Japanese Skincare for Mature Skin - What You Need To Know

If you're looking for the best skincare advice, Japan is a great place to start. The Japanese have some of the most effective products and routines in the world. I've discovered Japanese skincare products a couple of years ago, when the K-Beauty trend also started and I've been loving them ever since. 

If you’ve ever seen the dewy, radiant skin of a Japanese woman, it’s no wonder that you want to know more about the Japanese skincare steps – after all, their skincare routine seems to be working - and I'm telling you this from a personal experience! However, trying to figure out exactly how they do it is another matter. For starters, they don’t really have a ‘routine’ per se: more like a series of rituals that occur throughout the day. And they take skincare very seriously indeed.

In this blog post, I'll share with you some tips I discovered regarding Japanese skincare for mature skin. I'll cover the best Japanese skincare secrets, the best ingredients to look for when it comes to mature skin, what products to use, how to use them, and what results you can expect. So if you're ready to take your skin care game up a notch, keep reading!

Here’s what you need to know about Japanese skincare

Japanese skincare has been around for centuries—so there’s a lot of research behind it. And here are some of the most important things to know about Japanese skincare:

Japanese skincare focuses on prevention, not cure.

If you want to find out more about why Japanese skin is flawless, you must first know a couple of things about the philosophy behind their skincare. In short, it’s is a holistic approach that involves using natural ingredients and gentle formulations, so you won’t find harsh chemicals or ingredients like alcohol in their products. But what does that mean for your skin? Well, it means you can look younger and healthier for longer!

If you’re thinking of the Japanese skincare routine as a way to treat your skin once it’s already damaged, think again. The Japanese approach is all about preventing damage in the first place—and that means giving your skin the care it needs to stay healthy and happy. That means eating right and getting enough exercise; that means wearing sunscreen every day; that also means getting proper sleep (not just too little or too much), not smoking, and avoiding stress.

All these habits are important for keeping your body young—but they're particularly crucial when you're over 40 because they help keep stress hormones from causing damage to your cells' DNA (which makes them age faster).

Japanese skincare revolves around the healing power of nature

Japanese people believe in the healing power of nature, which is why they use natural ingredients in their skincare products. They also use products that are not tested on animals. They believe that nature can heal the skin and body, so they use natural ingredients to help your skin look younger, while protecting it from pollution and other harmful elements.

Your diet is important, too

While your diet is not the only factor in maintaining healthy skin, it’s a great place to start. Eating well can help you look after your skin from within, so make sure you eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, which contain vitamins and minerals that are essential for keeping your skin looking radiant.

Japanese women always remove their makeup before bed.

They understand that the build-up of makeup can clog pores, cause breakouts, and even cause premature aging. Makeup also contains chemicals that are harmful to the skin. Therefore, they take time to remove their makeup each night by using cleansing oils or micellar water.

They then cleanse their skin using a gentle cleanser - designed for mature skin types if needed. They want to avoid harsh soap because it can dry out mature skin which makes it more susceptible to fine lines and wrinkles. After cleansing, they moisturize their face with creams or serums that contain hyaluronic acid (HA) which is a humectant meaning it attracts moisture into your skin cells so you don't dry out from washing off the residue from other products like sunscreen.

Sun protection is crucial

The Japanese know that the sun is harmful for the skin if the exposure is prolonged, so they prefer to just avoid it instead of using sunscreen. When it comes to avoiding the rays, Japanese women are very careful about wearing hats and staying indoors during peak hours (10 am - 3 pm). They use a lot of products with SPF because they know how dangerous UV rays are for their skin and health!

How to create a complete Japanese skincare routine for mature skin

As you get older, your skin changes. It becomes thinner, less elastic and more sensitive. Your skin produces less oil and collagen, which are essential for keeping it hydrated and firm. Hyaluronic acid levels also decrease with age (hyaluronic acid promotes hydration).

As a result, the skin’s natural barrier function becomes compromised resulting in dryness that accelerates the development of fine lines and wrinkles. To protect against these changes taking place in your complexion, you need an anti-aging skincare routine that provides gentle yet effective treatment while also improving overall health of the epidermis (the outermost layer of skin).

