You might be noticing that over time, the skin on some parts of your body is starting to sag or just doesn’t look as supple as it used to. If you’re on the lookout for a solution, there are many body lotions and creams out there that promising to tighten and firm — but do they actually work?
Body-firming products — like Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, Maelys B-Tight Lift & Firm Booty Mask, Nivea Skin Toning and Firming Body Gel-Cream and others — contain a variety of ingredients, like peptides, retinol and caffeine, and claim to “visibly firm” the skin in a matter of weeks.
But the results will be “subtle at best,” the American Academy of Dermatology says.
So before you purchase body-firming products, which can range in price from $15 to hundreds of dollars, here’s what doctors want you to know about them.
How Body-Firming Creams Work
Body-firming creams, serums and lotions include a variety of ingredients — caffeine, peptides, retinol, alpha hydroxy acids and antioxidants — meant to boost collagen, which makes the skin look tighter and toned.
These substances do benefit the skin, but it’s “unlikely” they’ll offer long-term firming, said Dr. Jennifer Sawaya, a dermatologist with U.S. Dermatology Partners Scottsdale. Here’s how ingredients can potentially work in body-firming creams.Alpha and beta hydroxy acids, including glycolic and salicylic acids, are chemical exfoliants that help remove dead skin cells, Sawaya said. Using body lotions and creams with these ingredients can increase the skin’s “luminosity and textural quality,” but likely won’t firm the skin.
Antioxidants such as vitamin C can reduce damage from ultraviolet radiation and environmental pollutants and can brighten the skin, Sawaya said. They may also play a small role in collagen production.
“While I do recommend topical antioxidants, I do not consider this to be a skin-firming treatment,” she said.
Are Body-Firming Products Actually Effective?
Using firming products daily could offer “a very subtle improvement in the firmness of the skin over time,” Sawaya said. “To see a greater impact, consider the use of medical-grade skin care products or procedural interventions.”
These products may still make the skin look better, however, offering benefits such as exfoliation, hydration, collagen production, textural improvement and minimized sun damage, Sawaya explained.
