Close-up portrait of a woman with small dots of eye cream beneath her eye against a blue background

What are marionette lines?
Causes and tips to reduce them

Marionette lines are a common type of wrinkles that naturally appear as you age. Find out what causes them and what you can do to reduce their appearance.

Read Time

3 min

In short:

What are marionette lines?
What causes marionette lines on the face?
How can marionette lines be prevented?
Skincare routine for marionette lines
NIVEA Q10 to help reduce marionette lines

What are marionette lines?
Where does the name come from?

Marionette lines are wrinkles that start from the corners of your mouth and run vertically down toward your chin. You might also find them under the name puppet wrinkles or melomental folds. Marionette lines are named after string puppets because they typically have noticeable vertical lines in the same place. These lines appear after a loss of elasticity in the skin and fall into the static wrinkles category.

They should not be confused with nasolabial folds that start from the corner of your nose and go down to the corners of your mouth.

What causes marionette lines on the face and
when do they appear?

On average, marionette lines start to be noticeable around the age of 40, but they can start to appear subtly in your 20s or 30s. They appear naturally with time, but some factors can accelerate their appearance, such as:

Close-up of an older woman touching her cheek beside a small dab of white face cream

The consumption of tobacco provokes physical tension in the muscles around your mouth, accelerating the degradation of Collagen and Elastin.

Loss of Collagen and Elastin: As you age, the skin naturally produces less of both. Collagen is one of the main supports for skin to look plump. The less your skin produces it, the more it is sensitive to gravity. The skin therefore tends to be saggier, which can make your marionette lines more noticeable.

Natural facial expressions: Smiling and talking can accentuate marionette lines with time. This is due to your facial muscles creating a crease every time they contract. Since you lose skin elasticity as you age, your skin is no longer able to get back in place completely, deepening the crease.

Sun exposure: can also be a reason for marionette lines to appear, especially when SPF is not applied enough.

Smoking: The consumption of tobacco provokes physical tension in the muscles around your mouth, accelerating the degradation of Collagen and Elastin. It also decreases your blood flow, which can increase the risk of skin infection. The actual smoke also contains substances known as carcinogens, which can further harm the skin.

Lack of proper skin care: Adopting an adapted skincare routine will help to keep your skin happy for a longer period of time.

Lack of sleep: The production of Collagen increases at night, which gives you a reason to find more time to have a nice long sleep.

Dehydration: Staying hydrated is very important for the entire body and your overall health, and it will make your skin more radiant and healthy.

Weight loss: The loss of fat on the face is a factor in saggy skin since it is less filled, and tends to be more sensitive to gravity.

How can marionette lines around the mouth
be prevented?

Although you won't be able to completely prevent marionette lines from appearing, you can still limit how deep they become. In response to the above causes of marionette lines, you can include better habits such as:

Drinking water and keeping yourself hydrated
Eating fulfilling food to bring the right nutrients to your body.
Not smoking
Sleeping enough
Protecting your skin with SPF
Building yourself a good skincare routine

Building a skincare routine to reduce
marionette lines

Adopting an appropriate skincare routine can help to reduce the appearance of marionette lines and prevent them from deepening. Below is an example skincare routine that you can follow using NIVEA Q10 products:

Smiling woman holding a pink bottle of NIVEA Rose Care micellar water with 5% serum against a blue background

Step 1: Properly cleanse your skin

Wash your face twice a day using a gentle cleanser to avoid irritation, and remember to always remove your makeup before bedtime. NIVEA recommends cleansing your face in the morning as well as the evening.

Morning cleansing is important since your skin regenerates during the night and dead skin cells should be removed. Evening cleansing is important to remove any pollution, sweat and bad bacteria that could be on your skin.

After cleansing, you can also apply a toner. Not sure what toner does? In short, it will complete a thorough cleansing process and help to prepare your skin to absorb the nourishing ingredients of your Serum and moisturiser.

NIVEA face cleansers

Step 2: Apply serum and fillers

The use of serums is beneficial to your skin since their light texture allows for quicker absorption. Serums such as the Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Power Replenishing Serum Pearl penetrate the skin quickly and bring moisture to your skin. Its formula contains skin identical Q10 to keep your skin firm and youthful.

Fillers can be integrated into your skincare routine and used as a long-term process for better results. The NIVEA Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Power Expert Targeted Wrinkle Filler Serum penetrates skin 10 layers deep, filling and plumping wrinkles thanks to its Pure Coenzyme Q10 and Bioxifill Peptides formula.

NIVEA face serums

Woman holding a pump bottle of NIVEA Cellular Luminous630 Anti Spot Serum beside her face on a blue background

Step 3: Day cream

Using a day cream hydrates skin and helps protect it against external damage. Additional ingredients can also provide anti-ageing effects, helping to reduce marionette lines. NIVEA Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream SPF 15 is formulated with 100% skin identical Q10 and creatine to effectively reduce wrinkles, whilst keeping skin nourished throughout the day.

Step 4: Night cream

Swapping a night cream in for your day cream as part of your evening skincare routine can bring an important boost to your skin. Skin enters its natural regeneration phase as you sleep, so using a night cream formulated to support this process, such as the NIVEA Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Power Revitalising Night Cream, will help rejuvenate your complexion overnight.

Hand holding NIVEA Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Expert serum and SPF 50 Daily UV Fluid against a blue background

Step 5: Don't forget SPF

Sun exposure is one of the main factors in marionette lines' premature appearance, therefore applying daily SPF is important in prevention. You should be mindful of your skin coverage when applying sunscreen.

You want to be sure that the exposed skin is sufficiently covered with sunscreen. Unprotected skin can be subject to sun-induced damage and further complications.

NIVEA Q10
to help reduce marionette lines

Smiling woman beside NIVEA Q10 face cream, serum, Firming Body Milk and Body Lotion on a blue background

Other ingredients to help reduce marionette lines include:

Bakuchiol and retinol
Bakuchiol and Retinol are frequently associated due to the similarity of their effect on the skin, notably the anti-age benefit. Indeed, both ingredients help with skin regeneration and stimulation of Collagen production. However, Retinol is not friendly to everyone's skin, which is where Bakuchiol comes in.
Bakuchiol is more sensitive-skin-friendly and is also safe to use during pregnancy, opposite to Retinol.

Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid is a key ingredient in anti-ageing skincare products. Your body produces it naturally to keep your skin smooth and supple. This ingredient is a gel-like substance, able to retain moisture and help you fade fine lines and wrinkles.

Folic acid
Folic acid, also known as Vitamin B9, helps with the creation of new healthy cells, including red blood cells carrying oxygen. This ingredient also stimulates your skin to produce more Collagen, acting as a support to your cell function, growth and development. This therefore helps against skin ageing and marionette lines.

Add Bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid or folic acid to your skincare routine

You can introduce these ingredients into your anti-ageing skincare routine by using the NIVEA Cellular Expert products; this premium range offers NIVEA's most efficacious anti-wrinkle treatment.