What’s the quickest way to reduce wrinkles? Moisture. The more moisture your skin has, the plumper it looks. This trick alone makes fine lines and wrinkles look smaller and takes a few wrinkles off your face.
Granted, it’s not a permanent solution. But, retinoids (the only thing proven to really reduce wrinkles, not just their appearance) take their sweet time to work. In the meantime, you want to bombard your skin with moisture to keep up that fresh, glowy look.
Enter Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler. Loaded with 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid, it infuses your skin with all the moisture it needs (and more) to look a few years younger. Does it deliver? I’ve put it to the test to find out:
- About The Brand: Vichy
- Key Ingredients In Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler: What Makes It Work?
- The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients
- Texture
- Fragrance
- How Do You Use Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler?
- Packaging
- Performance & Personal Opinion
- What I Like About Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler
- What I DON’T Like About Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler
- Who Should Use This?
- Does Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler Live Up To Its Claims?
- Is Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler Cruelty-Free?
- Price & Availability
- The Verdict: Should You Buy It?
- Dupes & Alternatives
About The Brand: Vichy
In 1931, Doctor Heller became the director of Vichy Thermal Center, where he discovered the therapeutic properties of Vichy volcanic mineralising water. Preserved 4000 feet deep the French volcanic region of Auvergne, this water is enriched with 15 minerals, including calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Dr Heller was the first to apply the therapeutic properties of this water to skincare. He developed his own brand, which he aptly named Vichy. He also launched new skincare routines, launched the first Serum in pharmacies, and developed advice guides for women.
Today, the brand is known for simple, gentle formulas that deeply moisturise and soothe skin, keeping it in good shape and looking its best at any age.
Key Ingredients In Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler: What Makes It Work?
HYALURONIC ACID TO HYDRATE SKIN
Part of the glue that holds skin cells together, hyaluronic acid is a humectant. That’s a fancy way of saying “moisture magnet”. This acid attracts and binds moisture from the environment into the skin, pumping up its hydration levels.
Other ingredients do this. Glycerin (which is in here, too) and Urea spring to mind immediately. But Hyaluronic Acid goes the extra mile: it can bind up to 1000 times its weight in water! That’s a waterfall of moisture!
When skin has all the moisture it needs, it his softer to the touch; it’s all plumped up, which in turn makes wrinkles look smaller; and has that beautiful dewy glow that makes it look like it’s lit from within.
Hydration is Hyaluronic Acid’s main job, but this superhero has other tricks up its sleeve. It also:
- Increases skin’s elasticity
- Treats atopic dermatitis (and other irritations)
- Helps soothe rosacea
Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler contains a whopping 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid. Can you imagine how much moisture that is for skin?!
Related: What Are Humectants And Why Do You Need Them In Your Skincare Routine?
Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness and makes your skin supple and dewy? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):
The Rest Of The Formula & Ingredients
NOTE: The colours indicate the effectiveness of an ingredient. It is ILLEGAL to put toxic and harmful ingredients in skincare products.
- Green: It’s effective, proven to work, and helps the product do the best possible job for your skin.
- Yellow: There’s not much proof it works (at least, yet).
- Red: What is this doing here?!
- Aqua/Water: The base of this (and most) skincare products.
- Glycerin: A powerful humectant that attracts and binds water to the skin, helping to keep it softer and suppler.
- Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid: Also known as HEPES, it’s a buffering agent used to establish a neutral pH in water-based solutions. The verdict is still out there on whether it causes free radical damage in the present of oxygen, so I wish L’Oreal had used as an alternative (just in case).
- PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil: Derived from castor oil, it allows the watery and oily parts of a formula to mix together, preventing the texture from separating into two layers.
- Scale Cereale Seed Extract / Rye Seed Extract: An extract of the seeds of rye, it makes skin softer to the touch.
- Calcium Pantothenate: Another ingredient that makes skin softer to the touch.
- Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate: A neuro-peptide that’s believed to relax facial muscles so they can’t move and cause wrinkles. It’s highly unlikely it works topically – especially in such a small concentration.
- Phenoxyethanol: A preservative that kills any bacteria that dares enter into the product, keeping it safe to use for longer.
- Chlorphenesin: A synthetic preservative that prevents bacteria contamination.
- Ascorbyl Glucoside: A derivative of the powerful antioxidant Vitamin C, it helps fight free radicals – in higher concentrations. In the small amount used here, it doesn’t really do much of anything.
- Disodium EDTA: A chelating agent, it binds and remove the metal ions in your skincare products that can spoil them.
- Pentylene Glycol: Here, it’s used as a preservative to keep the formula last longer.
Texture
The serum has a clear, slightly thick texture that takes a minute or so to absorb into your skin. A bit too long for my taste, I hate waiting for products to absorb before applying the next. On the positive side, once it’s fully absorbed, it leaves no tacky residue behind.
Fragrance
The serum is fragrance-free. For me, it’s great news. Fragrance has no space in skincare. It has no benefits for skin AND it’s one of the most irritating ingredients out there. If you’re allergic to a product, 9 times out of 10, fragrance is the culprit. So I’m glad they left it out.
On the other hand, without a fragrance, the product doesn’t smell as good. All you’re smelling is the real smell of the raw ingredients and formula. And that doesn’t smell like much of anything here.
