13 Best Skin-Tightening Creams of 2024, According to Dermatologists

With nearly 50,000 five-star reviews on Amazon (!), this tub of retinol-spiked body cream is clearly effective—or, at the very least, worth trying on yourself to see what all the hype is about. The formula is pretty simple: a mix of retinol to tighten, green tea and aloe vera to soothe, and a slew of hydrators to keep skin from feeling overly dry. Just note: It’s pretty strong, so I’d skip this one if you’re working with especially sensitive skin.

• Key ingredients: Retinol (smoothing and firming), glycerin (hydrating), and aloe vera (soothing)
• Skin type(s): All non-sensitive skin
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 16 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “I have been using this stuff religiously for about a week now on my upper arms, legs, and stomach and I can already see a difference in the tightness of my skin. I will definitely be buying more when I run out as it works. I have used many other products before and nothing has worked like this.”

There’s so much to love about this iconic skin-tightening gel cream, the most obvious being its $11 price tag (which is the most wallet-friendly option on our list, fyi), and the second most obvious being its key ingredient of coenzyme Q10, a naturally occurring antioxidant that helps boost skin repair and preserve cellular function. Though the ~cooling~ formula is technically designed for your thighs, butt, and stomach, you can use it anywhere on your body.

• Key ingredients: Coenzyme Q10 (antioxidant); L-carnitine and lotus extract (moisturizers)
• Skin type(s): Normal
• Fragrance free? No
• Size: 6.7 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “This stuff is amazing. I am often skeptical of any product that claims to do something like ‘firm skin’, but I’m so glad I was wrong! I haven’t been using it twice a day – just covering myself head to toe after I shower – but the results are phenomenal so far!”

There’s a reason or two why this cult-favorite skin-tightening cream has too many five-star reviews to count. The rich, non-greasy formula is filled with peptides and hyaluronic acid to help plump fine lines and wrinkles both immediately and over time. And thanks to its surprisingly gentle formula, you can use it in the morning and evening, making your skincare routine a lil bit more simple. Drugstore products, FTW.

• Key ingredients: Peptides (firming), niacinamide (smoothing), and hyaluronic acid (hydrating and plumping)
• Skin type(s): Normal, oily, and combination
• Fragrance free? No
• Size: 1.7 oz

Glowing Customer Review: “I actually look forward to using it in the morning and night because it makes my skin feel so fresh and tight! I have noticed that my skin is smoother after using it for a month.”

If you want to see immediate “results,” you need to try this formula from Peter Thomas Roth that went viral on TikTok for its before-and-after smoothing effects. It uses a proprietary mix of silicate minerals and seaweed extract that tighten on the surface of your skin to leave you looking temporarily firmer and smoother, especially when used under makeup.

• Key ingredients: Vitamin C (antioxidant and brightening), panthenol (hydrating), comfrey root extract (anti-inflammatory)
• Skin type(s): Normal, dry, combination, and oily
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 3.4 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “This really is a miracle product. I’ve used it for several years and always happy with the tightness it gives my skin.”

Let’s be real: Neck creams aren’t exactly the ~sexiest~ part of your skincare routine, but they’re 100 percent necessary if you’re not already slathering your neck in moisturizer every day (your neck = extremely thin skin). This formula from SkinCeuticals is loaded with gold-standard skin-firming ingredients, like .2 percent retinol, glycerin, and peptides.

• Key ingredients: Retinol (smoothing and firming); glycerin (moisturizing)
• Skin type(s): Normal, dry, and combination
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1.7 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “This for me, this is the only neck product that I saw instant results. My neck was in bad shape. Wrinkles everywhere and it was like they disappeared in one application. I love this product.”

This best-selling body cream isn’t just a cute prop for social media—it’s also legitimately good. The cream is formulated with guarana, a plant native to the Amazon that’s hella-rich in caffeine (which, reminder, helps temporarily constrict and de-puff skin when used topically). Not to mention, the warm coconut scent has even earned itself a cult following for smelling that good.

• Key ingredients: Guaraná extract (temporarily tightening); cupuaçu butter and açaí oil (moisturizers)
• Skin type(s): All skin types
• Fragrance free? No
• Size: 2.5 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “I was very skeptical at first at what this cream could really do, but literally with one overnight use I saw improvement. It’s now been a week and a half and I can definitely say that it’s improved the tightness of my inner arms, has tightened the skin on my behind, and has even smoothed over the cellulite dimples in the back of my thighs.”

