5 Effective Pore-Shrinking Products, Per a Beauty Editor

I should honestly get a separate phone number, Instagram account, and email address to filter my unofficial beauty hotline from my regular correspondence. (Sorry to my friends, but I swear it’s the reason I’m a bad texter!) I don’t mind it—what else am I going to do with the ever-expanding encyclopedia of beauty knowledge? It’s also always teaching me things like people are doing DIY peptide injections (please don’t), everyone’s paranoid about their necks, and large pores don’t discriminate between age groups. I have solutions for every single one of these concerns, but I have yet to share my pore advice, though I am remedying that now. Below, shop the five products I recommend to people in their 20s through their 60s.  

Pore Minimizing Skin Care in Your 60s

Credit: Dermstore

A dermatologist previously told me that the chief thing people in their 60s should look for in their skin care products is ingredients that boost skin’s healing capabilities and barrier strength. The SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Gel Treatment does that while also seriously decreasing pore size. 

This has a slightly more viscous texture than your average serum, which is great for the hydration that skin needs as it ages. The chief moisturizing ingredient here is hyaluronic acid (of course). The brand uses high-quality ingredients, and its hyaluronic acid is a maximal dose of its emollient, plumping, and collagen-producing benefits. The pore-tightening benefits come from vitamin B5, which soothes skin and improves barrier function. One shopper wrote that after using this “my skin is incredibly hydrated, tighter pores, even tone, and a bit of a glow.” 

Pore Minimizing Skin Care in Your 50s

Credit: Amazon

People in their 50s are largely concerned with rewinding the clock on wrinkles that seem to be etched into place. The other priority is to increase the speed of your cell turnover to encourage new, healthier skin to show. This does that and then some. The main ingredient here is a form of retinol, so unique it’s been patented. It’s the only topical FDA-approved ingredient for anti-aging—there are scientifically proven wrinkle-fading, fine-line filling, dark spot-erasing, and pore minimizing benefits. RoC’s Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream is also formulated with squalene, a noncomedogenic form of deep hydration that seals in all of the aforementioned benefits. A shopper wrote, “my neck was sagging and my wrinkles around my mouth were driving me crazy…I get lots of compliments about my skin now,” after using this. 

Pore Minimizing Skin Care in Your 40s

Credit: Amazon

I was turned onto The Ordinary’s Azelaic Acid Suspension Serum by a dermatologist and people love when I recommend a $12 product. The titular azelaic acid decongests pores, kills bacteria, soothes inflammation, sloughs off dead cells, and smooths uneven texture. A shopper wrote, “this stuff is a game changer… when I use this daily, my skin becomes so smooth that it literally scared me at first.”

Pore Minimizing Skin Care in Your 30s

Credit: Amazon

U Beauty’s Resurfacing Compound Retinol Serum is the product I recommend the most often since I’m in my 30s, and as such, so is much of my social circle. This has transformed the skin of my 36-year-old sister, several friends, and me. The toner-serum hybrid is packed with retinol, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C. It’s a combination that sloughs off dead skin, reveals the fresh skin hiding underneath dullness, lifts hyperpigmentation, prevents wrinkles, and almost completely erases pores. A shopper on the brand’s website saw a difference after one week, noting “my skin was tighter, brighter, and my pores were smaller… I’ve used almost every brand of luxury skin care, this is hands down the best one.” 

Pore Minimizing Skin Care in Your 20s

Credit: Amazon

My 20s were not that long ago—so trust me, I’m speaking from experience. At this age, you want to control sebum production, prevent hyperpigmentation from sticking, and hydrate without clogging your skin. Meghan Markle-used brand Medicube’s Zero Pore Pads are perfect for that—it’s how they’ve garnered 18,700-plus five-star ratings. There’s a dynamic duo of chemical exfoliants, alpha-hydroxy and beta-hydroxy acids. These gently remove pore-clogging debris and bacteria, reduce oiliness (in both the short-term and long-term), erase blackheads, and make pores look so minuscule they’re practically invisible. There’s also allantoin and vitamin B5—they soothe and hydrate, counteracting any of the acids’s potentially drying effects. “Every time I use [the Medicube Zero Pore Pads ] I wake up with the softest, glowiest, glass skin I’ve been dying to achieve,” one shopper wrote. 

There you have it—this is how to erase pores at every age. Check out more of my most recommended skin care below. 

Credit: Amazon

Credit: One Skin

Credit: Amazon