Best: Overall

Rating: 9.5/10

Offering an affordable, 360-degree approach to combatting the ageing process, the hero of Nivea Men’s anti-age range features hyaluronic acid – a useful ingredient since as we age our skin’s ability to produce this important acid is reduced, leading to a loss of moisture, volume and elasticity.

As well as tackling the visible signs of ageing by helping minimise wrinkles and firming the skin, it also packs an SPF15 sunscreen to help guard against future wrinkle formation.

A pump dispenser means you can measure out just the right dose too and it’s available in a cream or gel formula, the former being a bit better for drier skins. The slight fragrance won’t be for everyone, but with a RRP of £12.99 that’s often discounted further, it’s fantastic value for money given everything it does.

Best: Refillable product

Rating: 8/10

American grooming brand Lab Series has always been at the forefront of men’s skincare, utilising the latest technology to deliver better-looking skin, so it’s no surprise that its recent rebrand also sees it utilise newly refillable products in its max LS range.

Suitable for all skin types, the anti-age max LS lotion (previously known as max LS power v lifting lotion) is the most lightweight of all the anti-agers here, sinks into the skin in an instant, leaves no shine and features a raft of anti-ageing ingredients to support collagen production, improve elasticity, boost skin’s cellular energy and minimise fine lines.

You can definitely feel a slight tightening effect on the skin too which is always welcome in an anti-ageing cream. The fact that you can now buy eco-friendly refill cartridges for it is the icing on the cake.

Best: Budget buy

Rating: 8.5/10

Bulldog is renowned for providing affordable, straightforward, efficacious skincare with an ethical emphasis (the products are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, free of synthetic fragrances and artificial colours and the brand strives to reduce its impact on the environment).

Designed for mature skin, their age defence moisturiser helps keep dry skin hydrated, while an antioxidant complex of rosemary, echinacea and vitamin E help protect against the ageing process. It doesn’t have a sunscreen but still makes a brilliant everyday anti-ageing essential – and all for under a tenner.

Best: Dermatologist brand

Rating: 9/10

A cult product from dermatologist Dr Dennis Gross, who has over 25 years’ experience dealing with people’s skin issues, this premium moisturiser is packed with potent anti-ageing ingredients including antioxidant ferulic acid and retinol – the anti-ageing world’s go-to ingredient that’s good for boosting collagen, speeding up cell turnover and tackling hyperpigmentation.

As well as helping smooth fine lines and plumping skin, the presence of gallic acid (an ingredient that helps tackle the appearance of dark spots) means it’s especially good for mature skin already showing signs of ageing.

It has a great, silky texture, smells good (think light hint of orange) and its presence on your bathroom shelf is guaranteed to show off your skincare smarts.

Best: Premium product

Rating: 9/10

Wirth awards from everyone from GQ to Forbes, Australian grooming brand Patricks has become a byword for luxury grooming (its face scrub features crushed diamonds after all).

Designed for normal to dry skin, its antioxidant-packed AM1 anti-aging moisturiser features a roll call of skin-saving essentials from vitamins C and E, hyaluronic acid andomega 3 to creatine and squalane to encourage collagen production and improve skin elasticity.

Formulated to hydrate skin for 24hrs (which it certainly seemed to do) it’s quickly absorbed, leaves a matte finish and feels more potent than a traditional moisturiser.

Best: Multi-tasker

Rating: 8.5/10

Created specifically to address the skincare challenges of modern life (stress, pollution, at home and office working) London-based male grooming brand Auden’s products are also created to streamline a man’s routine.

No surprise, then, that this multi-tasking anti-ageing moisture is pretty much the last word in anti-ageing protection; hydrating skin (with the help of hyaluronic acid), minimising fine lines and large pores,and protecting against sun damage.

It’s also formulated to shield against the potentially ageing effects of pollution and blue light emitted by computer screens, mobile phones and TV, thus ensuring skin is protected when you’re indoors and out. Think of it as the ultimate defence shield for skin.

Best: Small batch product

Rating: 8.5/10

If you’re looking for a product that really captures the zeitgeist of the skincare industry at the moment then this deceptively simple facial balm from British brand Pelegrims is it.

Using locally sourced ingredients (in this case upcycled waste from the Westwell Wines vineyard in Kent), it keeps ingredients to a minimum, is produced in small batches (limited edition is the new luxury), puts sustainability at its heart and is designed to help your skin help itself, with antioxidant resveratrol from the grapes helping rejuvenation and marine algae boosting natural collagen synthesis.

It’s a balm, though, so has a rich texture more suitable to older or drier skins, and we found a little goes a very long way, so go easy on the application.

Best: Organic option

Rating: 8/10

Green People is the go-to brand for anyone looking for organic-based, cruelty-free vegan-friendly grooming. Though it has a dedicated men’s range, it’s this unisex, scent-free cream that’s best for holding back the years.

As well as ticking all the ethical boxes, it has a lovely texture (we found it kept skin moisturised all day long), is fragrance-free (so is great for sensitive skin) and features 89 per cent organic ingredients and a raft of plant oils, vitamins and minerals to support the skin’s natural repair and defence processes.

It’s also formulated with baicalin – a plant-derived anti-inflammatory antioxidant that helps counteract the ageing effects of the sun’s UV rays.

Best: For firming

Rating: 7.5/10

As we age and collagen production changes, skin tends to lose its elasticity and firmness, with the result that everything starts heading south. This clever gel-cream (it contains a gel and a cream that only mix as you apply) aims to correct that slow slide slightly by tightening skin a little.

Featuring three key plant extracts (oat, baccharis and centella asiatica) that tone skin, it’s designed to be used specifically around the jawline but, since it also acts as a moisturiser, can be used on the entire face and neck.

As a bonus it has Clarins’s anti-pollution complex to help guard against the damaging effects of pollution. After a little time on the skin you definitely notice a slight tightening. Don’t get us wrong, it’s not going to give you a noticeable facelift – only an actual facelift is going to do that – but it does tighten the skin slightly, and when it comes to anti-ageing every little helps, right?