Most skincare routines stop at the jawline. Cleanser goes on the face, moisturiser goes on the face, and the neck gets whatever is left on your hands. Then one day a photo or a glance in a shop window shows you that the neck and chest have a different story from your face.
This guide is about closing that gap with the products you already use: how far down to take each step, which way to move your hands, what to leave out, and how sun protection fits.
Why the neck gets left behind
It is a practical problem more than anything else. The face is where we look, so it is where the effort goes. The neck sits just out of focus, and it gets exposed to sun at a steady rate through years of driving, walking and open collars.
DermNet notes that sun exposure compounds the collagen loss that follows menopause. Skin on the neck and chest is also commonly described as finer than facial skin, so it can feel dry and show wear earlier. That is a general observation rather than a rule, and your own neck may differ.
If you are still building a routine from scratch, the menopause skincare guide lays out the basics before you adjust for the neck.
Cleanse a little further down
When you wash your face, take the cleanser down the front of the neck, using your fingertips and lukewarm water. Rinse well and pat dry with a clean towel rather than rubbing.
Hot showers tend to dry skin out, and the neck and chest catch a lot of that water. If the skin there feels tight afterwards, turn the temperature down a notch and moisturise soon after you step out.
A face cream for daily moisture, a targeted eye cream, or both together. Compare the sizes, ingredients and prices before you choose.
Moisturise face and neck together
The simplest approach is to treat face and neck as one surface. The Peptide Cream is a face and neck cream for day and night, and its directions say to massage a small amount into face and neck with gentle upward strokes, morning and evening. Let it absorb before the next layer.
A few practical tips:
- Use a small amount to start, then add more only if the skin still feels dry.
- Stroke upward from the base of the neck towards the jaw, then outward along the jaw.
- Be light with your hands. Pulling or rubbing hard does not help skin, and it can irritate it.
- Take any leftover cream across the upper chest if the skin there feels dry.
Patch test before first use, and stop if irritation occurs. The cream contains fragrance (Manuka honey), which is worth knowing if you tend to react to scented products. If you want to try it first, the 20mL Discovery size is the same formula for A$79.
Small habits that help the neck
Some of what matters has nothing to do with products. Looking down at a phone or laptop for hours folds the skin at the front of the neck in the same place, again and again. Lifting your screen closer to eye level takes no effort and costs nothing. The same goes for sleeping position and pillow height, if you find you wake with creases.
Shower temperature matters as well. Very hot water strips oils from the skin, and the neck and chest are in the direct spray. Lukewarm is kinder, and a moisturiser applied while the skin is still slightly damp feels better than one applied to dry, tight skin.
What not to use on the neck
The Eye Cream is designed for the eye contour and contains retinol. It is not a neck product, and spreading it over a larger area of skin would go against its directions. Retinol also brings its own cautions: introduce it gradually, use sunscreen in the daytime, and check with your treating professional if your skin is reactive or you already use a retinoid. Our guide to starting retinol gently covers the details.
The same goes for any new product. Keep to one change at a time, as described in the guide to trying a new face cream, so that you can tell what is helping.
Sunscreen from chin to chest
Sun protection is the part that does the most for the neck over time. Cancer Council says to take extra care when the UV Index is 3 or above, and that UV is present every day of the year, even on cool and cloudy days. For sunscreen, it recommends an SPF 50 or SPF 50+ product that is broad-spectrum and water-resistant, applied before going outside and reapplied at least every two hours.
Your morning sunscreen should therefore run from the face down the neck and across the exposed part of the chest. A wide-brimmed hat that covers the neck and ears helps, and so does a collar or scarf on bright days. The morning routine guide shows where sunscreen goes in the sequence.
Do not forget the back and sides of the neck, and the area just below the ears. They are easy to miss and they catch a lot of sun.
Evenings and the longer view
At night, remove sunscreen thoroughly, cleanse gently, and apply your moisturiser to face and neck again. The evening routine guide goes through the order.
None of this will transform the neck in a fortnight. What it does is give the skin consistent moisture and protection, which is about as much as any topical routine can offer. For firmness concerns specifically, our article on what skincare can and cannot do is a candid read.
If you notice a new spot, a mole that changes, or a patch that will not heal, see your GP rather than treating it as a skincare matter.
Your next step
Tomorrow morning, when you put on face cream and sunscreen, take both down to the collarbone. That is the whole change. Notice how your skin feels in a week or two, and adjust from there.