For those looking to keep signs of aging at bay, myself included, the best hand creams for older women aren’t merely nice-to-haves—they’re bedside, handbag, and sink-top needs. And let’s not forget desktop: The writing and reporting of this story involved at least three applications of cream to atone for the dryness and dullness my hands are subject to at 45.
What makes hands so quick to lose the dew of youth? “Our hands are constantly exposed to UV light, environmental stress, and repeated washing,” says Azadeh Shirazi, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in California. Throw in the fact that hands have thinner skin, less collagen, and less fat support than other parts of the body, and a good hand cream becomes an essential part of any antiaging skin-care routine.
Vogue’s Favorite Hand Creams for Older Women
For older patients, “I generally recommend hand creams that support the skin barrier, improve hydration, and are elegant enough that they will actually use them consistently,” says Shannon Humphrey, MD, founder and medical director of Humphrey & Beleznay Cosmetic Dermatology in Canada.
But which hand creams do the softest-skinned experts and best-advised patients use exactly? Ahead, see the five products—culled from drugstore aisles, French pharmacies, and prestige labels alike—that medical pros and Vogue editors always keep within reach.
In This Story:
Best With Retinol: Soft Services Theraplush Overnight Repair Treatment
- Why We Love It: Soft Services’s overnight salve has packaging that’s made for the bedside stand: It pairs a decorative hard shell with refillable pods containing the retinol-infused treatment. Since the product was made to live within reach of one’s pillow, it dovetails well with a nighttime routine—an attribute that Shirazi applauds. “The best advice for younger-looking hands is consistency,” she says. Also made with colloidal oatmeal, “this helps lighten age spots while deeply hydrating the skin,” Howard Sobel, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon in New York, previously told Vogue. What’s more, the product delivers a luxe sensorial experience and a bit of an afterglow. Chloe Malle, head of editorial content for Vogue, once described the bedtime staple as “a satiny cream that smells like cake batter and leaves my hands gleaming through the morning.” Speaking of scents, the treatment is available fragrance-free or in Hold, a woodsy, musky, skinlike scent.
- Editor’s Experience: A jar of this does not leave my bedside. Part of the allure is the sculptural aspect that gives it that “put on display” quality, though I certainly wouldn’t keep reaching for it without skin benefits too. Like many of us, I’m becoming hyperaware of my hands’ appearance, so the fact that this has retinol is right up my alley. —Kiana Murden, Vogue’s beauty editor, shopping
- Key Ingredients: Retinol, lactic acid, colloidal oatmeal, panthenol, polyglutamic acid
- Best For: Overnight repair, crepey texture, dryness, roughness
- Size: 1.7 oz refill pods
