This Hero Japanese Skincare Ingredient Transformed My Dry, Perimenopausal Skin

Now that I’m over 40, I’ve noticed many changes in my body, especially my skin. It seemed like only yesterday that I used to be a clear-cut combination-skin, prone-to-breakouts kind of gal. So it’s still shocking that I have only had one or two zits in the past year. As you can guess, the change in my skin and skincare products has taken a while to get used to. Before, I was satisfied with a lightweight moisturizer year-round, but now that I have—gulp—dry skin, finding a face cream with adequate hydration is the top priority. (I never thought in my life that I’d miss having oily skin!)

Finding a suitable face cream for my 40-somethin‘ perimenopausal skin has been somewhat of a Goldilocks situation. Sometimes, a face cream I’ll try will work wonderfully at night, but it is an entirely different story in the morning. I’m already a fan of Shiseido’s skincare, but its newest moisturizer has done some serious magic. The Shiseido Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Advanced Cream ($140) has left my skin hydrated, plump, and nourished to the gods since I started using it weeks ago—but it did even more.

Shiseido Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Advanced Cream

Many things make this face cream different from any other, namely the ingredients. Safflower has a long history of being used as a colorant in cosmetics and food, but it has some pretty awesome benefits for skin. SafflowerRed, the proprietary ingredient found in Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Advanced Cream, is cultivated in Yamagata, Japan. According to the brand’s research, this variety of safflower “has a structural stabilizing effect” on the blood vessel structure, suggesting it can help treat aging concerns such as dark spots, dullness, wrinkles, and facial sagging.

I kid you not; since I started using the face cream, the wrinkles on my forehead are not as deep (I haven’t had Botox in two years), and my skin feels and looks firmer than it has in years. It’s almost as if it reversed my age back a few years. Shiseido also did some consumer trials that found 90% saw firmer, lifted, and more even-toned skin, with 95% experiencing brighter skin, 93% having less visible dark spots, and 91% having tighter facial contours. In addition to SafflowerRed, the cream features an entire wonderland of antioxidants plus caffeine and ginseng root to energize and stimulate collagen and jujuba fruit for elasticity and firmness. It is a must, especially if you have over-40 skin or have some aging concerns like deep wrinkles, dryness, and pigmentation. I take it with me everywhere so much it needs its own little purse!

More of My Over-40 Skincare Favorites

Shiseido Vital Perfection Intensive Wrinklespot Treatment

If you have a specific wrinkle or deep line that you want to treat (sans Botox), try using this Wrinklespot Treatment. It contains pure retinol to help fight tired skin and signs of aging, 4MSK to fight against dark spots, and the KURENAI-TruLift Complex with Benibana flower, which energizes the skin to make it look more lifted.

Shiseido Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Express Eye Mask

These little under-eye masks have a lot going on. Like the wrinkle treatment, these use Pure Retinol to help with aging concerns, but they also use Matsu extract to target under-eye bags and tired eyes.

Youth To The People Superfood Skin Drip Smooth + Glow Barrier Serum With Kale + Niacinamide

I’ve been incorporating more Youth to the People products into my skincare routine, and the brand’s newest serum looks like another addition to my list. All skin types can benefit from this serum that infuses up to 10 surface layers of skin with hydration, using hyaluronic acid spheres, ceramides, and postbiotic ferment. It also has dandelion root and niacinamide to help brighten and even skin tone, and the brand’s famous superfood blend of plant extracts to help your skin glow.

omorovicza Queen Serum

My perimenopausal pals, this Queen Serum (amazing name) from Omorovicza does wonders for over-40 skin. Aside from the brand’s mineral-rich Healing Concentrate, it contains Mediterranean microalgae, which has a retinol effect on the skin (improves elasticity and helps with firming and fine lines). It also has Chinese leaf extract, which helps protect the integrity of elastic skin tissue.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream Moisturizer With Hyaluronic Acid

Charlotte Tilbury’s hero face cream is mandatory for my skincare closet. It’s packed with hyaluronic acid to hydrate for up to 24 hours, vitamin C and E for brightening and evening out the skin, and a peptide complex for smooth, wrinkle-free skin.

ANNEMARIE BÖRLIND 2 Phase Hyaluronan Shake

This serum from German skincare brand Annemarie Börlind is a standout. It contains red algae and hyaluronic acid from white jelly fungus, which promotes hydrolipidic balance and prevents moisture loss.

PEACH & LILY Peptide Pro Firming Moisturizer

This moisturizer from Peach & Lily is a forever favorite. It reduces wrinkles and fine lines and packs skin with hydration thanks to more than a dozen peptides, four amino acids, and other ingredients (like Tremella mushroom!).

SickScience ShapeShift

This serum by the new skincare brand SickScience (love the name) intrigues me! It tightens and firms the neck and jawline at a molecular level. How, you ask? It uses proprietary NX35 Technology with powerful plant-based exosomes, like pineapple stems, that tighten the skin underneath the chin. As someone who is very much pro-pineapple on pizza, this speaks to me.

SEPHORA COLLECTION Targeted Anti-Aging Bakuchiol Serum

If you're not ready for a retinol but want to fight skin-aging signs, try a product with bakuchiol, like this serum from Sephora Collection. The babchi seed extract helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Naturium Multi-Peptide Eye Cream

This eye cream is chock-full of peptides to help keep eyes looking less tired while reducing the look of wrinkles.

MERIT Great Skin Instant Glow Serum With Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid

This lightweight serum uses a potent combination of hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and cacao extract to keep skin hydrated, help brighten tone, improve texture, and stimulate blood flow.

Dieux Air Angel Collagen & Peptide Hydrating Gel Cream

Your skin will feel angel-soft thanks to this hydration powerhouse of a serum. Air Angel uses glycerin, vegan collagen, and a blend of lipids, squalane, and amino acids.