Many of us end our skincare routine at the jawline, but the neck is one of the first places to show signs of ageing – however, the best neck creams can help. "Neck skin is different from the skin on our face," explains Dr Ash Soni. "It's thinner and has fewer oil glands, which makes the neck even more susceptible to dry skin, wrinkles and loss of elasticity." Necks are constantly moving and creasing, and tend to be exposed to UV radiation, which can accelerate the appearance of ageing. We also lose elastin (which helps to maintain skin's firmness) as we age, leading to sagging and a loss of definition.
But chin up – expanding your skincare routine south can work wonders at addressing these signs of ageing. Although you can use a moisturiser for mature skin on your neck and décolletage, a targeted neck cream "caters to the fundamental differences between face and neck skin", says Dr Soni. The best neck creams are designed to target the neck's lines and wrinkles while helping with lift and firmness. If you want a top-rated neck cream, keep reading to discover our favourite formulas.
How we tested
Each neck cream was tested for at least two weeks, but most were tested for more than a month. Each product was used per the brand's instructions as part of morning and evening skincare routines. We looked at how the formulas made the neck and décolletage feel, but ultimately, we looked at whether they improved the skin's appearance.
The best neck creams for 2026 are:
1. Trinny London the elevator neck and décolleté concentrate
Best Overall – £68 from Trinnylondon.com. Key ingredients: Peptides, alpha arbutin, isodonis japonicus. How to use: Apply twice a day. Size: 50ml. This product was a fast favourite. We love that this formula leaves skin feeling well-nourished, smoother and firmer. This concentrate has a high concentration of active ingredients, including a line-softening blend of peptides (to stimulate collagen and elastin production) and antioxidant alpha arbutin, which is known to brighten pigmentation and age spots, and prevent them from forming in the first place. During testing, we found this product helped to even skin tone, but what really sets this formula apart is the inclusion of Isodonis japonicus – a plant that, thanks to its skin-conditioning properties, has been making waves in Japanese skincare. Within weeks of using this product, we noticed a strengthening and firming effect on our neck skin. However, it's not perfect. Though the formula feels rich and nourishing, it leaves skin slightly tacky – if you prefer something more lightweight and fast absorbing, try the This Works neck serum below instead.
2. Prai ageless throat and décolletage crème
Best Budget buy – £23 from Amazon.co.uk. Key ingredients: Sepilift dphp, saxifrage and grapeseed extracts, shea butter. How to use: Apply in gentle upward strokes from cleavage to chin AM and PM. Size: 50ml. Prai says it sells one of these creams 60 seconds worldwide. It's not hard to see why – this neck cream is affordable and effective, with squalane, hyaluronic acid and shea butter for hydration, vitamins A, E and F to protect and repair, and a handful of natural extracts to brighten and help with age spots. The company's not-so-secret ingredient, sepilift, has a firming and moisturising action on the skin; another stand-out ingredient makes the formula unique. It promises results in just seven days, and we quickly started to see improvements, reducing visible fine lines. However, it takes quite a lot of cream for it to work on sagging and crepey skin.
3. Alumier MD neck and décolleté firming cream
Best for dark spots and pigmentation – £75 from Alumiermd.com. Key ingredients: Retinol, hydroxyphenoxy propionic acid and liquorice root extract. How to use: As part of evening routine only. Size: 90ml. This powerful cream is full of actives that reduce the signs of ageing. The nourishing (and surprisingly light) formula includes encapsulated retinol (which boosts collagen and elastin production) and hydroxyphenoxy propionic acid (a derivative of pigmentation-blitzing hydroquinone, which brightens the skin). After using this product consistently for a month, I found that dark spots and pigmentation looked softer, while lines appeared smoother. Give it even longer, and skin starts to feel firmer, too. Just remember, you'll need to apply SPF daily when using this product – the retinol in the formula makes skin susceptible to sunburn. On top of that, this is such a concentrated formula that you may need a prescription to use it.
