Kiehl's 1cc CollaShot Plumping Serum Review on 4 Different Skin Types

Welcome to Just My Type, a monthly series in which Glamour editors test-drive the latest and greatest in makeup, hair, and skin care. No one has time for products that work against their natural features, so we try them across a range of skin tones, skin types, and hair textures. In this month’s installment, our editors review Kiehl’s newest serum launch. Read on to find out if it was just our type, because it might just be yours too.

Creases, wrinkles, and lines can be very sneaky. One day you notice that it’s taking a little longer for your skin to bounce back after a hysterical laughing fit with your friends, and suddenly those laugh lines are just chilling on your face, despite the fact that you are definitely not laughing. Maybe you’ve recently lost a significant amount of weight. Maybe your hormones are going crazy and taking it out on your skin. Or maybe you’re just stoically watching time pass by. Whatever the reason, the urge to run to your injector for a dose of filler can be particularly strong once you notice those fine lines transform into deeper creases and skin starts to sag. It’s an expensive habit because once you start and experience looking like a round-cheeked, angelic cherub out of a Renaissance painting, you have a hard time stopping. That post-filler-feeling is addictive, it’s expensive, and it’s something you probably don’t want to start doing until you’re able to keep at it consistently. So any product that promises it can have an impact on those lines and sagging without crushing your wallet in the interim looks pretty tempting. The good news: we think we’ve found a solid contender to help plump the skin and stave off a trip to the injector with the new Kiehl’s 1cc CollaShot Plumping Serum with Collagen and Peptides.

This juicy pink serum looks like bubblegum in a bottle, and it promises to make skin look and feel bouncy, targeting fine lines, wrinkles and areas of sagging skin. Here, we put it to the test on four different skin types and women of all ages. Read on for our honest takes on the product, how well it played with our various skin types and addressed concerns like fine lines, wrinkles and discoloration. Spoiler alert: It might make you rethink that filler appointment.

About the formula

First, let’s learn a little bit about how this wiggly jelly serum does what it claims to do. The Kiehl's 1cc CollaShot Plumping Serum has a lot to brag about, according to the brand, promising to increase skin elasticity for a more youthful, healthy-looking finish. It is a vivid hot pink gel—it looks like Disney princess goo (complimentary), and slides onto skin with a slinky (but not slippery) finish that leaves you soft and velvety. It sinks in pretty quickly too, and feels very cooling upon application, transforming from a gel to a liquid. Here’s a breakdown of some of the ingredients that make this antiaging serum more than just a pretty face.

• Recombinant collagen polypeptides: Works to restore bounce in dull, tired, and sagging skin
• Vitamin B12: Helps smooth uneven texture and add brightness to skin; this ingredient also gives it that fantasy pink color
• Rhamnose: Improves signs of aging like wrinkles and loss of firmness
• The formula features a supra-liposomal delivery system which is a proprietary method for giving you an instant skin-plumping finish.

The Reviews

Alanna Martine Kilkeary, commerce writer

• Skin type: Combination
• Skin concerns: Discoloration, redness, and acne scars around the nose and chin
• TL;DR: Alanna skipped her next facial appointment after using this regularly—her skin feels soft and fresh post-application, the perfect canvas for applying makeup.

“Whenever I come back from a facial appointment, that juicy, plump skin finish is unmatched. When my skin is this smooth and even-toned, my makeup glides without a hitch, without a pill or skip in sight. After testing this antiaging serum out for the past month, I’m stoked to say that it gives me the same type of texture: bouncy, ultra-soft, and my fine lines and acne scars look a lot less noticeable. I’m a fan of how fun the texture of this one is, too, it’s totally a bubblegum pink that reminds you of candy (or in my case, strep throat medicine but it was the one I loved as a kid, IYKYK). The consistency itself is jelly-like, which might make you worry about it being sticky, but it’s not in the slightest. After application, skin looks plumper, bouncier and fresher. It definitely did a great job of hydrating my skin, too, just like the feeling you’d get post-facial, and gives you a slightly glassy skin finish without making you look shiny or greasy. I’m skipping my next facial appointment after using this over the past four weeks, and I’d wager to bet, you would too.”—Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour commerce writer