How Do You Use Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler?
You can use this serum both in the morning and/or evening. In the morning, it goes after your Vitamin C serum and before your sunscreen. At night, it goes after your exfoliant or retinol and before moisturiser. If you don’t use exfoliants or anti-aging serum, then apply it in between cleaning and moisturiser.
Packaging
This is the only thing I don’t like about this serum. The see-through bottle looks stylish and professional, but the plastic pointed applicator you attach on it is a pain to use. It took me a few tries before it released any product at all, and even then, only a drop or two at the time.
Vichy says this type of packaging makes the serum more sanitary, but I’ve used serums with similar, in-built applicators before and never had any issues with germs. I’m not a fan of sacrificing a beautiful design and ease of use for (mostly) imaginary threats.
Performance & Personal Opinion
Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler is one of those products that gives you an INSTANT plumping effect.
As soon as I gently massage it into my skin, I feel my skin getting softer already. The fine lines around my eyes get all plumped up, so they look smaller to the naked eye. And my whole complexion glows as if lit from within.
I can’t tell you how many compliments I got since I started using this. It just gives you that fresh, rested, my-skin-but-better look.
Granted, like with all hydrating products, the effects are only temporary. Once your skin uses up that extra burst of hydration, your wrinkles are still there. Hydration doesn’t reduce wrinkles, just their appearance.
Think of it like eating your vegs. It’s great for health – IF you’re consistent with it. Moisture is the same. Your skin needs its fix every day to stay healthy, soft, and supple.
What I Like About Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler
- Loaded with Hyaluronic Acid to deeply hydrate skin.
- It plumps up wrinkles and fine lines, so they look smaller to the naked eye.
- It makes skin softer and smoother.
- It gives skin a soft glow.
- It’s fragrance-free.
- Practical packaging.
What I DON’T Like About Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler
- Texture is a little thick.
- Its anti-aging properties are temporary (this is a quick fix for wrinkles).
Who Should Use This?
Hyaluronic Acid is one of those ingredients everyone can use:
- It hydrates oily and acne-prone skin without adding more oil to it
- It deeply hydrates dry skin so that it has the moisture it needs to stay soft and supple
- It’s suitable for sensitive skin that needs hydration without the irritation
Unless you’re allergic to one of the ingredients, it’s safe to use for you.
Does Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler Live Up To Its Claims?
| CLAIM | TRUE? |
|---|---|
| Introducing Liftactiv Supreme HA Epidermic Filler, an intensive Hyaluronic Acid serum that reduces the signs of wrinkles and fine lines on the skin. | It reduces their appearance by plumping up skin. Once the plumping effect runs out, your wrinkles and fine lines are still there. |
| Formulated with dermatological active ingredients such as Vitamin CG and B5, the serum plumps skin with moisture and helps to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles with a filling effect. | It barely contains any Vitamin C at all, but the rest is true. |
| Leaves the skin feeling smooth, plumped and youthful with a health-looking glow. | True. |
| Enriched with 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid . Helps to plump, smooth and intensely hydrate skin. | True. |
| Offers up to 24-Hour Hydration. | It didn’t last that long for me. |
| Highly concentrated anti-wrinkle serum. | Very generic claim. If it means it can reduce wrinkles, it’s not true. If it claims it can reduce the appearance of wrinkles by plumping up skin, then yes, it contains enough Hyaluronic Acid to do the job. |
| Clinically proven to strengthen the barrier function. | Hyaluronic Acid can do this. |
Is Vichy LiftActiv Supreme H.A. Epidermic Filler Cruelty-Free?
Vichy is not cruelty-free because it allows its products to be tested on animals, but only in countries where it is required by law.
Price & Availability
$30.00/£28.50 at Feel Unique and Ulta
The Verdict: Should You Buy It?
If you’re looking for a super hydrating hyaluronic acid serum, this is well worth a try.
Dupes & Alternatives
- La Roche Posay Heal B5 Hyaluronic Acid Serum (£27.75): Very similar to the Vichy Serum, it contains a smaller concentration of Hyaluronic Acid to deeply hydrate skin. Available at Feel Unique and Look Fantastic
- Niod Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Acid (£25.00): The most hydrating Hyaluronic Acid serum I’ve ever tried. It contains something crazy like 15 different forms of Hyaluronic Acid to hydrate every level of your skin and give you the softest, plumpest skin of your life. Not exaggerating. Available at Beauty Bay and Cult Beauty
- Paula’s Choice Resist Hyaluronic Acid Booster ($34.00): It has 2 forms of Hyaluronic Acid to deeply hydrate skin and ceramics to strengthen the skin’s protective barrier. If you have dry skin, dehydrated skin, or your protective barrier is damaged, this is the best option for you. Available at Dermstore, Nordstrom, Paula’s Choice and Selfridges
- The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (£5.90): A very simple formula that deeply hydrates skin for anyone on a strict budget. It just gets the job done. Available at Beauty Bay, Cult Beauty and Feel Unique
Ingredients
Aqua/Water, Glycerin, Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Scale Cereale Seed Extract / Rye Seed Extract, Calcium Pantothenate, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Disodium EDTA, Pentylene Glycol
