As Nora Ephron once put it: “Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth.” As we get older, our necks are one of the first places to show signs of aging, something that’s exacerbated by the fact that many of us stop applying our skin-care products at our chins. But as any derm or esthetician will tell you, your “face” actually extends from your hairline to your nipples, which means that your neck deserves just as much TLC as the skin above it.

Much like the skin around your eyes, the skin on your neck is much thinner than it is elsewhere, which is why signs of aging start to show up there so quickly. Think of your “young” neck like a sheet of cookie dough with a cookie cutter pressed into it. “When you peel away the extra stuff on the outside of the cookie cutter, you can see the outline of the shape you’re trying to create more prominently,” says Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York. “The same thing happens when you peel away the extracellular matrix in your neck.” When you have less collagen and elastin surrounding your platysmal bands (which is inevitable as you get older and your body’s natural production of these things starts to slow), they become more prominent, which can make your neck look older. Collagen-stimulating ingredients, like retinol and peptides, can help firm up the area and keep things smooth. Ahead, find 10 neck creams to help firm and smooth out your neck.

Best firming neck creams

SkinMedica Neck Correct Cream — $135.00

If you’re going to invest in one product that will keep your neck smooth, Dr. Gohara recommends SkinMedica Neck Correct Cream. In addition to being packed with peptides of its own, the formula is made with what Dr. Gohara refers to as “a really unique ingredient,” called paracress extract, which works to relax the platysmal bands in your neck. These bands are the vertical lines that appear when you grimace your face and tense your neck. “The collagen and elastin in your neck keep the area plump, but over time, as collagen and elastin regress, the platysmal banding becomes more obvious,” she says. “The paracress extract helps to relax the muscles so that they’re less obvious, and that’s the most novel thing about this product,” says Dr. Gohara. “The peptides and antioxidants in the formula are great, but it’s really its ability to relax those muscles that makes it so unique, because that’s really what makes your neck age.”

SkinMedica Neck Correct Cream — $90.00

With both a lifting and brightening complex, not only does this neck cream smooth and tighten the skin, but it also helps even out skin tone. Use it morning and night to hydrate and help with firmness and wrinkles.

Dermalogica Neck Fit Contour Serum — $85.00

This neck serum has a rollerball applicator to ensure even distribution (and keep your fingers clean). It has a blend of peptides to help lift and tighten, and plant-based ingredients like rye seed extract, rambutan extract, and griffonia seed extract to provide retinol-like firming results and protection against free radical damage.

RoC Multi Correxion 5 in 1 Cream — $24.00

You can use this 5-in-1 cream on your face, neck, and chest, and it has Hexyl-R Complex technology to help reduce wrinkles and brighten your complexion. It also has vitamin E to hydrate and broad spectrum SPF 30 so you can wear it during the day, too.

bareMinerals Ageless Phyto-Retinol Neck Cream — $52.00

If you’re sensitive to traditional retinol, this neck cream may cause less irritation. It uses a plant-based, phyto-retinol to help reduce lines and wrinkles, and has a vegan and paraens-free formula. Plus it has protein peptides to smooth and hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin.

Dr. Brandt Skincare needles no more Neck Sculpting Cream — $96.00

Increase the feeling of firmness on your neck with this neck sculpting cream, which comes with a Gua Sha Rose Quartz tool that can help increase circulation. The cream contains plant-derived protein to help tighten the skin, a slim sculpt complex (includes caffeine and spirulina) to improve firmness, and a hydra-firm complex to lock in moisture.

Perricone MD Cold Plasma Plus+ Neck & Chest — $89.00

Massage this lightweight cream on both your neck and chest to help smooth out wrinkles and uneven skin tone. It has broad spectrum SPF 25 because you shouldn’t leave the house without some sun protection, and it contains peptides and vitamin C Ester and B13 to fortify and brighten the skin.

Mario Badescu Vitamin A-D-E Neck Cream — $20.00

Give your skin a dose of hydration with this moisturizing neck cream. It’s specially formulated for the neck and décolletage, and packed with vitamins A and E, cocoa butter, hyaluronic acid, and more to firm and smooth.

IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Neck Cream — $41.00

Moisturize, brighten, smooth, firm, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles all in one. This cream is made for all skin types and contains seaweed extract, shea butter, collagen, and hyaluronic acid to help keep your neck and and chest feeling and looking young.

Clarins Extra-Firming Neck & Décolleté Cream — $92.00

With a plant-powered formula, this non-oily cream absorbs quickly to help firm and smooth your neck & décolleté in no time. Key ingredients in sunflower to improve firmness, kangaroo flower to smooth and lift, and desert date to help reduce the appearance of dark spots.

To see which products Dr. Gohara uses in her own routine, check out the video below. 

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