We talk about wrinkles all the time. And we cover pigmentation almost as much. But saggy, loose skin often gets neglected (both literally and figuratively). And that's because — until recently — there weren't many skin-tightening serums available.
Like so many skin care trends these days, lifting products are swiftly making their way over from Asia. "For Korean women, the ideal face shape is heart with a pointy V-line chin and jaw area," says Charlotte Cho, author of "The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin." This concept spawned legions of lifting serums, creams and masks. (Cho has some cool Korean imports on her site sokoglam.com.)
And it turns out there are plenty of American women who love the idea of skin tightening, as well. As we age, the skin around the jawline starts to sag and create jowls (think Bulldog face — not cute). Fortunately, there's a serum for that — and we've rounded up seven of our favorite skin tightening formulas. Read on to learn more about them.
Image via Imaxtree
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Plump-It-Up Serum
Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Firming Serum, $82, is like a milky drink for your face. The skin tightening serum contains resveratrol (extracted from grapevines) for tightening and hyaluronic acid spheres for plumping and hydration. The key to its contouring effect is a special peptide blend that helps your skin create more collagen and elastin.
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Ocean-Potion Serum
The magic of La Mer is in the "miracle broth" — a marine extract that heals skin cells. La Mer The Lifting Contour Serum, $320, contains even more youth-ifying algae (brown and blue in case you're curious) and peptides (also derived from the sea). Clinical tests showed a tighter jawline in only four weeks — which is seriously quick in the skin care world.
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Contouring Serum
The idea of a V-shaped face is huge in Asia, and Clarins believes in the trend so much they named their lifting serum after it. The Clarins Shaping Facial Lift Total V Contouring Serum, $80, contains guarana and ginger to tighten the skin and define the cheekbones. And they even created a special application technique — like a facial massage — to help sculpt the face.
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Apple-A-Day Serum
The secret ingredient in Clark's Botanical Cellular Lifting Serum, $355, is Swiss apple stem cell, which protects cells from environmental aggressors like pollution. (It's also the reason this serum is so pricey.) The lifting effect is thanks to an algae extract that binds to water and tightens skin.
