The age estimation of (latent or visible) fingermarks recovered at crime scenes may be particularly useful to be able to discern traces relevant to the investigated
event or to help place a particular event in time. The measurement of physical or chemical changes of fingermark characteristics over time has been proposed as a
mean to achieve this goal. However, fingermark depositions are complex matrices that are influenced by many factors besides time, such as donor, transfer, and environmental
conditions to cite only a few. Thus, the main challenge resides in the identification of aging parameters that evolve over time with as little influence as
possible from such factors. The development of reliable aging models that can be implemented in practice to place fingermarks in time requires the acquisition of
large amounts of fundamental data on the aging processes of target compounds, if possible, using versatile and easily available analytical techniques. The importance
of the data interpretation stage should not be underestimated either. Thus, while age estimation of fingermarks would be particularly useful for crime reconstructions or
as evidence in court, much more information is currently needed on the aging of natural fingermarks. A research cycle is proposed to address this issue in a more
systematic manner, and several cases in which fingermark dating was either attempted or debated are discussed from a forensic perspective.