Okay, fine, this skin-tightening formula is technically a serum, not a cream, but that’s also why so many people love it: It’s easier to layer under your regular face cream without feeling heavy. The ultra-lightweight formula absorbs fast and is filled with brightening niacinamide, plumping hyaluronic acid, and reparative peptides.

• Key ingredients: Peptides (firming), niacinamide (smoothing), and hyaluronic acid (hydrating)
• Skin type(s): All skin types
• Fragrance free? No
• Size: 1 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “I’m on my third bottle and love it. It’s a creamier serum than most, a small amount spreads nicely. I use it overnight and have seen improvement in firmness.”

Ideally, you’d be using retinol all over your face, rather than spot-treating it under your eyes (share the love, you know?). But if you’re happy with your routine and want to add some extra skin-firming TLC to your eye area, try this retinol eye cream from RoC. It’s silky (not sticky) and feels like nothing on your skin, so you can easily layer it under or over a thicker night cream or eye cream without sticking to your fancy silk pillowcase.

• Key ingredients: Retinol (smoothing and firming)
• Skin type(s): All non-sensitive skin types
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 0.5 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “I’ve been using this for about 4 weeks now and I suddenly noticed my upper eyelids are smooth and firm. Areas that were wrinkly and crepey have literally disappeared.”

This buttery night cream is basically a gentle hug for your reactive, sensitive skin, thanks to its soothing colloidal oatmeal, feverfew, and green tea extracts. And though it’s not packed with intense retinoids, it is filled with brightening and calming niacinamide (aka vitamin B3), which also helps improve your skin’s elasticity over time.

• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid (hydrating), niacinamide (soothing and smoothing), and colloidal oatmeal (soothing)
• Skin type(s): All skin types (but may be too rich for super-oily and acne-prone)
• Fragrance free? Yes
• Size: 1.7 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “I’m amazed by the result. My skin was changing under my eyes when I used it for the first time—I didn’t believe that it would be possible to have my skin look so healthy again!”

Housed inside this pretty gold packaging is a skin-tightening formula that was inspired by none other than Jennifer Lopez and her butt (yes, really). The moisturizing formula is filled with antioxidant-rich plant extracts, constricting caffeine, and plumping hyaluronic acid to help keep the surface of your skin looking softer and smoother each time you massage it on.

• Key ingredients: Heptapeptide-7 (firming); squalane and hyaluronic acid (moisturizers)
• Skin type(s): All skin types
• Fragrance free? No
• Size: 4.2 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “Great cream for a night out or beach trip if you want a quick fix. I immediately felt my skin tingling as it worked!”

She’s pricey, but she’s fabulous. If you’re cool with splurging on a face cream you’ll use twice daily, this one is worth your funds. It was created by board-certified dermatologist Rosemarie Ingleton who formulated the cream with plumping hyaluronic acid and a yummy combination of antioxidant-rich extracts, including sugarcane, lemon, orange, bilberry, and sugar maple.

• Key ingredients: Peptides (firming), niacinamide (smoothing), and ceramides (hydrating)
• Skin type(s): Normal, dry, combination, and oily
• Fragrance free? Yes* (contains essential oils)
• Size: 1.7 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “A little bit of this product goes a long way and it makes a great moisturizer for prepping the skin for makeup. This moisturizer makes your skin feel so soft, smooth, and plumps out any lines on the face.”

If you prefer oils to creams, try this top-rated oil on Amazon that has 69,000+ reviews that swear by its softening and smoothing powers. No, it can’t magically reduce stretch marks or cellulite (only professional treatments or, at the very least, retinoids, can do that), but it can help support healthier collagen production with antioxidant-rich plant oils.

• Key ingredients: Rice bran oil, grape seed oil, and glycerin (moisturizers)
• Skin type(s): All skin types
• Fragrance free? No
• Size: 8 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “I have been using this for about 2 weeks and I can actually see a difference in my cellulite. My skin is smoother and the cellulite is a lot less obvious.”

