Here’s What Gold in Skincare Really Is and How to Use It

There’s another place gold belongs besides your jewelry box, and that’s on your shelf of skincare products. It’s easy to dismiss gold-infused beauty as a gimmick, but oftentimes gilded formulas deliver the (24K) magic missing from your routine.

Gold in skincare comes in many forms. Composed of small particles suspended within a fluid (typically water), colloidal gold is the most common ingredient in gold concentrated products. It reduces inflammation and redness, fights aging, encourages skin healing, and more.

24K gold is the purest form of the ingredient. When added to masks, patches, moisturizers, and more, it rapidly addresses everything from collagen depletion to uneven skin texture. Count on this master multitasker to help regenerate skin, reduce oxidative stress, and slow down collagen depletion.

Brands are also mining for more golden ingredients and adding them to bottles. For example, recently-discovered gold heptapeptide is a collagen-boosting peptide that dramatically softens the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by deeply penetrating skin layers. The moral of the story: gold’s reach is ever-expanding. Here are ways to incorporate this precious metal into your daily regimen.

Omorovicza’s Gold Line

The best way to add gold into your life? Find a dedicated line and pick out product swaps based on your needs…or maybe try them all. Enter Omorovicza and its colloidal gold-infused line of anti-aging eye cream, healing serum, lifting mask, skin-strengthening night drops, and revitalizing face cream. Each product harnesses the curative power of gold to restore elasticity, heal microdamage, and even strengthen thin, crepey skin.

Chantecaille Gold Recovery Intense Concentrate X4 AM/PM, $620

Yes, it’s a hefty price tag, but this is gold we’re talking about, after all. The month-long nighttime regimen harnesses the effective powers of gold heptapeptide and a collection of supportive actives for the ultimate restorative treatment. Consider fine lines, fatigue, elasticity, and firmness to be addressed with nightly use.

Chantecaille 24 Karat Gold Firming Moisturizer, $298

Looking to start off small, yet pack a major punch? A couple pumps of this gold heptapeptide-infused moisturizer, and you’re on the fast track to more supple, youthful-looking skin. Boosted with peptides and micro-algae, the formula’s pure gold and botanical stem cells reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for glowing results.

Peter Thomas Roth 24K Gold Pure Luxury Lift & Firm Hydra-Gel Eye Patches, $75

24K gold and colloidal gold team up to refresh and firm the delicate eye contour in 10 minutes flat. Together, the golden ingredients take on the heavy lifting to improve collagen depletion, while brightening and calming the appearance of the skin. Plus, added humectants, including hyaluronic acid, soothe and hydrate.