4. Neostrata triple firming neck cream
Best for brightening – £88 from Neostrata.co.uk. Key ingredients: Neoglucosamine, neocitriate, and pro-amino acid. How to use: Smooth over neck and décolletage twice daily. Size: 80g. Rich, yet non-greasy, this neck cream targets multiple signs of ageing. If you're not familiar with the key ingredients, the blend of neoglucosamine, neocitriate, and pro-amino acid works to resurface and brighten discolouration. They also stimulate collagen production and support the skin's structure to plump and smooth lines and firm the neckline. One pump is all you need in your morning and evening skincare routines, applying it in upwards motions from your décolletage to your jawline. We loved how quickly we saw results with this product. After just three days, the nourishing formula made our skin feel beautifully smooth. Play the long game, as we did, and you can expect to see a more even skin tone and texture after a month, with a firming effect, too.
5. Necessaire the neck serum
Best for fine lines and wrinkles – £64 from Sephora.co.uk. Key ingredients: Multi-peptides, niacinamide, squalane. How to use: Massage upwards for day and night use. Size: 50ml. Much more than just chic, minimalistic packaging, Necessaire uses results-driven ingredients in its bodycare products for replenishing and renewing results. A stand-out in its line-up is this fragrance-free neck serum. It's a powerhouse of five skin-strengthening peptides that help support the production of collagen, leading to smooth and firmer skin. It's further boosted with nourishing squalane and niacinamide, which diminishes lines and improves uneven skin tone. Light and luxe, the serum leaves the neck comfortably cushioned with a veil of dewiness on the skin when first applied. After a few days of use, we noticed improved skin hydration. After a few weeks, we started to see a more defined neckline.
6. Strivectin TL advanced tightening neck cream
Best for firming – £40 from Amazon.co.uk. Key ingredients: Gravite-CF lifting complex, NIA-114, botanical brightening complex. How to use: Apply to clean skin in the morning and night, massage into neck in an upward motion and around décolleté in circulate motion. Size: 30ml. As it's the number one bestselling neck cream in the US, we expected big things from this product. It's powered by a form of niacin, or vitamin B5, that strengthens the skin barrier and prevents moisture loss – a hero ingredient in all the brand's formulations. It's also full of lifting and brightening ingredients. This did nothing but impress, as, after two weeks of continuous use, lines and creases looked less visible and a toning effect had already set in. It seemed like a certainty for the top spot in this ranking, but unfortunately, one of its ingredients is soybean oil, which is comedogenic and can cause blackheads.
7. Prai Beauty ageless throat and decolletage night cream
Best retinol option – £37 from Amazon.co.uk. Key ingredients: Retinol, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E. How to use: For evening use only. Size: 50ml. I've already raved about Prai's original neck cream in this roundup, but I also love this light and silky formula, which contains retinol (a form of vitamin A that can help rejuvenate skin). Give it time (at least a month) to work its magic, and you'll see this product's brightening, smoothing and toning effects, as it speeds up the skin's natural renewal process and boosts production of collagen and elastin. Plus, the formula is jam-packed with hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, shea butter, glycerin, squalane and aloe, so there's no chance of it drying out the skin. Although retinol can cause irritation (depending on the strength of the formula and whether your skin is used to it), this is a relatively gentle formulation. If you're not used to retinol, introduce it to your routine slowly, and note that, as retinol can make skin more sensitive to the sun's UV rays, you'll need to apply SPF daily when using retinoids in your skincare routine.
8. Elemis pro-collagen neck & décolleté balm
Best for crepiness – £60 from Amazon.co.uk. Key ingredients: Tree fern extract, sea buckthorn oil and marine actives. How to use: Massage a pea-sized amount using upwards strokes. Size: 50ml. Part of the beloved pro-collagen collection, if you're a fan of Elemis's marine cream, you'll love this formula dedicated to the delicate neck area. This neck cream also contains antioxidant and vitamin-rich ingredients for a skin-protecting and rejuvenating formula. For some instant gratification, the super-light, slightly fragranced balm immediately absorbs into the skin, leaving the area feeling silky and supple, but its youth-boosting properties get to work quickly, too. After one month's use, we were impressed to see crepey skin looking smoother with fewer fine lines.
