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 Skincare

Neck Cream

Written by: Becki Murray

Last Updated: 13 February 2024

There’s a reason they say you can tell someone’s real age by the appearance of their neck. A bit like around the eyes, the skin on the neck is thin and not as well supplied with oil glands. It is also often neglected and exposed to the sun and so is prone to premature ageing and sun damage.

While some people prefer just to use their facial skincare on their neck as well, there are special creams designed specifically for the neck area. These can help address the crepey skin that can affect the neck as well as to hydrate the area. In particular, you want plenty of hydration from a neck cream, and possibly some skin-reviving ingredients such as retinol, peptides or glycolic acid. You can find out more about why in our FAQs below.

neck cream

What is neck cream?

A neck cream is just what the words say: a skincare product designed to treat the skin of your neck. Most neck creams aim to firm, hydrate, and smooth your neck’s skin, using ingredients such as peptides, hyaluronic acid, and retinol. Some neck creams are designed for dry skin, others for oily skin, and others for combination skin.

 

neck wrinkles

Why is neck cream essential in skincare?

As with the skin around your eyes, the skin on your neck is thin and not well supplied with oil glands; worse, this skin gets twisted and stretched a good deal. These factors all conspire to make neck skin show its age sooner than most of us would like.

If you have a décolletage, its skin also needs care. It has the advantages of being better supplied with oil glands than your neck skin and usually suffers less from twisting and stretching, but it also has the downside of being angled to catch the sun.

To treat your neck and décolletage, you can either use the same skincare product as on your face or use one specifically designed for the neck. Using the same product as for your face is easier, but a separate cream specially formulated for the neck may give you better and faster results.

How can neck creams combat signs of ageing?

Signs of ageing in the neck include sagging skin, fine lines and wrinkles, and variations in skin texture and pigmentation. Neck creams can fight these problems in various ways, including the following:

  • Moisturising your neck skin to keep it hydrated
  • Stimulating your skin to produce more collagen for firmness and thickness and more elastin for stretchiness
  • Exfoliating the top layer of skin to promote cell turnover and improve skin tone
  • Providing nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants to keep your skin in good shape
  • Reducing the visibility of age spots and making skin tone more even

What ingredients are most effective in neck creams?

You want plenty of hydration from a neck cream, and possibly some skin-reviving ingredients such as retinol, peptides, or glycolic acid. You also want protection from the sun, particularly for your décolletage, which is angled like your very own solar panel. So you either need neck cream with built-in sun protection or a separate sunscreen that you apply every day.

Can retinol be used safely on the neck?

Yes, you can use retinol on your neck, and various neck creams and serums contain retinol. Keep in mind that the skin on your neck is thinner and more sensitive than the skin on your face, so you’ll want to begin by using a low concentration of retinol and applying it only once or twice a week until you’ve established how well your neck skin tolerates it.

When using a product containing retinol on your neck, moisturise your skin to make sure it doesn’t get dried out. You should also apply sunscreen to your neck, because retinol can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight.

What are the benefits of peptides in neck skincare?

Peptides — short chains of amino acids — can benefit your neck skin in several ways as a skincare ingredient, including by:

  • Stimulating collagen production and skin repair. Peptides can encourage your skin to produce more collagen, the protein that forms the scaffolding of your skin. Extra collagen gives your skin the material it needs to repair itself and so improves skin firmness.
  • Boosting elasticity. Peptides can cause your skin to produce more elastin, the protein that keeps your skin stretchy and resilient.
  • Increasing hydration. Some peptides can help your skin better retain moisture and stay hydrated. Adequate hydration makes your skin look plumper and reduces the appearance of fine lines.
  • Strengthening the skin barrier. Peptides can strengthen and support your skin as a barrier against the environment, by signalling it to produce skin-supporting components like collagen and elastin.
  • Improving texture and tone. Peptides can make your skin smoother and more even due to their skin-stimulating abilities too.

What are the best practices for preventing sun damage on the neck?

You need to protect the skin of your neck from ultraviolet (UV) rays. That means either wearing sunscreen or wearing UV-protective clothing every day. Remember the key points about UV rays:

  • UVB rays — the kind that make your skin burn — reach you not only when the sun is shining but also in cloudy conditions.
  • UVA rays, the kind that have a longer wavelength that reaches deeper into your skin, can penetrate through glass, so you need to protect against them even if you’re indoors and exposed via a window.

