Dr. Somji Skin has reviewed more than 30 products for mature skin, and his approval rate sits at 74%. He is selective, but not harsh. Most things he looks at earn his nod. A small handful get skipped, and his reasons are specific enough to be genuinely useful.
What does Dr. Somji Skin recommend for mature skin?
He keeps coming back to retinoids, and he is precise about which form suits which skin. He rates Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum as his dry-skin pick, pointing to its ceramides and peptides alongside the retinol. For oily or sensitive skin, he directs people toward The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion. He explains that granactive retinoids sit closer to retinoic acid than standard retinol does, so they are more likely to actually work. He also singles out The INKEY List Retinol Eye Cream as a smart choice around the eyes, since the encapsulated retinol resurfaces gently. For deep pigmentation, he calls Cosmelan 1 'literally like magic', saying it clears even stubborn melasma by around 80 to 90 percent. And for lifting and tightening, he named SoftWave as a standout, noting that his own clinic's surgeon sometimes pairs it with blepharoplasty because the results are that reliable.
In his words
"Softwave releases energy parallel so you don't get any damage to the fat layer, which is a worry. [...] If you look at some of the before and afters, you can really lift the eyebrows. Even our ocular plastic surgeon at the clinic sometimes combines blepharoplasty with a Softwave brow lift because he knows it's going to be fantastic. Brow lifts sometimes are not so successful, they involve quite a big scar in that area, and Softwave is a great alternative to a brow lift and a blepharoplasty."
"In the clinic, a great treatment for getting that deeper pigmentation out is the Cosmelan treatment, which is a natural blend of things like vitamin C, azelaic acid, as well as retinol. It's a treatment that you can do within clinic, it's a mask that's applied over the face. It's literally like magic. [...] In terms of cosmetic appearance it gets rid of probably like 80 to 90% of even stubborn melasma, which is really, really good."
"You've got the Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion, which is more for patients with oily skin. It's creamier in texture, it's better for beginners, that's what I would start as a beginner. [...] Because the Granactive retinoids are more close to retinoic acid, it's much more likely that you will get a better result with the Granactive range than you would with the retinol range, but as I said, not every retinoid is good for each patient, so you have to try each one out."
"If I were to have dry skin what retinol would I pick, I would actually pick this one. It's the Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose Serum with a precise daily strength concentration of pure retinol, peptides and ceramides. [...] I'm actually pretty impressed with this to be quite honest looking at the ingredients list. You've got glycerin in there, niacinamide, a few peptides sitting in there, and crucially you've also got some ceramides."
"The Inkey List has a specially designed Retinol Eye Cream which is actually fantastic for that area if you're going to be using retinol around the eyes. Maybe you want to use some encapsulated retinols that will help just resurface and exfoliate the skin so that you get down to that base and also it can help reduce the appearance of milia as well."
"Eyes clinical um hydrating serum high um is very very good um and I would use that too as well"
How many products has Dr. Somji Skin reviewed for mature skin?
Dr. Somji Skin has reviewed 31 products for mature skin, for an approval rate of 74%. 23 approved, 2 mixed, and 6 skipped.
What has Dr. Somji Skin skipped for mature skin?
He gave a clear skip to Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream, calling it essentially an olive oil cream with peptides so far down the ingredients list they barely count. La Roche-Posay Redermic R Anti-Aging Treatment got a 'three out of ten' from him for low retinol concentration and no supporting actives. He said La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum fails for being a 'hybrid' between a serum and a cream, a format he dislikes. And he told people to be careful with L'Oreal Revitalift 0.3% Pure Retinol Night Serum, even though it has ingredients that should work on paper.
"Now if you put olive oil in your skin it's going to feel like this, it'll feel good. But hey, you are overpaying for this product. You know it's marketed as a polypeptide cream, but the peptides are so low down on the ingredients list that it may as well not be a peptides cream. It's basically an olive oil cream."
"Low concentration of retinol, not many other peptides in there, which is quite disappointing. I don't like hybrid stuff, you're either a serum or you're a cream, can't be doing a hybrid thing. The ingredients are definitely a step up from the retinol cream and I do like what they've included, including vitamin B3. But it loses a lot of points on the hybrid. It's a hybrid fail."
"I do not like the L'Oreal Revitalift ones. I mean a lot of people love this and [...] you've got B3 which is fantastic and you've got retinol in there and it's a slow release retinol so it should be good for someone starting, everything about it is supposed to be there for a beginner's retinol but I would exercise caution."
"It's a low strength retinol so I'm disappointed. It's a three out of 10 for that reason. Low concentration of retinol, no other actives in there, so it's a bit of a disappointment. That's probably one of the worst products in the range I'd say."
What should you take from Dr. Somji Skin's picks?
Dr. Somji Skin's record on mature skin is broadly encouraging. He approves most of what he reviews, but his skips are blunt and worth heeding. If you are picking a retinoid, he wants you to match the formula to your skin type rather than just grabbing the most popular bottle. And for anyone thinking about a clinical treatment, his enthusiasm for SoftWave and Cosmelan 1 as standout winners in this space is hard to miss.
Watch Dr. Somji Skin say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- SoftWaveNamed a winnerWatch at 11:19
- Cosmelan 1Named a winnerWatch at 9:04
- Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide CreamSkipped itWatch at 15:10
- La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 SerumSkipped itWatch at 17:06
- L'Oreal Revitalift 0.3% Pure Retinol Night SerumSkipped itWatch at 7:25
- La Roche-Posay Redermic R Anti-Aging TreatmentSkipped itWatch at 14:16
- La Roche-Posay Lift Active C10Skipped itWatch at 3:50
- Differin Adapalene Gel 0.1%Skipped itWatch at 1:09
- The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% EmulsionRated itWatch at 7:16
- Kiehl's Retinol Skin-Renewing Daily Micro-Dose SerumRated itWatch at 11:11
- The INKEY List Retinol Eye CreamRated itWatch at 1:35
- SkinCeuticals H.A. Intensifier with Arbutin and Azelaic AcidRated itWatch at 4:33
- Vichy LiftActiv B3 Dark Spots and Wrinkle SerumRated itWatch at 11:10
- ZO Skin Health Growth Factor SerumRated itWatch at 27:36
- SoftWave SoftWaveRated itWatch at 12:03
- Obagi Nu-Derm SystemRated itWatch at 6:00
- The Ordinary Retinol 0.2% in SqualaneRated itWatch at 4:46
- Drunk Elephant C-Firma Fresh Day SerumRated itWatch at 2:51
- CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol SerumRated itWatch at 18:05
- ZO Skin Health Growth Factor Eye SerumRated itWatch at 15:26
- Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol CreamRated itWatch at 5:41
- The Ordinary Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCGRated itWatch at 4:31
- ZO Skin Health Daily Power DefenseRated itWatch at 27:16
- The INKEY List Super Solutions 1% Retinol SerumRated itWatch at 4:33
About this expert
See everything Dr. Somji Skin has reviewed
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This guide reflects what Dr. Somji Skin said across his videos about 31 products for mature skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products he approved. It is general information, not medical advice.