Vitamin C serums, bronzer and eight glasses of water a day may not be the only ways to achieve glowing skin from within. There’s a new product on the market that claims to be a shortcut: Skinvive — a new injectable moisturizer from the Juvederm family that is meant to amplify radiance around the face.
The aesthetic treatment, which made its commercial debut in September, is designed to enhance cheek smoothness through thin hyaluronic acid injections that attract water to the face without adding volume.
The launch came at an auspicious time ahead of the often dry-skin winter season. Social media reactions to Skinvive peaked in November across Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube, according to Comscore. Parent company Allergan Aesthetics said the response to the product exceeded expectations within the first three months. “We have surpassed our sales goal by nearly double,” a representative for the brand said.
The product’s development began in 2017 in Europe and 2018 in the U.S. after feedback from aesthetic providers who were looking for something to mitigate skin dullness on the cheeks.
“Before Skinvive was created we were able to put hyaluronic acid and some moisturizer on the outside of the skin, but we didn’t have anything to put underneath the skin layer,” said Dr. Sherly Soleiman, founder of Cosmetics Injectables Center in Sherman Oaks, Calif. She was one of the first practices to offer the treatment and has seen a rise in interest among patients.
The injectable is in its own category as the only FDA-approved minimally invasive product in the U.S. market for smoothness and glowing skin around the cheeks that doesn’t need multiple treatments. The cost ranges around $650 to $750 per treatment of two syringes.
“The message has gotten out there,” Soleiman said. “It’s one of a kind, we don’t have any other fillers on the market that are for moisturizing. They’re usually for filling. We don’t have any modalities that is a hyaluronic base for this purpose — for the purpose of moisturizing from the inside.”
According to the brand, it’s suitable for all skin tones and increases hydration within the dermis for up to six months.
Soleiman said the best candidates for the procedure have “gritty, dry and leathery skin” and lines on the cheeks. “They’ve lost that sheen to their face, so anyone who feels like they just want to glow up and have more moisture in their face.”
“It’ll help to activate the aquaporin channels so that over time, moisture can leave the vessels and come to the surface of the skin and keep the skin hydrated,” Soleiman explained. “Over a few weeks and after two months, you just keep seeing improvement in the skin because the hydration gets improved.”
