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Last Updated on October 22, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti

the truth about firming creams - do they work?

Once skin is sagging, no cream can firm it and lift it back up: true or false? Sephora & co want you to keep the hope alive. Navigate through their aisles and you’ll find hundreds of lotions and potions promising to lift even the crepiest of skin. But if these facelifts-in-a-bottle worked, then why do celebs like Kris Jenner still go under the knife to lift everything up? Mmm… You know where I’m going with this…

Firming creams aren’t the antidote to sagging skin you’re looking for. No firming cream can give you the same results you get with lasers, fillers and cosmetics surgery. But when done right, firming creams do have a temporary tightening effect on the skin that makes the sagging look less noticeable. So how can you tell what’s the real deal and what’s just marketing BS? Here’s the truth about firming creams:

Why Does Skin Sag?

I’m sure you’ve heard of collagen and elastin. They’re your skin’s scaffolding, so to speak. Collagen keeps skin firm, while elastin keeps it “bouncing back” into place. When you’re young, your skin has plenty of both. As you get older, their production slowly trickles to a halt. Add sun damage, pollution, smoking and all the usual suspects to the mix, and your collagen and elastin degrade faster than ever. Cue sagging, wrinkles and paper-like skin.

To add insult to injury, once skin has stopped making elastin, it’s almost impossible to force it to make more again. It just won’t do it. Prevention is key here. Slather on that sunscreen now so you won’t be tempted to waste your hard-earned cash on firming creams that don’t work once the damage is done.

But what if the damage’s already done? Besides, sunscreen can prevent a lot of damage, but it can’t keep your skin from sagging at all. Even if you avoid sun damage, at some point natural aging is going to catch up with you. What can you do when that happens?

Struggling to put together a skincare routine that minimises wrinkles, prevents premature aging, and gives your complexion a youthful glow? Download your FREE “Best Anti-Aging Skincare Routine” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):

Firming Creams With Collagen And Elastin: Do They Work?

If your skin doesn’t make enough collagen and elastin on its own anymore, can’t you just put them back in and be done with it? It’s not like there’s any shortage of collagen and elastin creams on the market. If only it were that easy! You see, collagen and elastin are BIG molecules. Too big to penetrate skin. If they can’t penetrate, how can they trigger the production of collagen? *sighs*

Chopping down collagen into smaller molecules – the “hydrolysed collagen” so popular in skincare today – won’t work either. Hydrolysed collagen is small enough to penetrate skin BUT it can’t integrate into the skin’s own collagen framework to affect it. Hydrolyzed collagen is too small for that. Ironic, isn’t it?

P.S. This doesn’t mean that collagen and elastin in skincare products are useless. They have water-binding properties that keep skin hydrated for hours.

Related: The Truth About Collagen Drinks: Do They Really Work?

dr dennis gross c collagen brighten and firm vitamin c serum

How Do Firming Creams Work?

There are three types of “firming” creams. And I put firming in brackets because two out of the 3 cheat. They make you believe something they can’t really deliver. Let me explain:

1. Firming Creams With Film-Forming Agents

Most firming creams use film-forming agents that form a film on the skin and stretch it in different directions. All that stretching makes your skin feel tighter and look smoother. It’s not a huge difference – just enough to make you believe it works. The usual suspects you’ll spot on the label:

  • Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA): gives you that instant tight feeling as it dries
  • Sodium Silicate: basically creates an invisible film that pulls your skin taut
  • Pullulan: sounds fancy, but it’s just a fungi-derived ingredient that lifts temporarily
  • Albumin: egg or plant protein that tightens up as it dries
  • Various polymers and acrylates: synthetic stuff that shrink-wraps your face

Some throw in caffeine or menthol too, so you get that cool, tingly feeling that makes you think something magical is happening. Needless to say, the effects are just temporary. Cleanse your face and your skin goes back to normal. It’s basically hairspray for your face.

2. Firming Creams With “Firming” Plant Extracts

These sound way fancier. They’re loaded with botanical extracts and peptides that could firm skin… in theory. Maybe in a lab. The marketing loves to throw around terms like “clinically proven,” but let’s talk about what they’re not saying. Common ingredients in this category:

  • DMAE: makes skin swell a bit so it looks firmer, but the long-term benefits? Questionable.
  • Soy extracts: some studies say it helps, others say meh
  • Ginseng and green tea: great antioxidants, but they’re not going to lift sagging skin
  • Horsetail extract: packed with silica, supposedly “strengthens” skin
  • Centella asiatica (Gotu kola): might help with collagen, but that’s a big “might”

How do they get away with this? As long as a product doesn’t claim to change your skin’s structure (which would make it a drug), companies can say pretty much whatever they want. They just need some evidence – and that evidence can be pretty flimsy.

Maybe they did one small study with 20 people. Maybe the study measured “hydration” instead of actual firming, but they spin it as “improves skin appearance.” Maybe they tested the ingredient in isolation at super high concentrations, not in the actual cream you’re buying. Or maybe their “clinical study” was done in-house with no independent verification.

