When it comes to skincare, nothing grabs your attention like the promise of firmer skin. It evokes an image in our heads of the most sculpted, sleek version of our faces, but what does “firming” actually mean? Like many words used specifically in the marketing realm of skincare, it doesn’t have a firm (pun intended) definition.
On top of these loose definitions, a lot of brands that really push anti-aging narratives will overpromise on the results of their firming products. Promises like “visibly lifts skin in just one week”, “instantly target sagging skin” or “fast anti-aging results” just aren’t realistic. You can’t magically transform your face or instantly “rewind the clock” with topical products.
Graydon Skincare designs products that support your skin as it ages—so you can age better—instead of trying to reverse time or defy gravity.
But that’s not to say that firming products don’t work at all. Rather, good firming products need consistent use over time to reap the full benefits. And, it’s important to be realistic about the results you can expect. Sure, firming products can make your skin look firmer, bouncier, and healthier, but they aren’t going to give you facelift-level results.
Besides, you might not need or want that level of change. That’s why Graydon Skincare designs products that support your skin as it ages—so you can age better—instead of trying to reverse time or defy gravity.
So let’s dive into all things firming!
What Does “Firming” Mean?
Like I said above, firming doesn’t have a set definition. However, when it comes to skincare, firming mostly relates to the same core set of benefits. Firming is used to describe ingredients or products that target slack or sagging skin with the intention of making the skin appear tighter, plumper, and smoother—with the additional benefit of minimizing lines and wrinkles caused by the skin’s slackness.
Our collagen and elastin production—two things that give our skin a bouncy, firm, and plump appearance—naturally slows down as we age.
Slack skin is most commonly caused by the collagen and elastin production in your skin slowing down. This is something that naturally happens as we age, especially during the major hormonal shifts women experience throughout our lives, like menopause.
We also go through something called subcutaneous fat loss as we age, where the fat layer under our skin shrinks, causing the skin to look sunken or saggy, especially around the eyes and what you might call the “jowls”. The fibroblasts in the skin, which produce collagen and elastin, lose their ability to form fat as time goes on.
However, damage to the skin from environmental factors like UV damage and pollution, as well as lifestyle factors like diet, sleep, and smoking can cause this slowing down to happen earlier and faster than normal.
That means that there are some aspects of skin firmness you can address with lifestyle changes and skincare products that stimulate collagen and elastin production, and some that are inevitable parts of aging, such as this fat loss.
Overall, though, the stronger and more abundant the collagen and elastin are in your skin, the better chance you have of maintaining the structural integrity of your skin, keeping it firm and bouncy.
How Does Firming Skincare Work?
While the end result is firmer skin, there’s a number of ways ingredients work on your skin to get there.
One of the main ways firming products work is through formulating with potent antioxidant ingredients that protect your skin from free radical damage. This damage, brought on by the environmental and lifestyle factors I gave a few examples of above, causes collagen and elastin production to slow down. So, by using antioxidant-rich products, you’re protecting the processes in your skin that maintain its firmness… and protecting it from other things like fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots. Antioxidants also help your skin barrier be more resilient to skin concerns like dryness, redness, rough patches, and even acne because it contributes to the healthy structure of your skin.
Some antioxidants can also speed up something called cell turnover or cellular renewal. This is the rate at which new skin cells replace the old ones on the surface of the skin. The faster your turnover, the more fresh your skin appears. A speedy cell renewal can reduce wrinkles, even out hyperpigmentation, smooth texture and clogged pores and yes, help your skin appear firmer. Cellular renewal also encourages collagen production!
Sounds like antioxidants can do a lot, right? However, when I say antioxidants, just know this is a huge category of ingredients. Technically everything from a retinol to a vitamin c to even plant-based ingredients like carrot seed oil and blueberry seed oil are considered antioxidants. Some are better than others at offering firming benefits, but I’ll explore that more later.
The other key component to firming skin is making sure it is properly moisturized. That’s why you’ll find firming products often also contain ingredients that are humectant, occlusive, or barrier supporting to help the skin look smoother and plumper—two aspects that, while not direct synonyms for “firmer”, help give an overall appearance of firm skin.
On top of this, chronically dehydrated skin increases inflammation in the skin—this is something to look out for when it comes to your skin’s longevity—which leads to collagen and elastin degradation.
