Is Volufiline (the Everything-Plumping Serum) Too Good to Be True?

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I’m someone with very hollowunder eyes, but I’m apprehensive about tear-trough filler, so I’m always on the lookout for an alternative. One option that I’ve been seeing more of lately is Volufiline, a product that promises to stimulate fat cells. Supposedly, it works like this: Mix a drop or two with an oil-basedmoisturizer, apply it specifically to the area that you want to plump, and over time, the fat cells will increase in size and banish hollowness. There have also been claims that it can be used in place offiller on the lipsand that, when applied to the breasts, it can make them bigger.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t help but feel severely skeptical about this readily available, affordable serum that makesboobsbigger and can replace lip filler. I decided to investigate the product — what it actually is, if it can really plump the skin, and if it’s safe to use.

Volufiline is the patented name for the ingredient derived from the root of the plantAnemarrhena asphodeloides(which has been used traditionally in Chinese medicine). The product was originally formulated by the French companySaderma. To get scientific: “Volufiline is an oil-soluble sarsasapogenin that stimulates differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes (fat cells),” explainsDr. Angela Casey,a board-certified dermatologist and founder ofBright Girl. “Think of this as making fat cells more abundant and more perfect. This effect theoretically leads to the adipocytes being able to store more lipids, thereby becoming plumper and rendering more support and volume.” Casey stressed to me that the key word here wastheoretically, though, as there’s no significant clinical research into topical Volufiline.

Similarly tominoxidil, Volufiline only claims to work as long as you’re applying it. Stop applying it, and the effects will reverse. “To start off, these products are not intending to change anything permanently. They can’t by definition of a cosmetic,” saysDr. Fayne Frey, board-certified dermatologist and founder of skin-care information and selection serviceFryFace. So Volufiline is supposedly a fat-cell plumper, but to continue feeling the benefits, you’d have to use it for life.

All of the evidence of Volufiline’s effectiveness is anecdotal. And as for the science? My experts were skeptical. “There is abundant evidence of the limited ability of topical compounds to penetrate deeply into the skin,” explains Casey. “Some products or ingredients may travel a bit beyond the epidermis, into the superficial dermis, but rarely are able to go beyond. The mechanism of action of Volufiline involves stimulation of fat cells — the adipose, or fat, layer lies below the dermis of the skin; therefore, it is highly unlikely that a product applied topically can reach all the way to the adipose layer of the skin.”

Frey identifies Volufiline as simply the next in a long line of trending ingredients, a phenomenon she refers to as “angel dusting.” “Angel dusting is done with basic formulations: The manufacturing creates a good moisturizer and then they find this magical, exotic compound which espouses to fulfill some promise for the marketing.” Frey echoed Casey’s concerns that there is simply “no good double-blinded control science that validates any of Volufiline’s crazy claims.”

While I have seen Volufiline as an ingredient in other products (eye creams, for example), the form that’s gaining the most traction in skin-care circles are the bottles of pure Volufiline oil available onAmazonandYesStyle— with ostensibly zero links to Saderma itself. I was further confused when I discovered that Saderma, the brand that formulated and patented Volufiline, technically no longer exists; it was acquired by Croda Beauty over 20 years ago. Croda Beauty doesnot offer pure Volufilinestraight to consumers; instead, the only link available on its site is to an eye serum formulated with Volfiline as one ingredient among many others. Meanwhile, the Amazon-listed Volufiline comes from Cosmetic Boosters, a company I can find very limited information about beyond an address in Korea. Ultimately, and as Casey agrees, the whole thing is just very unregulated. “My concern is that many of the products on the market containing Volufiline are not regulated and there are very few objective, comprehensive clinical studies on these products and their active ingredients,” she says.

Sort of a bummer. So what can you use instead if you desire some added plumpness to your skin? “Look, healthy skin parallels a healthy body. A good night’ssleep, a healthy diet. As far as skin care goes, a good-quality moisturizer andsunscreen,” advises Frey. “It’s not the sexy answer, but it is the answer.”

You might feel a little frustrated if, like me, you do already have a pretty robust skin-care routine. That’s when you might want to opt for an in-office treatment, like a hyaluronic-acid filler, laser, or chemical peel. (“Medium-depth chemical peels, administered by a professional, have been demonstrated to penetrate into the dermis and strengthen thecollagenand elastic fibers that comprise skin,” explains Casey.)

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