Another way of preventing or minimising sun damage is to make sure your skin has the nutrients it needs to protect and regenerate itself. Eating a healthy diet, keeping your skin hydrated both by consuming plenty of water and by applying moisturisers, and including antioxidants (such as vitamin C or vitamin E) in your skincare can help support your skin against the UV onslaught. Although SPF is still by far the best protective step you can take.

How can neck creams help firm and tone the skin?

Neck creams can help firm and tone your skin in six main ways, including:

  • Stimulating the production of collagen and elastin to keep your skin firm and stretchy
  • Improving your skin’s hydration
  • Tightening your skin temporarily via ingredients such as niacinamide or caffeine
  • Exfoliating your skin to improve its texture
  • Providing extra nourishment via vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids
  • Delivering antioxidants, such as vitamin E or green tea extract, to protect against damage from free radicals

How does glycolic acid improve neck skin?

Glycolic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA for short) that can help exfoliate your skin, removing dead skin cells to reveal fresher and brighter skin underneath. Exfoliating with glycolic acid can stimulate your skin to produce more collagen, which can make your skin firmer. Together, exfoliation and more collagen can then reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, making your neck’s skin look smoother.

Glycolic acid can also boost your skin’s ability to retain moisture and can help other skincare products penetrate more deeply into the skin.

What should a neck skincare routine include?

Your neck skincare routine should be broadly similar to your facial skincare routine but should focus on your neck’s needs. Here is an example of a six-step routine you might try:

  1. Cleanse your skin to remove dirt, oil, and makeup. Use a gentle and hydrating cleanser.
  2. Exfoliate your skin once or twice a week using a low-concentration exfoliant, such as a product containing glycolic acid.
  3. Apply a treatment serum designed for your specific concerns, such as an anti-ageing serum or a serum for sensitive skin.
  4. Apply a neck cream containing ingredients such as peptides, ceramides, or hyaluronic acid.
  5. Apply a moisturiser to keep your skin hydrated.
  6. Apply sunscreen in the morning to protect your skin against UV rays. Sunscreen is especially important if you are exfoliating your skin.

When applying products to your neck, massage the skin with upward strokes rather than downward strokes. This avoids your hands dragging your skin downwards as you apply your chosen cream.

How to choose the right neck cream for specific skin concerns?

When choosing a neck cream, the best advice is to identify your concerns and then the ingredients that will help them. You can then look for a neck cream that contains those ingredients, as in the following seven examples: 

  • Ageing and wrinkles. Retinol and peptides can stimulate collagen production. Hyaluronic acid can boost hydration to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
  • Sagging skin. Peptides and ceramides can firm the skin and improve its elasticity. Niacinamide or caffeine can provide a temporary tightening lift.
  • Dry skin. Hyaluronic acid can increase hydration. Glycerine and shea butter can soften the skin and lock in moisture.
  • Sensitive skin. Chamomile, aloe vera, and allantoin can soothe your skin. Avoid irritants such as alcohol or fragrance.
  • Uneven skin tone. Vitamin C or niacinamide can brighten and even out your skin tone.
  • Oily skin or acne. Salicylic acid can help reduce blocked pores, reducing your risk of acne breakouts. Look for a lightweight, non-comedogenic product that will leave your pores open.
  • Sun-damaged skin. Vitamin C or vitamin E can help improve the appearance of sun damage skin, but tweakments may give you better results, especially for severe hyperpigmentation.

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ASK ALICE

Alice answers your question. Want to ask Alice a question? Pop it in here and check back in a few days for the answer.


Hi Alice, I am 55 and take good care of my skin: LED, NuFACE, fillers, toxin, RF. I use ferulic vit C and the peptide serum you recommend as well as prescription retinol 2/3 times a week. I am interested in the Calecim cream you list and also the...

Wow, that sounds like quite the regime! Yes, Calecim is great, you could use it on nights when you are not using the prescription retinoid. I like it for skin recovery after procedures. The Neostrata neck product is fab, I'd use this after the vitamin C and before moisturiser/ sunscreen in the morning, and use it at night, too. If you're using the retinol on your neck, you could use this either afterwards or before the retinol, and see how it works for you....

I was wondering how I could firm the skin on my neck and if you recommend a particular product, please?

Take a look at the Neostrata Triple Firming Neck Cream – it's one of our bestselling products in the Tweakments Guide shop and there's a reason for that – it does a great job.

Buying from your website post-Brexit – I live in France... will I be charged import taxes?

There's always a chance you'll be charged import taxes but we can't say for certain either way. Please email us at [email protected] with details of what you'd like to order and your address, and we will give you a shipping quote which will include any extra costs/ taxes we are informed about.

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