For better or for worse, aging is a natural part of life. While there isn’t much that can be done to reverse time, you can take steps to naturally support the aging process so that you age gracefully. In addition to a solid diet and exercise regimen, a natural wrinkle cream is an essential tool in any anti-aging treatment kit. Natural wrinkle creams are like supplements for your skin: they work by providing your skin with the necessary vitamins, nutrients, and building blocks to maintain healthy hydration, firmness, and elasticity levels. In this article, we’ll review the causes of wrinkles, how you can use a natural wrinkle cream to maintain youthful skin as you age, and our expert picks of the best (and truly natural) organic wrinkle fighting creams. Enjoy!

What Causes Wrinkles?
Technically speaking, a wrinkle on the skin is caused when the underlying supportive connective structure of the skin (i.e. collagen, elastin, deep fat deposits, natural oils, and circulation) is weakened due to damage and/or the natural aging process.

Natural Aging & Wrinkles
In order to maintain a plump, firm, youthful looking appearance, your skin needs the help of a support system to remain elastic. Over time, our bodies produce less of these supportive friends and our skin begins to sag and wrinkle as a result. For example, as we age our bodies naturally produce 1% less collagen per year from the age of 20 (1). We also tend to lose deep fat deposits under the skin, the ability to retain moisture, and elastin. Without the help of these structures, our skin becomes prone to moisture loss, thinning, and, of course, wrinkles (1).

Environmental Factors & Wrinkles
Beside the natural aging process, there are also environmental causes of wrinkles as well. While there isn’t much that can be done about the natural aging process until the Fountain of Youth is discovered, you can prevent premature aging by mitigating your exposure to environmental and internal stressors. Some of the most preventable causes of wrinkles include sun damage, stress, exposure to chemicals and toxins, and poor nutrition (2). Let’s examine a few of these:

• Sun Damage: Possibly the largest external contributor to premature aging is UV damage from the sun. While you may think that you are protected by being inside, UVA rays (the ones responsible for deep cell damage and aging) can penetrate glass and cause dark spots, fine lines, and wrinkles over time. So, whether you are inside or outside, using a natural sunscreen when you are exposed to sunlight is key to preventing sun damage. Please make sure to choose an organic and all natural mineral sunscreen. Why? One study found that some sunscreens containing parabens actually increased UV-induced skin damage (3, 4)!
• Smoking: Smokers face a greater risk of premature aging signs such as wrinkles than non-smokers (5). A single cigarette can contain over 4,000 chemicals. Imagine the compounding effect on your skin and health over time?
• Poor Nutrition: Beautiful skin starts from within! In order for your skin to repair and replace itself, it needs vital building blocks like amino acids from proteins, omega fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and a whole host of other necessary nutrients. A balanced and healthy diet filled with greens, collagen-boosting vitamin c, healthy fats, and proper hydration is critical to fighting the signs of aging.
• Stress: When your body is in a stressed or anxious state, it isn’t the best at repairing and maintaining functions that are non-vital to survival such as glowing skin. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline divert your body’s resources to fight or flight mechanisms. Additionally, being in a continual state of stress slowly wears on your overall ability to maintain homeostasis among the internal systems. With that said, glowing skin requires a glowing state of mind. Lower your stress levels by getting at least 6-8 hours of consistent sleep, meditation for 5-10 minutes each day, and getting at least 30 minutes of exercise routinely.

Which Natural Ingredients Are Effective Against Wrinkles?
When it comes to fighting wrinkles, there is no silver bullet in the natural world that eliminates wrinkles. Conquering wrinkles (or at least keeping them at bay) outside of plastic surgery or synthetic fillers requires consistent skin care and excellent nutrition for years.

With that said, there are many natural ingredients that are fantastic at supporting your skin through the aging process and even reversing premature aging signs caused by sun damage or other environmental stressors. These are some of the active ingredients that you should look for from your next natural wrinkle cream: vitamins C + E + A + K, hyaluronic acid, tamanu oil, rose oil, resveratrol, green tea, niacinamide, coenzyme Q10, caffeine, ceramides, kojic acid, and plant stem cells.

