It might feel like time has stood still, but guess what? We’ve still been ageing. And not just that – we’ve been ageing faster. According to figures from a recent survey conducted by cosmetics business Uvence, more than a third of Brits feel they have visible signs of stress and premature ageing brought on by lockdown and the pandemic. It’s a sobering thought, and as most of us are not Mr Pharrell Williams – a man who, despite being almost 50, somehow retains the wrinkle-free complexion of an eight-year-old – ageing into a crinkly, sallow husk of a man is simply the way it goes.

Unless, of course, you sort out your skincare routine. That doesn’t mean just washing your face and putting some cream on it. We mean getting serious. Mercifully for the weathered among us, getting serious isn’t at all difficult. Advances in dermatology mean that formulas and active ingredients that combat the signs of ageing in brilliant and impressive ways (hello, retinol and glycolic acid) are but a click away. So, from a serum that works like Botox to another with “resurfacing” in its name, here are five products that will turn back the clock, at least to a time when you didn’t look perpetually tired. It’s never too late.

Nothing gives Old Father Time a sucker punch quite like retinol. Simply another word for vitamin A, retinol works to reduce fine lines, dark spots and smooth out the skin’s texture. Traditionally used to treat acne, thanks to the fact it increases cell turnover and reduces sebum production, it’s a quick and easy way to bring a bit of youth and brightness back to your complexion. 111SKIN’s Celestial Black Diamond Retinol Oil is one of the most effective. Use it overnight and be sure to apply an SPF the next day.

The great thing about Seed To Skin, apart from its imposing yet sexy glass and metal packaging, is that everything it makes combines local ingredients from its Tuscan farm with hard-hitting dermatological research. Heard of microdermabrasion, the super-exfoliation technique that you usually have to go to a clinic for? Seed To Skin’s The Radiance Microdermabrasion Glow Treatment offers the same results, but in a jar. You need to use it only twice a week, but it’ll leave you looking as though you’ve had a week in a spa, when really it was two minutes at the bathroom sink.

A resurfacing serum may sound like something you’d use to clean the patio, but we feel certain that MALIN+GOETZ will change your mind about that. The American brand’s Resurfacing Face Serum is a great all-rounder and contains a bevy of ingredients, including niacinamide to shrink pores, vitamin C to brighten the skin and AHAs (that’s alpha hydroxy acids to those at the back), to revitalise your complexion. It takes a couple of weeks to see results, but the investment and return sound pretty good to us.

The most expensive grooming product on MR PORTER? You’re looking at it. Natura Bissé’s Inhibit High Definition Serum contains, among other things, lab-grown BioMimetic Placenta, triple hyaluronic acid and Octamioxyl, an ingredient that works with conotoxin to relax the muscles in the face that cause lines to form. In other words, this is topical Botox. It won’t give you the instant results you would get from injections, but the results are cumulative and thus look more natural.

To the uninitiated, acid in skincare can sound scary. Nobody wants a fancy cleanser that dissolves their face. In the world of skincare, however, acids are largely helpful ingredients that manipulate the skin into looking its best whether by removing impurities or infusing it with moisture. This 3% Glycolic Solutions Cleanser from PETER THOMAS ROTH contains glycolic acid to help reduce the appearance of both pores and fine lines. All you have to do is wash your face with it.