But How Can You Tell if a Firming Product Actually Works?
If you’ve tried plenty of firming products before, you’ve probably noticed some of them make your skin feel tight after application. This might seem like a good sign the product is working, but there are tons of “firming” or “tightening” products out there that just don’t offer anything beyond a temporary feeling of tightness.
How can you tell? If the marketing language for a product seems to overpromise on results, especially comparing a product to a spa-grade treatment or surgical intervention, it’s probably a sign that the brand isn’t being honest about what the product can actually do.
Moisturizing ingredients might only make skin appear temporarily firmer—but this isn’t a bad thing! Properly moisturized skin is important.
If a product can’t point to any ingredients that are helping increase collagen or elastin production, or speed up cell turnover, it might only be offering moisturizing benefits, which can make skin temporarily appear firmer, especially if your skin is crepey. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Properly moisturized skin is important.
How to tell what will work for your needs? Get curious about the ingredients! You can also ask your dermatologist or esthetician for guidance.
How to Actually Get Firmer, Healthier Skin
We’ve talked a lot already about how firming skincare products work, but that’s just one way to get firmer, healthier skin. A lot of factors go into causing your skin to become less firm. Aging of course is one—but that is a natural process of life! Instead, we can focus on some of the other factors, such as your diet and your sun exposure.
- Wear SPF every day. Sun damage is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to prematurely slowing your collagen and elastin production. Get that SPF on every day, even on overcast days. One of my favourite tips: if you’ve got extra sunscreen on your fingers after applying onto your face and neck, rub it into your hands! They deserve some sun protection too.
- Add skin-loving foods to your diet. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, so your diet has a huge impact on the overall health and longevity of your skin. Foods that are rich in antioxidants (like tomatoes, green tea, berries), full of healthy fats (avocado, almonds), or have beta-carotene in them (cruciferous veggies, carrots) can help boost your skin.
- Use skincare that is antioxidant-rich and protects your barrier. I already talked about the types of products you want to look for above. Choose ones that are rich in antioxidants to speed up collagen/elastin production and cell turnover, moisturize the skin, and protect your barrier. They don’t even necessarily have to be marketed as “firming”—some of the best products, in my opinion, are designed to be multi-beneficial.
- Get spa-grade treatments… if you want. If you want drastically firmer or tighter skin, products can only do so much as they only work on the top layer of the skin. Reach out to a professional and see what kind of skin treatments they might recommend, such as Morpheus8 or radio frequency therapy.
Natural Firming Ingredients to Look For
Potent, plant-based antioxidants and bio-retinols lead the charge for the best natural firming ingredients. Here’s some ingredients across these categories.
Bakuchiol
Bakuchiol is a bio-retinol that offers the benefits of a retinol without sensitizing your skin, making it a great firming ingredient for those with sensitive skin. In fact, it’s actually anti-inflammatory. Bakuchiol is able to stimulate collagen and regulates cell turnover, making the skin appear firmer, brighter, and smoother. Bakuchiol also contains coumarins and flavonoids, which are both great at fighting off oxidative damage.
Moth Bean
Moth bean (aka dew bean) is similar to bakuchiol in that it’s also a bio-retinol. It boosts both collagen production and cellular renewal. Moth bean also contains phenolic compounds like caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, and kaempferol—these all protect your skin against free radicals and UV damage.
Carrot
Carrot is full of beta-carotene, a provitamin A (which means it converts into vitamin A within the skin). You might know that retinoids are vitamin A, so carrot—like moth bean and bakuchiol—offers retinol-like benefits without the sensitivity. It can boost collagen, plus it’s antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, making it a helpful firming ingredient for those wanting to treat skin issues like eczema.
Shiitake
Shiitake mushrooms help increase production of elastin fibers. As you can tell from the name, these fibers are what gives your skin its elasticity. Shiitake is also rich in antioxidants that fight off free radical damage that can cause your skin to produce collagen and elastin slower. Shiitake is also brightening because of its kojic acid content and is soothing due to it containing ergosterol, something only found in the fungal kingdom.
Senna (Hyaluronic Acid)
Senna seeds are a natural source of hyaluronic acid, a mega popular skincare ingredient because of its ability to deeply hydrate the skin. Hyaluronic acid works by drawing water into the skin (aka a humectant). This helps the skin appear plumper. So while this ingredient might not have a direct impact on your collagen and elastin, it helps give the appearance of fuller, firmer, smoother, and healthier skin.
