The Best Hydrating Products For Mature Skin, According To An Editor In Her 40s

A strange thing happened to me this summer. One day, the skin on my face—specifically my forehead—was suddenly insanely dry. This had never happened to me before, and I didn’t understand why. We’re in the middle of summer, not winter, when it’s normal to experience an increase in dryness. What could be going on?

I’m a beauty editor, so I’m always testing new products, but nothing recent enough to blame. In my mind, I ran through the list of possible suspects. My skin, which had always been oily/combination and acne-prone, has been a lot drier since entering perimenopause. Could this be a new branch of that? Rude. Like a good girl, I’d also been extra committed to my sunscreen, reapplying much more than usual. Was this my punishment for my due diligence? Better not be!

I needed an expert opinion on my sad summer skin, so I contacted Melanie Palm, MD, MBA, a board-certified dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon at Art of Skin MD in San Diego, California. “Dry skin during perimenopause is incredibly common and is primarily due to the decline in estrogen levels, which play a crucial role in maintaining skin hydration and elasticity,” explained Palm. “The skin’s ability to retain moisture diminishes when estrogen levels drop, leading to dryness and a thinner skin barrier. This makes the skin more sensitive in the summer months as temperatures rise and when sun exposure is more prevalent.”

Perimenopause has made my skin chaotic, so the possibility of it being the cause of my sudden dryness made a lot of sense. But I still wondered about sunscreen. “While sunscreen is essential for protecting your skin from harmful UV rays, certain types can potentially exacerbate dryness,” Palm said, adding that it’s best to avoid ones with zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, or benzyl alcohol. (I use a lot of mineral sunscreen, which contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, so that could have contributed, too.) Instead, Palm recommends opting for sunscreens that are formulated for sensitive or combination skin and contain moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, or peptides. “Products formulated with these ingredients will help protect your skin from UV damage without drying it out,” she continued.

Another thing I wondered about was the impact of air conditioning. Since temperatures have reached 90 degrees and above where I live in L.A., we’ve been running the AC nonstop. Unfortunately, just like heaters during the winter, air conditioners can affect the skin due to the low-humidity environment. Unless there was a way to psychically contact my skin cells and directly ask them what was going on, I just had to figure out what to do next. Thankfully, Palm gave me advice on how to get my skin back on track by using a gentle yet hydrating cleanser, making sure to moisturize, avoiding super-hot showers, and staying hydrated regularly.

I wasn’t about to go on without a fight, so I looked at my skincare stash and gathered the best products for dry skin while keeping Palm’s expert tips in mind.

More Hydrating Skincare Products to Try