Going makeup free is more popular than it has been in some time; just look at the attention Pamela Anderson is getting for her fresh-faced stance.
Even makeup bases are sheerer than ever, with skin tints and bronzy SPF overtaking the popularity of full-coverage formulas. Forgoing your concealer or foundation is effortless for some people but for others, cosmetics provide a security blanket that’s hard to relinquish.
Feeling great about your skin is easier when it’s in its best condition possible.
While protecting and caring for skin can be as simple as regular use of moisturiser and SPF, working to improve skin condition is an idea that has also given rise to the development of a new generation of professional aesthetic treatments.
What are skin boosters?
Called skin boosters, the treatments use micro-injections of hyaluronic acid and amino acids designed to revitalise skin texture and offer deep, quenching hydration without changing facial structure, freezing movement or looking too noticeable.
“Skin boosters are injectable treatments – typically hyaluronic acid (HA) formulations – designed to improve skin hydration, radiance, elasticity, and texture by distributing small amounts of HA into the superficial dermis,” explains plastic surgeon Dr Mark Kohout.
Hyaluronic acid is also traditionally used in many volumising dermal fillers but in skin boosters they are a different consistency, and spread evenly within skin rather than staying in one area.
“They do not add visible volume but hydrate from within, smoothing fine lines and creating what has been described as glowing complexion,” says Dr Kohout.
Queza Bernardo, Registered Nurse and Medical Team Leader at The Face Place skin clinic, says skin boosters provide an option for those who would like to look the best for their age but do not want neuromodulators that use botulinum toxin to freeze movement, or dermal filler treatments like those used for plumping lip or cheek filler. “[These products offer] rejuvenation of fine lines without adding volume to the face, and risking the ‘pillow face’ look,” she says.
While there are some products that provide benefits that cross over between skin booster treatments and similar injectables called ‘biostimulators’, each provides different benefits depending on what they are made of according to Dr Kohout, which can lead to confusion about expected results.
Noticeable results
“Skin boosters provide immediate hydration and luminosity via HA molecules; effects are noticeable quickly and usually last around six months,” he clarifies. “Biostimulators include substances like polylactic acid (e.g. Sculptra), calcium hydroxylapatite (Radiesse), or polynucleotides (e.g. Rejuran) that stimulates your body’s collagen and elastin production over weeks to months. These improve skin structure, firmness, and texture long-term – usually lasting 12-24 months.” Early descriptions of skin boosters as ‘injectable moisturisers’ are slightly outdated and oversimplified, he says.
“Modern skin boosters offer more than moisturisation: they improve skin texture, elasticity, subtle firmness, and even collagen synthesis when hybrid formulas are used,” he says. “Unlike topical moisturisers [applied externally to skin], they work within the dermis (the collagen layer) for deeper, longer-lasting improvement.”
Common misconceptions
For those interested in the treatments, he says it’s important to understand what’s possible, and terminology overlap between ‘fillers’, ‘boosters’, and ‘biostimulators’ sometimes contributes to confusion.
“Some may expect volume or contour change in their face leading to disappointment. Others assume results are instant,” he says. “This is generally true only with boosters.
With biostimulators, improvements are gradual.” This is because the latter stimulates skin’s own production of collagen, which happens over time.
While treating skin laxity is one benefit mentioned by some brands of biostimulators, it’s important to be aware of the limitations. Dr Kohout says they are unlikely to lift sagging skin dramatically.
At the Face Place, Queza Bernardo says care is taken to understand what each patient’s skin goals are, coupled with their medical history and the time they are willing to invest in their treatment journey. Then, a choice is made together on which product to use. The clinic offers treatments including Sunekos, Profhilo and SkinVive among its stable of offerings. While each has slightly different benefits and risk profiles, each includes adding hydration among its aims.
She says Sunekos, which includes amino acids along with hyaluronic acid in its composition, works by “giving your skin cells what it needs to perform at a youthful level”.
It stands out because it is able to target areas where other skin boosters and biostimulators aren’t approved for use.
“Sunekos can treat the full face, upper and lower eyelids, neck, decolletage and back of the hands. The most in-demand area is the upper and lower eyelids, especially for patients who have dark under eyes, or crepey upper eyelids.” It can also target smokers’ lines around the mouth without adding volume.
A growing area gaining new brands and formulations all the time, the global skin boosters market size was estimated at $1.36 billion USD in 2024 and is projected to reach $2.82 billion USD by 2030, according to a report from Grand View Research.
One area many aesthetic experts have flagged as an increasing focus in recent times is the impact of weight-loss medications on facial skin and appearance.
Colloquially referred to as ‘Ozempic Face,’ the result of facial fat loss, skin thinning and sagging as a result of taking GLP-1 medications, the condition is referred to by both Dr Kohout and Bernardo as an area that may be addressed by modern injectables such as skin boosters and
biostimulators.
“Biostimulators help by stimulating collagen and dermal thickness, improving texture where fat volume has declined,” says Dr Kohout. He says they help build skin quality over time, though these injectables will not restore fat loss. Fat volume restoration would require a surgical
option such as fat grafting, he says.
Both experts also pointed to a future where a combination of treatments is likely to be a common aesthetic approach.
Facing the future
“Multi-modal treatments to achieve natural, well-balanced results are the way forward. There is no single treatment that can give you this,” says Bernardo. She says that in-clinic, some patients are opting for a combination of regenerative treatments to achieve different effects. “For example, they’re using anti-wrinkle medication to target the downwards pulling muscles on the face, using skin boosters, then finishing off with a course of EMFACE – delivering synchronised RF and high-intensity facial electrical stimulation (HIFES) for a natural lift and glowing, radiant skin,” says Bernardo.
Dr Kohout also suggests that we will likely hear more about the rising popularity of polynucleotides (salmon-derived DNA injectables) for regeneration such as Rejuran and using combinations, such as exosome facials, PRF (Platelet-Rich Fibrin) / PRP (Platelet-Rich Plasma) treatments, lasers and biostimulator ‘stacking’ for optimal, synergistic results.
