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Aging starts from the upper parts of your face and moves down towards the neck. For some reason, your neck is usually boxed out during your anti-aging skincare routine. Your face and your eye area soak up all the actives to cook up some new collagen while your neck is suffering from a bad case of tech neck from all the downward head tilting. Does that mean your neck deserves special treatment with its own products? Absolutely! The best anti-aging neck creams can help you achieve firmer, tighter skin and improve your profile.
In a hurry? Here’s our top pick:
Estee Lauder Resilience Multi-Effect Tri-Peptide Face and Neck Creme is the best anti-aging neck cream. It works both for the face and neck. And it contains SPF to protect, and peptides to tighten, and is suitable for all skin types.
But first, let’s get to know the neck area! The skin on your neck is thin (1). Much like the skin around the eyes, it’s delicate. This means that the neck is more prone to that dehydrated and crepey look.
Also, the skin turnover rate there is slower than it is on your face. This means that exfoliation is necessary for smoother skin.
And lastly, the muscles in there are way more active than your facial muscles. Your neck is mechanically active, always!
Now combine thin skin with loss of elasticity and you’ve got yourself some loose skin, and even the appearance of a double chin because of submental fat which is the fat below the chin.
You might be wondering how on earth a neck cream can help with all this. Here’s how they work and what you should expect from them.
Do Anti-Aging Neck Creams Really Work?
The truth is you need to manage your expectations from anti-aging neck creams. If you’re being preventative and not yet dealing with major wrinkles or creases, you can delay the appearance of wrinkles and soften existing lines a bit using anti-aging neck creams.
If you’re actively dealing with necklines, non-surgical touch-ups like neck Botox and fillers will be the only options to get more visible and satisfying results.
Genetics and weight fluctuations can worsen the look of the fat pad below the chin. But neck creams won’t be able to give you dramatic results in that department. If that’s your main concern, you should consider procedures like Kybella or chin liposuction (2).
But if you’re not ready for the needles, focus on neck creams with majorly anti-aging goodies like the ones below.
How Is a Neck Cream Different Than a Face Cream?
It really isn’t. You can use your face creams on your neck and chest area. But you should never use body lotions on your face.
If you can look past the marketing and focus on the ingredients, you’ll see that it’s really not much different than an anti-aging face cream with a bit more focus on peptides. It’s because peptides work exceptionally well on tightening up the skin (3).
Besides that, there isn’t any major difference between your face creams and neck creams. When that’s the case, you can either remember to use your skincare products on your neck as well or simply get a proper neck cream.
There’s no downside to using a dedicated product for different parts of the body if you can afford to do so. Plus, your face cream will run out sooner once you start using it on your neck and chest. So you might as well go ahead and get a neck cream.
The good news is that because there aren’t as many oil glands on the neck skin as there are on the face, you don’t need to worry about neck creams clogging pores or causing breakouts.
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What To Look For in an Anti-Aging Neck Cream
Anti-Aging Ingredients
Look for mainstream anti-aging ingredients in your neck cream such as retinol, peptides, chemical exfoliants like alpha-hydroxy acids, and antioxidants like vitamin C. These are the ingredients that stimulate collagen production and help improve the look of the saggy-looking neck skin (4).
Additionally, certain ingredients have temporary firming benefits. Caffeine, for example, increases circulation and temporarily gives the skin a tighter appearance. Also consider toning ingredients like witch hazel, ginseng, and thyme extract.
Hydrating Ingredients
Those hardworking anti-aging ingredients work better when they are formulated into a nice, hydrating base. For that reason, look for hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid.
And look for moisturizing ingredients like light plant oils in your anti-aging neck cream. After all, these are creams. And they should keep the neck and chest area plump, soft, and hydrated.
The Best Anti-Aging Neck Creams
If you’ve made up your mind and decided to go for it, below are the best anti-aging neck creams to try for a firmer neck.