Marie Louise Pumfrey, Glamour contributor

• Skin type: Sensitive skin
• Skin concerns: Dehydrated, cheek sagging
• TL;DR: This serum gave Marie a firmer, bouncy finish and actually made her look like she gets a full eight hours of sleep every night

“At 62, I’m always on the lookout for skincare that makes me look a little less tired, especially on those mornings when eight hours of sleep is more wishful thinking than reality. I’ve been using the Kiehl’s CollaShot Plumping Serum morning and evening, massaging a couple of pumps into my skin straight after cleansing. It’s incredibly easy to use, with a lovely lightweight texture that glides on, sinks in quickly and, importantly, doesn’t leave any of that annoying stickiness you sometimes get with serums. I love the pretty pink color, which comes from vitamin B12 rather than artificial dye. It also has a lovely fresh scent that doesn’t hang around, which suits me perfectly. There’s some clever science behind it, too. The formula contains collagen polypeptides, which are lab-produced, vegan versions of fragments found in human collagen, alongside rhamnose, an ingredient that helps target the visible signs of collagen loss. There’s also a delivery system designed to help the ingredients get into the upper layers of the skin. But enough of the science, let’s get to the real question: Does it actually do anything? Well, my skin certainly thinks so. It feels noticeably plumper and bouncier, almost as though it’s had a really big drink of water. Normally by mid-afternoon, my skin starts feeling tight and dry, and I’m reaching for a hydrating face spritz. Interestingly, I haven’t needed to do that since using this. My skin just feels comfortable and hydrated all day. Two weeks is obviously too soon to know whether it will make any difference to longer-term firmness, but so far I’m impressed. My skin looks fresher, feels softer, and has a bit more bounce to it. And frankly, anything that makes me look like I’ve had eight hours of sleep when I haven’t is staying on my bathroom shelf.”—Marie Louise, Glamour contributor

Malia Griggs, commerce editor

• Skin type: Sensitive skin
• Skin concerns: Enlarged pores, discoloration, and an oily T-zone
• TL;DR: Malia noticed more bounce and elasticity after using this, and loved how cooling and light it feels upon application—no stickiness or heaviness in sight.

“I have sensitive, dry skin that tends to lose some of its bounce and vibrancy as the weather gets colder. It soaks up moisture like a dying plant, so I’m always interested in products that promise a little extra plumping. I’ve been using the Kiehl’s serum for almost a month now, and I was surprised by how much I noticed it working—or at least felt it working—from the first application. The serum has a lightweight, salmon-pink gel texture that goes on clear, with a slightly slippery consistency that reminds me of snail mucin. It feels immediately cooling on my face, but there’s also a subtle zing across the surface of my skin after I apply it, which I wasn’t expecting. It absorbs without leaving my face feeling sticky or weighed down, and my skin looks noticeably more hydrated and plump afterward. I can’t say I’ve seen a reduction in fine lines or wrinkles, but my skin does seem to have a little more bounce and elasticity than it did before.”—Malia Griggs, Glamour commerce editor

Megan McIntyre, Glamour contributor

• Skin type: Dry
• Skin concerns: Saggy jawline, smile lines
• TL;DR: The serum layered well under multiple products and Megan saw an improvement in her smile lines and saw overall improvement in skin plumpness

“As a needle-averse person (read: I faint when I see a syringe), I respect the concept of Botox and fillers but it’s never been something I’ve been able to do myself. So my dynamic lines (a.k.a. the wrinkles that are caused by facial expressions) have slowly been getting more pronounced over the years, as wrinkles are prone to do. I wasn’t expecting a lot from this serum—topical products can only do so much to your skin structure—but I found myself impressed with the results I saw after a month of consistent use. The springy, Pepto pink jelly spreads easily on the skin and sinks in instantly, so no sticky or tacky feel. Considering I apply a toner, essence, serum, moisturizer, and cream (plus SPF during the day), that was a massive plus in its favor. It has a watery feel once it spreads on the skin which is refreshing, especially if your skin is dehydrated. My skin looked temporarily plumper and smoother after application, so I really liked it as my daytime serum for that visible bouncy boost. As for my smile lines, I noticed a subtle improvement in their depth—they may not be erased but I’ll take any improvement I can get at this age."—Megan McIntyre, Glamour contributor