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Aging is most certainly a privilege, and it should be revered and appreciated in all of its many facets. That said, if I told you there was a face serum that supposedly gives skin Peter Pan-syndrome, would your ears perk up? Mine too, and there's no shame in that either.
Enter: No7's latest launch, the Firming Booster Serum, which the British skin-care line claims can tone, tighten, and take years off of your skin.
The new serum is the third product in the brand's recently launched No7 Laboratories product range, which are potent formulas with science-backed results meant to sort of bridge the gap between professional and over-the-counter. The other two products in the Laboratories line (so far) are the Line Correcting Booster Serum and Dark Spot Corrector Booster Serum, which launched earlier this year.
According to the brand, which, incredibly, sells one product in the U.K. every seven seconds, the new formula contains a proprietary blend of peptide technology called Matrixyl 3000 Plus, which helps smooth fine lines and boost skin elasticity). The formula also contains everyone's favorite hydrating ingredient hyaluronic acid (both low and high molecular levels) and hibiscus seed extract, which is rich in amino acids.
Because I'm personally not too familiar with hibiscus seed extract as an ingredient, I deferred to cosmetic chemist Ginger King, who is unaffiliated with No7 and says that it does, in fact, work to "tone and moisturize the skin."
Board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick says that it can also help to restore collagen. "We know with aging we lose collagen, which leads to loose skin and fine lines," Garshick explains. "So, by stimulating collagen production, hibiscus helps to improve firmness and tightening of the skin."
Overall though, despite the brand's claims that in just one week skin will look and feel firmer, board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner emphasizes that to see true results, patience is important with all skin-care products (potent serums, included). "It takes several weeks for skin-care products to exert their effects," Zeichner says. "The only immediate benefits that a product will give comes from cosmetic ingredients [and] skin plumpers like hyaluronic acid, or polymers that sit on the surface of the skin," Zeichner says. Therefore, the hyaluronic acid in the formula may give a temporarily plumped-up effect.
Realizing that consistency and time are necessary to produce results, No7 conducted a six-month study on 50 female volunteers, ranging in ages between 35 and 65, wherein they applied the serum twice per day, every day, onto one half of their face. After the six months were up, 80 percent of participants showed a firmer neck, 90 percent a firmer jawline, and 82 percent a firmer upper cheek, according to the brand.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury of testing the serum for six months (or even a full month, for that matter), so I can't say the same results came about for me during my week-long trial test. For nearly seven days, I rolled the serum onto my neck and the lower half of my face every night for about a minute.
Here's how I used it in my routine: I applied it onto clean skin, right after using my go-to toner and before layering on my favorite moisturizer. One of the things I like the most about the serum is its applicator. To use it, you twist the top around to the "ON" setting, then give the tube a little squeeze and begin rolling the rollerball applicator in upward strokes. The tube itself is larger than it looks, and there are five separate rollerballs, which makes it easy to apply the product using broad, upward strokes. It does dispense a good amount of product (or maybe I tend to squeeze a little too hard), but after I rolled it on, I went back over with my hands and massaged it in.
The formula itself feels lightweight and is unscented, both of which I appreciate, and it absorbs into the skin very quickly and easily. Tough to say if I look any younger after just under a week of use, but to be honest, I'm in my mid-twenties, so hydration is the name of the game for me right now. And regarding hydration, this serum delivers, thanks to both the hyaluronic acid and hibiscus.
While there was a 36,000-person waitlist in the U.K. before the launch of this serum, No. 7 Laboratories Firming Booster Serum is available now in the U.S. for $42 on walgreens.com and will launch in Walgreens stores nationwide beginning October 28. The product will be exclusive to Walgreens throughout the rest of 2019, then roll out into Target and Ulta nationwide in 2020.
Now, check out skin-care launches:
- The Best New K-Beauty Skin Care and Makeup Coming in October
- Meet Glossier Futuredew, an Oil-Serum Hybrid for Glowy Skin
- These Are the Best New Skin-Care Products Launching in October
Next, watch our editor-in-chief Michelle Lee's nine-step morning skin-care routine
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