothing, anti-inflammatory effect on your skin."

WHAT IS RETINOL + HOW DOES IT WORK?

Retinol is something you can benefit from at any age, the doc points out. "Retinol will boost your own body's natural collagen. It's good for antioxidants, for hyaluronic acid production," Dr. Raj claims.

"Retinol is one of those catch-all ingredients — it does so much. It helps with firmness, wrinkles, hydration, dark spots, even acne. This is definitely one you want to keep your eye out for," she says.

BEAUTY & STYLE EXPERT PRODUCT PICKS FROM OUR 2019 BEAUTY SURVEY

SkinBetter AlphaRet Overnight Cream

skinbetter science

• Milly Almodovar, beauty and lifestyle expert: SkinBetter AlphaRet Overnight Cream, $125.00
• Dr. Whitney Bowe, NYC dermatologist: Dermalogica AGE Smart Overnight Retinol RepairDermalogica AGE Smart Overnight Retinol Repair, $90.00
• Kyan Douglas, style expert: Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair, prices starting at $16.99

WHAT IS COLLAGEN + HOW DOES IT WORK?

"Collagen is actually the most abundant protein in our entire body. It serves as the scaffold, or the structure of your skin," Dr. Raj says. "As we get older and the collagen breaks down, we're sagging, we're having issues. We of course would love to have collagen in our products."

Many products claim that collagen can attack wrinkles by firming up the skin. The problem is, collagen is like Jell-O. It can't really be absorbed into your skin through products like lotion, according to Dr. Raj.