1. Estee Lauder Resilience Multi-Effect Tri-Peptide Face and Neck Creme SPF 15
To ensure maximum benefits, this cream utilizes antioxidants, peptides, and skin-tightening ingredients to tone and smooth out the skin. It’s for both your face and your neck and chest area. It packs peptides, including Argireline for Botox-like effects. And it has both vitamin C and vitamin E for antioxidant benefits.
All those goodies are formulated into a pleasant, comfortable base that leaves skin soft and radiant as opposed to heavy and greasy. The neck cream also has caffeine to firm, hyaluronic acid to plump, and avocado oil to maximize moisture. The best part is that it also has SPF to protect the skin too!
Key Ingredients: Peptides, vitamin C, vitamin E, caffeine, SPF
Key Benefits: Softens the appearance of wrinkles, makes skin appear tighter and lifted
Size: 1.7 oz
Good To Know: Alcohol-free, contains fragrance
2. SkinCeuticals Tripeptide-R Neck Repair
You know you mean business with anti-aging when you start using retinol on your neck as well. This one won’t disappoint. It’s formulated with 0.2% retinol to oil up those rusty joints to produce more collagen.
And the best part is that it’s made with skin-firming ingredients like peptides as well as plant-derived compounds with a similar skin-tightening effect in a concentration of 5%. It targets fine lines and wrinkles and works to give you a smoother, firmer neck.
Key Ingredients: Retinol, peptides
Key Benefits: Encourages skin turnover for firmer skin
Size: 1.7 oz
Good To Know: Alcohol-free, fragrance-free
3. StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream Plus
This one covers pretty much all aspects of your anti-aging neck care. It hydrates with hyaluronic acid and moisturizes with its shea butter base. And it increases moisture retention with ceramides and niacinamide. So your neck and chest area looks plump with less visible wrinkles.
The neck cream also firms up the skin with signal peptides by stimulating collagen and improving skin elasticity. In addition, antioxidant-rich licorice extract and rice bran will reduce hyperpigmentation and give you an even skin tone in the neck area.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, ceramides, niacinamide, licorice extract
Key Benefits: Improves skin elasticity, minimizes dark spots
Size: 1.7 oz
Good To Know: Alcohol-free, contains fragrance, vegan
4. Dr. Brandt Skincare Needles No More Neck Sculpting Cream
This is like a whole relaxing spa experience for your neck & chest. The cream comes with a Gua Sha tool to massage the product into the skin. This will, of course, help with lymph drainage and circulation as well. The anti-aging neck cream contains lactic acid, an amazing alpha hydroxy acid that gently exfoliates while hydrating and plumping up the skin. Meanwhile, caffeine helps tighten the skin and reduces inflammation.
And the combination of hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5 gives the skin a hydration boost to diminish the appearance of fine lines and creases on the neck. If you’re not a big fan of retinol or hardcore exfoliants, this potent firming neck cream with its antioxidant-rich formula can help tighten the skin below the jawline and give you a more defined appearance.
Key Ingredients: Lactic acid, caffeine, hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5
Key Benefits: Gives neck a tighter, firmer appearance
Size: 1.7 oz
Good To Know: Contains alcohol and fragrance
5. Colorescience Pep Up Collagen Renewal Face And Neck Treatment
This one is to be used both on the face and the neck area. This is a serum and it’s formulated around copious amounts of peptides! In case you’ve missed the lecture; here’s the recap on peptides. Signal peptides trick the skin into producing collagen. Copper peptides are exceptionally helpful in healing damaged tissue.
And neuropeptides (neurotransmitter inhibitor peptides), are the closest thing to Botox. They block cell communication that ends up preventing excess muscle movement. And that results in skin relaxing and wrinkle smoothing. And the cream contains all 3 types of these peptides! The treatment has a hydrating base and contains hyaluronic acid. And it’s one of the best firming neck serums your face will also benefit a lot from.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid
Key Benefits: Stimulates collagen, moisturizes, protects against free radicals
Size: 1 oz
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, alcohol-free, cruelty-free, vegan
6. Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Lifting Neck Cream
With a combination of signal and neuropeptides, the cream stimulates collagen synthesis while relaxing the deep-set wrinkles to give you smoother skin. Moreover, it’s chock full of antioxidants from organic goodies like apples and grapes, making the formulation a powerhouse of antioxidants that can repair and prevent UV-induced damage.