9. This Works perfect cleavage and neck serum
Best lightweight formula – £45 from Amazon.co.uk. Key ingredients: Marine algae, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid. How to use: Massage into skin morning and night. Size: 150ml. This one's for you if you don't like the feel of creams on your skin. We found this formula absorbed in seconds, resulting in a temporary tightening feel to the skin. With continued use, this smoothes, plumps and brightens thanks to ingredients like vitamin C, marine algae, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and antioxidants. After four weeks, the horizontal lines on our neck looked softer, as did the chest wrinkles we get from sleeping on our side. We were impressed by how hydrated this formula left our skin, too. The fruity scent also added to the appeal, but it won't be for everyone. If you prefer a fragrance-free neck serum, try Necessaire's.
10. Meder arma-neck cream
Best for sensitive skin – £115 from Mederbeauty.com. Key ingredients: Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, almond oil, vitamin E. How to use: Apply to clean skin of the neck and décolleté with gentle upward strokes. Size: 50ml. Dermatologist-founded skincare brand Meder focuses on microbiome-friendly formulas without any harsh actives, making it a fine choice for those on the sensitive side or susceptible to irritation. The hero ingredient in this bottle is a powerful peptide that stimulates the production of skin-plumping collagen, calms skin irritation and increases the skin's hyaluronic acid levels. Teamed with anti-oxidant and nourishing sweet almond oil and vitamin E, you can expect an all-round gentle formulation, which we found smoothed lines in a matter of weeks. The drawback, however, is that this one of the most expensive formulas I've tested, nearly double the price of my number one pick.
11. Gatineau Paris defi lift firming neck and decollete gel
Best for brightening – £56 from Amazon.co.uk. Key ingredients: Peruvian tara fruit extract, elkhorn sea moss extract, valine and vitamin E. How to use: Apply AM/PM with upwards movements. Size: 50ml. When you first apply this velvety gel, you notice how cooling it feels on your skin. Left to absorb, it leaves the neck and décolletage instantly hydrated (our skin would drink up the formula), but best of all, it also makes your skin glow. This is thanks to its infusion of rejuvenating ingredients that not only work to tone and firm the skin but also perk up dullness and reduce redness. We saw ongoing benefits the longer we used this gel. It brightened the skin tone, toned crepiness and smoothed necklace lines so well that we missed it in our routine when we stopped using it – always a sign of a great product. The only drawback is that it takes a little while to work. The key with this one is to keep going, for improved results.
12. Sisley neck cream
Best high-end buy – £154 from Spacenk.com. Key ingredients: Oat seed extract, soy fibre extract, caffeine with red algae and horse chestnut extract. How to use: Massage in circling motions on side of the neck, upwards motions on the front and left to right below the chin. Size: 50ml. While most skincare brands are new to neck creams, Sisley first introduced one back in the Eighties. The light, luxe texture of this cream felt refreshing when massaged into the skin, and it melted in an instant, thanks to soothing and nourishing shea butter and sunflower oil. The immediate firming effect we saw comes from oat seed extract and rhatany, a plant-based astringent that temporarily tightens your skin. However, for long-term results, the caffeine, red algae and horse chestnut work their magic alongside moisturising ingredients that smooth and plump fine lines. Just bear in mind the price tag – at £150, this is the most expensive cream we tested, and six times more expensive than our budget pick.
13. Clinique smart clinical repair lifting face and neck cream
Best for face and neck – £53 from Amazon.co.uk. Key ingredients: Peptides, hyaluronic acid. How to use: Apply in the morning and evening. Size: 50ml. If you prefer a simplified skincare routine, try this face and neck cream in one. It's a rich cream packed with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, jojoba oil and shea butter, but it doesn't feel greasy – just beautifully nourishing. We found it was easy to massage into our skin, too. Marketed as a lifting cream, it's ideal for mature skin if your biggest concerns are loss of elasticity and more prominent lines and wrinkles, as the formula's blend of peptides stimulates collagen and elastin to smooth and firm. You have to play the long game to see results, but after a month, we were surprised by how much smoother, younger and firmer our skin looked and felt.
The verdict: Neck creams
Our top spot goes to the elevator neck and décolleté concentrate from Trinny London. Instantly smoothing, strengthening, and firming the skin over time, the formula was a real hit with our tester, but it is on the pricey side. If you're looking to spend less, Prai specialises in looking after the neckline, and both the brand's ageless throat and décolletage crème and ageless throat and decolletage night cream are well worth adding to your skincare routine.