THD
I’m breaking the rules on this one, as THD (aka textrahexyldecyl ascorbate) isn’t a natural ingredient, but hear me out! THD is a gentle, oil-soluble vitamin C—making it a more sensitive skin friendly (and more effective!) form of vitamin C over L-ascorbic acid, the most common form of vitamin C in skincare.
Graydon Skincare stabilizes their THD with aceytyl zingerone, and studies show that the two together can increase the production of collagen proteins through influencing the fibroblasts in your skin (which are the cells that secrete collagen). Not only that, THD offers all the other benefits of a topical vitamin C.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is another ingredient that, while not natural, is an incredibly gentle ingredient suitable for sensitive skin. Niacinamide is actually vitamin B3, and it’s an extremely popular skincare ingredient… and for good reason!
Niacinamide encourages not only collagen production, but also keratin, filaggrin, and involucrin—three proteins that support the structural integrity of your skin. Niacinamide also works as an antioxidant to help protect you from free radical damage. On top of these benefits, niacinamide is also anti-inflammatory, reduces the appearance of pores, and helps even your skin tone.
Skin Firming Product Recommendations
Graydon Skincare’s products are designed to be multifunctional, meaning they aren’t created to target just one singular skin concern. So while there isn’t a dedicated “firming” product in the lineup, there are a number of products with firming ingredients that can help your skin appear firmer, smoother, and plumper—amongst a whole host of other benefits.
Let me share my three favourites.
Phyto Clear, A Botanical Retinol Gel Cream
Phyto Clear is a lightweight moisturizer with a gel-like texture. It has my two above recommended bio-retinols—bakuchiol and moth bean—as well as chlorella (which shields your skin from free radical damage) and squalane (which plumps and hydrates your skin).
I’ll tell you a secret. Out of all of Graydon Skincare’s moisturizers, Phyto Clear is the one I use. Not only does it have firming benefits, but the blend of herbs in the formula tone and clarify my skin, helping me navigate the texture and enlarged pores I experience.
It’s also fantastic to use as a neck cream thanks to it being lightweight and non-irritating, which is important because the skin on our necks tends to be thinner and more prone to sensitivities.
Plus, the texture of Phyto Clear gives a natural “tightening” effect, which is great for crepey skin.
Moon Boost, A Brightening Multivitamin Serum
Moon Boost is full of brightening, antioxidant-rich ingredients that promote cellular renewal as well collagen and elastin production, including shiitake, carrot, and THD.
It’s an emulsified oil serum, meaning it has more of a jelly texture, allowing it to feel moisturizing rather than oily.
Beyond its firming abilities, Moon Boost contains vitamins A, C, D, E, F, and K—hello free radical protection!—and is the first skincare product in Canada to launch using the innovative biotech ingredient Torula Oil.
Reviewer Jasmine B wrote, “My face feels ‘happy’ after application...soft, moist and nourished.”
Supermoon, a 6-in-1 Multitasking Water Serum
Supermoon is a lightweight daily water serum that contains both bakuchiol and moth bean, alongside collagen from mahogany bark extract.
The Botanical vitamin C in moringa also promotes collagen production, plus the hyaluronic acid and maple sap water hydrate and plump your skin. And that’s just a fraction of Supermoon’s beneficial ingredients!
Supermoon is a great all-around beneficial serum to support your skin in a variety of ways.
It’s a staple in my own routine.
To Summarize
- “Firming” describes ingredients or products that target slack or sagging skin with the intention of making the skin appear tighter, plumper, and smoother.
- Firming products work by moisturizing the skin and boosting collagen production, elastin production, and cell turnover.
- Get firmer, healthier skin by using SPF, adding skin-loving foods to your diet, using antioxidant-rich skincare, and getting spa grade treatments for more noticeable results.
- Some natural firming skincare ingredients to look for include bakuchiol, moth bean, carrot, shiitake, and senna (aka hyaluronic acid).
- Though not natural, niacinamide, and THD are also excellent firming ingredients.
- Phyto Clear, Moon Boost Serum, and Supermoon Serum are my skin firming recommendations from Graydon Skincare.
I hope you have a little more clarity on how “firming” skincare products and ingredients work!