The catch? Just because something works in a petri dish doesn’t mean it’ll work on your face. Your skin is really good at keeping stuff out – that’s literally its job. Plus, the amounts used in studies are usually way higher than what’s actually in your cream.

And here’s the kicker: even when these ingredients do have some research behind them, we’re talking about subtle improvements in skin texture or hydration – not the dramatic lifting and firming the packaging implies. But legally, they can show you those before-and-after photos (often taken in different lighting) and use vague terms like “visibly firms” or “helps improve elasticity.”

And surprise, surprise – a lot of that research is funded by the companies selling you the product. Will these hurt you? Probably not. Will they give you the lifted, firm skin the bottle promises? Also probably not.

niod copper amino isolate serum 2 1

3. The Real Deal Firming Creams: What Really Works

Don’t lose hope. Not all firming creams use mumbo jumbo and visual tricks to make you believe they’re capable of more than what they can really deliver. Some firming creams are the real deal. But how do you spot them? Easy: they use collagen-boosting ingredients.

Yep, adding collagen back into the skin won’t work. Using actives that can penetrate skin and tell your cells to pump up the production of collagen gives you much better results. Just so we’re clear, boosting collagen production CAN’T reverse sagging and make crepey skin bounce back. But it can help support skin so that sagging is less obvious. Here are the collagen-boosters to look for in firming creams:

  • Copper Peptides: Copper is essential for collagen synthesis. Copper peptide like GHK-CU boost the production of both collagen and elastin. Just don’t use them too often. Too much copper can have the opposite effect!
  • Glycolic acid: This multitasker exfoliates skin, hydrates it and boosts the production of collagen. It’s more suitable for dry skin. If yours is oily, I recommend you look for another collagen booster or go for glycolic acid peels every few months. Glycolic acid can be irritating, too. Start with a small dose, work your way up and NEVER use it with retinol (I alternate them at night).
  • Vitamin A: Retinol, retinaldehyde, tretinoin & co slow down the depletion of collagen and stimulate skin to produce more. Just don’t go overboard. Vitamin A is already effective at <1%. A higher dose doesn’t just mean more collagen. It also means more irritation. Start with a small dose and work your way up slowly. I show you how to do that step-by-step in this post.

In case you’re wondering, antioxidants like vitamin C and green tea have some collagen-building properties, too. They’re not as common in firming creams as the 3 actives I’ve mentioned above, but you’d do your skin a disservice if you didn’t use them. Remember, your skin can never get enough of antioxidants!

Related: 8 Ways To Rebuild Lost Collagen For Firmer, Youthful Skin

What Are The Best Skin-Firming Creams & Serums?

  • Drunk Elephant A-Passioni Retinol Cream (£62.00): A high-concentration retinol cream that firms skin and fights wrinkles. Available at Cult Beauty and SpaceNK
  • Niod Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3:1 (£38.00): It keeps skin in a constant state or repair. Available at Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty, Niod, and SpaceNK
  • Paula’s Choice Resist 1% Retinol Booster ($52.00): You can use it on its own or mix it with your fave moisturizer. Available at Cult Beauty and Paula’s Choice

How Long Do You Need To Use Firming Creams Before Seeing Results?

Okay so here’s the deal. Film-forming ones? Like 5 minutes. Slap it on, wait for it to dry, boom – your skin feels tighter. But also it’s gone the second you wash your face, so…

The actual good stuff with retinol and peptides? Girl, you need patience. We’re talking 3 months minimum before you’re like “okay yeah, maybe my skin looks a bit better?” And even then it’s subtle. You’re not gonna wake up looking like you got a facelift.

I know it sucks waiting that long, but that’s just how skin works. It takes forever to make new collagen. Anyone telling you’ll see crazy results in 2 weeks is lying.

Can You Use Multiple Firming Ingredients Together?

Yeah but don’t go crazy with it.

What works:

  • Retinol at night, peptides in the morning – totally fine
  • Vitamin C in the AM, retinol at night – classic combo
  • Peptides with pretty much anything – they’re chill

What’ll wreck your face:

  • Retinol AND glycolic acid together – your skin will freak out. Use them in alternate nights
  • Throwing everything at your face at once – less is more, trust me

Just go thinnest to thickest when you layer stuff. And if you’re using those film-forming ones, they go last cause they need to sit on top.

Who Should (And Shouldn’t) Use Firming Creams?

Use them if you’re starting to notice your jawline isn’t as sharp or your skin’s looking kinda tired. Like early 30s to 50s with some sagging but nothing major.

Don’t bother if you’ve got serious sagging that really bugs you. At that point you need to see a derm, not buy another cream. Creams have limits and that’s okay!

If you’re in your 20s freaking out about this, chill. Just wear sunscreen and maybe use some retinol. You don’t need firming creams yet.

The Bottom Line

No cream can reverse sagging once it happens. The best firming creams can do – when they contain collagen boosters like retinol, glycolic acid and copper peptides – is to support skin so the sagging doesn’t look so obvious. If you need more help than that, consult your doctor for lasers or facelifts.