Here are all the steps used in a traditional Japanese skincare routine for mature skin:

1. Prepping – Japanese skincare always starts with prepping your skin by having a shower or applying a hot towel on your skin in order to open the pores.
2. Cleansing – part 1 – This part involves removing your make-up at night, before going to bed (doesn’t apply in the morning). Going to bed with your make-up still on will speed up the aging process, leaving your skin clogged and dehydrated. A Japanese skincare routine usually implies an oil cleanser or micellar water for make-up removal. 
3. Cleansing – part 2 – This is the second step of the double cleansing technique; the aim is to clean any residue left after the first step (if done at night) and to unclog the pores using a milk or foam face wash (if done in the morning). 
4. Spot treatments for blemishes – Apply acne patches on any deep zits or whiteheads you might see on your face. 
5. Lotion – An unskippable step in any J-beauty routine. Japanese use lotions instead of toners after cleansing in order to start moisturizing the skin. 
6. Serums - Now it's time to really hydrate! Japanese women typically use serums and essences, which are light yet incredibly effective. Look for products that contain hyaluronic acid or glycerin to help lock in moisture and keep your skin looking plump and hydrated. Certain types of serums are excellent as an anti-aging product. 
7. Creams - This step will seal all the ingredients applied in the steps before. 
8. Eye care – Japanese women usually start early when it comes to taking care of the sensitive area around the eyes. This also helps with reducing wrinkling and fine lines as we age. 
9. Last but not least – SPF - Last but not least, don't forget to protect your skin from the sun. Japanese women typically use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, and they reapply it often throughout the day.

Add pimple patches to your skincare routine

Additionally, here are some steps that are optional or that must be done once or twice a week (instead of daily):

• Exfoliating – once or twice a week. Japanese women swear by physical exfoliants like rice bran powder, which they use to slough away dead skin cells and reveal brighter, smoother skin. If you're not a fan of physical exfoliants, there are plenty of gentle chemical exfoliants on the market as well. 
• Toner – toners are not used very often in Japanese skincare (compared to Korean skincare), but you can still apply them occasionally in the morning for fresher skin. A good option is
• Booster – This optional step comes after the double cleansing method and will prepare your skin for the next steps, so that the next products will penetrate better
• Masking – Masks are a special step that is usually personalized for your skin needs – anti-aging, for example. Japanese women usually mask once or twice per week. 

What are the most important Japanese skincare active ingredients for mature skin?

Here are some of the most important ingredients found in Japanese skincare products formulated for mature skin:

• Hyaluronic Acid – also known as HA, this substance is known as the “Holy Grail” of hydration that also reduces fine lines; usually found in serums and essences, as well as creams
• Retinol - stimulates collagen synthesis by increasing cellular turnover rates so that dead cells are shed faster than usual - this speeds up cell regeneration; it's also an effective anti-aging treatment when used regularly over time because it reduces fine lines while preventing deeper wrinkles from forming at all
• Collagen – As we age, our skin produces less and less collagen, which is why some anti-aging products are specifically formulated with collagen in their composition, besides other helpful ingredients that will improve absorption
• Glycerin – an excellent moisturizer for aging skin that will leave your skin firmer and plumper, while also improving the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Rice bran – Popular Japanese ingredient used in exfoliators
• Matcha – The caffeine extracted from Japan’s matcha is usually used in eye creams to make the skin look healthier and more awake
• Vitamin C - an antioxidant and mild exfoliator that helps promote collagen production and reduces inflammation.
• Vitamin E - another antioxidant that works well with vitamin C to keep your skin looking young and healthy
• Alpha-hydroxy acids – these acids exfoliate dead skin cells from your face to reveal fresher-looking new ones underneath. They can help reduce fine lines and wrinkles as well as hyperpigmentation, especially when used in combination with other ingredients like retinoids or AHAs/BHAs depending on your skin type needs.



Hugs! 

Adrienne | Co-founder of OMMA Cosmetics

Photo sources: Unsplash