Hempz Age Defying Herbal Moisturizer: What It Really Does For Crepey Skin

Last Updated on July 6, 2026 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

Looking for Hempz Age Defying Lotion reviews? Totally get it. There are a gazillion body lotions out there, but an anti-aging body lotion? That’s way harder to find. Hempz promises this can reduce both the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and the appearance of crepey skin and who doesn’t want that?! So is this the holy grail of body lotions or just another overhyped formula? In this article, I share what it can and can’t do, which skin types is good for, and anything else you need to know before you add it to your shopping cart. Let’s dive in!

​Key Ingredients In Hempz Age Defying Lotion: What Makes It Work?

SHEA BUTTER

Shea Butter is the fat from the nut of the shea tree. It’s basically a mix of fatty acids (oleic, stearic, linoleic) plus a bit of antioxidant vitamin E along for the ride. It’s an emollient, not a humectant. In plain English, it means it’s not pulling water into your skin. It’s just stopping the water you already have from sneaking out. What’s it actually doing in here:

• Makes skin feel soft immediately: it fills in the little gaps between skin cells, that’s the “instant smoothing” you feel.
• Stops moisture from escaping: it sits on top and slows down evaporation.
• Actually calms irritated skin: in a study on 34 people with eczema, a shea butter cream held its own against a ceramide product. Lots of moisture and less itching..

One thing to flag: if you break out easily, shea butter can be a problem. I’s heavy in oleic acid, which is more likely to sit on top and clog things up than something lighter like squalane. And technically it’s nut-derived, so if you’ve got a tree nut allergy, worth knowing (though real reactions are rare). Oh, and if you’re wondering shouldn’t pure hemp seed oil be the moisturising star of the show here? Well, that’s in the formula, just further down the list.

DIMETHICONE

Dimethicone is a silicone. Unlike popular opinion, it doesn’t suffocate skin or clog pores. Silicones like dimethicone have a particular molecular structure. These molecules are so big, they leave gaps in between that allow skin to breathe. So what it does? Three things:

• Traps moisture in: it forms a thin film on top of skin so water can’t evaporate as much. But it can still breathe!
• Reduces the look of fine lines and crepey skin: it fills in every nook and cranny, so that skin feels softer and smoother to the naked eye. Alas, the effects are only temporary.
• Gives slip to a product: it’s part of what gives it a smooth texture that allows it to glide easily on the skin.

Related: Are Silicones In Skincare Bad?

RETINYL PALMITATE

Retinyl Palmitate is vitamin A stuck to a fatty acid, which makes it the mildest, gentlest retinoid you’ll find in skincare. Problem is, it has to go through a bunch of conversions before it does anything. Retinyl palmitate turns into retinol, which turns into retinaldehyde, which finally turns into retinoic acid, the form that actually works on collagen and cell turnover. Every step it loses a bit more strength. What’s it actually doing:

• Fights UV damage at a cellular level:in cell studies, it cut down collagen breakdown and calmed inflammation after UV exposure, and helped cells survive better.
• Nudges skin turnover, gently: because so little of it actually converts, it’s a much softer push than retinol gives you.

How does it stack up against retinol? Not great, if we’re honest. Studies show retinol straight-up gets into your skin better than retinyl palmitate does. You need way more retinyl palmitate to get the same effect a tiny bit of retinol gives you. And when brands have tested them side by side in real formulas, retinyl palmitate didn’t move the needle on anti-ageing results, while retinol did. The upside: because it’s so weak, it barely irritates anyone. But what’s the point if it doesn’t work?!

Performance & Personal Opinion

This is genuinely one of the better body lotion textures I’ve come across. Not thick and cream-like, not watery either, somewhere in the middle, and it glides on without pilling or dragging. It also sinks in quickly, so I can get dressed straight after without it leaving any residue on my clothes. A little goes a long way, so this’ll last you for a long time.

Said that, if you’ve got very dry or eczema-prone skin, this probably won’t be rich enough for you. It makes skin softer and smoother, to the point that any nooks and crannies look less visible to the naked eye. This temporary effect does indeed give the look of youthful skin. But that’s all you’re getting. There’s a sprinkle of antioxidants here that can help prevent wrinkles, but nothing that can reverse aging. That’s a job for retinol, not retinyl palmitate. Now, what I don’t like. The vanilla and musk scent smells lively, but it can irritate sensitive skin. Be warned.  

Price & Availability

$6.99 at Superdrug and Ulta

The Verdict: Should You Buy It?

So my honest take: buy this because it’s a genuinely well-absorbed, well-hydrating lotion that smells good and makes skin look and feel better day to day. Don’t buy it expecting the “age-defying” claim to mean it’s doing something dramatically different from a good moisturiser.