Furthermore, the cream has vitamins C & E that work amazingly well to limit melanin production to get rid of dark spots and neutralize the damaging effects of oxidative stress on the chest area.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, apple extract, vitamin C
Key Benefits: Helps tighten skin, boost collagen, repair sun damage
Size: 1.7 oz
Good To Know: Alcohol-free, cruelty-free, vegan, organic
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7. Mario Badescu Vitamin A-D-E Neck Cream
With a significantly lower price tag, this drugstore anti-aging neck cream hydrates, brightens, and repairs the skin. It has retinyl palmitate for rapid skin renewal. And it has vitamins D and E to keep that new collagen healthy and UV-protected.
The rice bran oil is majorly brightening, meaning that it’ll help fade pigmentation around the neck and chest and even things out. Hyaluronic acid will increase hydration and give you more youthful and fresh-looking decolletage.
Key Ingredients: Vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E
Key Benefits: Infuses skin with antioxidants, protects delicate skin, moisturizes
Size: 1 oz
Good To Know: Contains fragrance, alcohol-free
8. PCA Skin Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum
OK, this is a face serum you can also use for the neck and chest area. And for good reason! It comes with 6% niacinamide aka vitamin B3! Besides the fact that niacinamide is majorly helpful in keeping the skin moisturized and juiced up to reduce the look of dryness and dehydration, it’s also super brightening!
If you’ve been enjoying the sun a little too much and struggling with dark spots all over your chest, niacinamide will make all the difference. To double the brightening action, the serum also has a botanical extract that has skin-brightening abilities and green tea for blocking and treating UV damage. Lay it on!
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, green tea, vitamin C derivative
Key Benefits: Brightens, reduces discolorations and hyperpigmentation, hydrates
Size: 1 oz
Good To Know: Alcohol-free, fragrance-free
9. Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Neck Gels
Last but not least, this firming neck patch will come in handy before sliding into a low-cut top. You can always try silicone patches to get instant plumpness and smoothness in the neck area. But these patches infuse the skin with actives to provide better and longer-lasting care.
These cooling gels contain niacinamide, ginseng, and antioxidant-rich cranberry seed. The skin around the neck absorbs all the goodies in 10 minutes to give you a softer and suppler decollete. If you don’t have the patience for anti-aging neck creams, try these patches.
Key Ingredients: Niacinamide, ginseng, collagen, cranberry seed oil
Key Benefits: Works instantly to smooth out neck wrinkles and lines
Size: 4 gels
Good To Know: Alcohol-free, fragrance-free, vegan, cruelty-free
So these are some of the best anti-aging neck creams you can use to tighten the neck skin. Remember, prevention is easier than treatment. And sunscreen is the best anti-aging product that’ll ensure you won’t age prematurely! The same goes for your neck and chest. So don’t forget to use SPF to protect your neck and chest area to avoid premature aging and hyperpigmentation.
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References:
- Kim, E., Cho, G., Won, N.G. and Cho, J. (2013), Age-related changes in skin bio-mechanical properties: the neck skin compared with the cheek and forearm skin in Korean females. Skin Res Technol, 19: 236-241. https://doi.org/10.1111/srt.12020
- Pérez P, Hohman MH. Neck Rejuvenation. [Updated 2022 Sep 5]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562229/
- Jeong, S.; Yoon, S.; Kim, S.; Jung, J.; Kor, M.; Shin, K.; Lim, C.; Han, H.S.; Lee, H.; Park, K.-Y.; Kim, J.; Chung, H.J.; Kim, H.J. Anti-Wrinkle Benefits of Peptides Complex Stimulating Skin Basement Membrane Proteins Expression. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21010073
- Ganceviciene, R., Liakou, A. I., Theodoridis, A., Makrantonaki, E., & Zouboulis, C. C. (2012). Skin anti-aging strategies. Dermato-endocrinology, 4(3), 308–319. https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.22804