 There is a myriad of other natural ingredients that are also great at treating wrinkles. For example, pomegranate, acerola cherries, rosehip seed oil, and acai berries are all great wrinkle fighters due to their high vitamin C content. Vitamin C has been proven to stimulate collagen production and increase cell turnover rates while smoothing the skin and improving damage from the sun (6).

Be wary of wrinkle creams advertising “collagen” as an anti-aging ingredient. Collagen is far too large of a molecule to penetrate the skin deep enough to have any effect on your skin’s hydration or plumpness (9, 10). Instead, you’ll need to use a natural wrinkle cream made from ingredients that stimulate or aid in collagen production and protection (such as vitamin C and vitamin E).

Do Natural Wrinkle Creams & Anti-Aging Moisturizers Actually Work?
Natural wrinkle creams and anti-aging moisturizers are a great way to support the graceful aging process. Whether you are seeking to prevent or treat wrinkles, natural anti-aging creams will support your skin by maintaining healthy levels of hydration + nutrients needed for skin repair and renewal.

While there is some cumulative benefit to using anti-aging products daily, the bulk of the benefit you’ll see from using any anti-aging or anti-wrinkle product will be temporary. If you stop using the product, you will see a decline of the beneficial effects. This means that a consistency is key and you should use your natural wrinkle cream daily in order to maintain the effects.

What is a Good Anti-Aging Skin Care Routine?
Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all anti-aging routine because the signs of aging are caused by and express themselves differently for each person. There are some aspects of the aging process, however, which are pretty common. Effects such as fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, discoloration or hyperpigmentation, sun damage, and loss of under eye vibrancy.

Here is a sample anti-aging skin care routine that we’ve put together based on our favorite anti-wrinkle organic skin care products:

Daily Anti-Wrinkle Skin Care Routine:

• AM/PM: Anti-Aging Natural Cleansers
• AM/PM: Antioxidant Packed Organic Essence or Toner
• AM/PM: Natural Anti-Wrinkle Serum
• AM/PM: Natural Under Eye Wrinkle Treatment
• AM/PM: Wrinkle Cream or Anti-Aging Moisturizer
• PM: Natural Vitamin C Packed Serum

Weekly Anti-Wrinkle Skin Care Routine:

• PM: Antioxidant or Exfoliating Night Treatment
• AM/PM: Firming & Tightening Fighting Mask

How to Find a Clean, Natural, & Organic Wrinkle Cream?
Simple natural ingredients and a consistent holistic approach to skin care are all you need to effectively combat wrinkles. There is no need to risk your health and your money on expensive promises of instant youthfulness. Ingredients like parabens, phthalates, ethoxylated ingredients, and petrochemicals have been linked to all sorts of health concerns including endocrine disruption, severe allergic reactions, and even cancer.

Avoid wrinkle creams which contain chemical SPFs such as oxybenzone and avobenzone as they have been recently shown to be absorbed at high levels into the blood stream after just one day of usage (11). In addition to potentially toxic chemicals, many beauty brands (especially premium brands…tisk tisk) will load up their products with fillers, unnecessary or synthetic preservatives, and other ineffective additives. So, what are you really paying for?

If you want to find a truly clean natural wrinkle cream then you have two options: 1) Read the ingredient labels carefully and research anything you don’t recognize (this will get way easier with time and practice) 2) Check out our list of the best all natural and organic wrinkle creams below!

All kidding aside, our team as researched, tested, and reviewed dozens of natural wrinkle and anti-aging creams to bring you this list of the best of the best. These wrinkle creams are totally clean, natural, organic, gmo-free, and many are vegan and gluten-free. We’ve also referenced all ingredients against the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database for safety. Feel free to fall in love with any of these anti-aging powerhouses without compromising your health.