If your face is a mix of dry patches and fine lines, you need to try this shelfie-worthy skin-tightening cream. As promised in its name, the gel-cream hybrid works to encourage softer, firmer skin with the help of 12 (!) different peptides, along with plumping hyaluronic acid and squalane. Just note that its gel base makes it surprisingly lightweight, which is great for sweaty days or oily skin, but not the best for ultra-dry skin or winter months.

• Key ingredients: Peptides (firming); mushroom extract and hyaluronic acid (hydrating)
• Skin type(s): Oily, acne-prone, “normal”
• Fragrance free? Yes* (*contains some essential oils)
• Size: 1.69 oz.

Glowing Customer Review: “This works! I’ve been using this moisturizer for two weeks and have definitely seen a difference in the lines on my forehead.”

Yes and no. Dr. Collins and Dr. Lal agree that well-formulated skin-tightening creams can lead to subtle improvements in tackling fine lines, wrinkles, and loose skin. But they also agree that face lift-level improvement won’t come from a jar o’ cream, despite what the very-good brand marketing might say.

The tl;dr: If surgery or laser isn’t your cup of tea, a skin-tightening cream may be a good option if you’re cool with low-key results. Just pls don’t blow your life savings; drugstore formulas rival the pricey stuff.

You can’t completely tighten loose skin with cream, but you can achieve subtle improvements over time with a collagen and elastin-building formula. Unlike legit medical procedures like a facelift, neck lift, or fillers, you *probably* won’t come out of it with drastic before-and-after photos.

If you do notice a significant change right away, that’s likely because the ingredient list contains hydrating components like hyaluronic acid. To be clear: That’s not a bad thing (we love hydration!), but “when you hydrate the skin, a lot of those fine lines of wrinkles appear filled in, even when they’re not,” says Dr. Lal. The more you know!

Consider where you use it

The first step to choosing the best skin-tightening cream is to decide whether you want one for your body or your face. You usually need to choose between one or the other because they utilize different ingredients. For example: “Body tightening creams tend to do the opposite of face tightening creams,” says Dr. Collins.

Instead of hydrating the skin, the ingredient list usually contains dehydrating ingredients like caffeine which “provide a temporarily reduced appearance of creases on the skin,” adds Dr. Collins.

Read the ingredients

Well-formulated skin-tightening creams “include ingredients that build collagen or prevent the breakdown of collagen and antioxidants to help with cell regeneration,” says Dr. Collins. What to look for? Vitamin A derivatives like retinoids, collagen-boosting peptides, antioxidants like niacinamide, coenzyme Q10, and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and prevent collagen breakdown.

Dr. Collins warns that a sneaky ingredient in skin-tightening creams is sodium silicate, a constricting film that works like “saran wrap on your skin.” It causes a “very temporary” tightening effect that’ll give you instant benefits but not lasting ones. Unlike collagen-boosting retinoids or peptides, this ingredient won’t help your skin in the long term.

Manage your expectations

Not to sound like a broken record, but you can expect subtle results from a skin-tightening cream. And it likely won’t happen overnight (unless you’ve chosen a product that provides a temporary tightening effect). Dr. Lal says you likely won’t notice long-term results for at least 12 weeks and the maximum result you can expect is an itty-bitty one-millimeter reduction in skin looseness.

Oh, and plz take everyone’s reviews with a grain of salt because they’re nowhere near as reliable as a fancy clinical trial, and I wasn’t a fly on the wall to witness their before-and-afters—sadly.

• Kristina Collins, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist, CEO, and founder of Austin Skin dermatology in Texas. Dr. Collins specializes in Mohs micrographic surgery and surgical and cosmetic dermatology.
• Karan Lal, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist and the director of cosmetic dermatology at Affiliated Dermatology in Scottsdale, AZ. Dr. Lal specializes in pediatric and adult dermatology, laser surgery, and treating skin of color.

Siena Gagliano is an associate editor at Cosmopolitan who writes beauty, with over four years of experience writing in the makeup, skin, and hair spaces. She’s an expert at researching and writing makeup stories, like the top eyelash curlers and why hair gel on your eyebrows is the ultimate beauty hack. She consulted experts and dove into reviews and research on top-rated skin-tightening creams to recommend the best products.

Marisa Petrarca is a contributing beauty writer for Cosmopolitan with over five years of experience researching and writing about makeup, skin, and hair, ranging from how to clean your makeup brushes to face fillers.