NECK & DÉCOLLETÉ TREATMENT
Since we started Beauty Bible 26 years ago, the need to give skin below the jawline the same TLC as our faces has become recognised and accepted. Possibly less well known is that this area benefits from specialised treatment because the fragile tissue is different from our faces – and often just as exposed to the elements. So, while it’s great to sweep face preps down to the chest, you will tend to see greater visible difference with targeted products like the three Award winners below.
Please remember that the key with any neck cream is to be completely religious about it: ideally every night and morning, rather than every so often.... And prevention, as ever, is better than cure, in the form of UV protection for this vulnerable area – so ensure that any daily or holiday SPF you apply covers you down to your undie-line.
GOLD AWARD StriVectin TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream PLUS
From a US biomedical brand based on the work of biochemist team Myron and Elaine Jacobson, this am/pm formula comes from their Tighten & Lift collection, formulated to target elastin and improve elasticity for visibly tighter, lifted, toned skin. According to the brand, this bestselling cream features the breakthrough Gravitite-CF Lifting Complex™ to improve skin elasticity and provide visible lift, while smoothing the appearance of horizontal neck lines and sagging. Botanically-derived Brightening Complex helps even skin tone on the décolleté while patented NIA-114™ technology strengthens the skin barrier. Their consumer evaluations show 90% improvement in all parameters. Our testers were very impressed and delighted – and mostly very surprised…
£79 for 50ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. This thick cream is a must to avoid the old lady crinkly neck and décolleté that can sneak up on you! From the first application, this product instantly softened, firmed and nourished my skin. After 28 days neck and décolleté much smoother, skin more supple, firmer and the crépeyness held at bay. The most impactful improvement was the firmness round my jaw line and the crease line under my chin. I have had a few comments on my face looking thinner, which is interesting and wonder if this is the jaw line impact?’ • ‘10/10. The texture was a comfortable whipped cream texture that was easy to smooth over my neck. It sunk in super fast and it was quite interesting as it felt like my skin was so dry and quickly soaked up this product. There were no greasy residue or stickiness - major bonus for me. The morning after I first used this, my neck appeared clearer and cleaner - lighter in colour as I have some discolouring on my neck. I had a lot of uneven skin, sagging, discolouration/pigmentation, roughness/bumps from over plucking, and general signs of ageing on my neck and I was pleasantly surprised just how effective this cream was on firming up my skin on my neck. I'm a bit speechless and can't really explain, but this product was instantly effective and I just can't imagine now not having this product in my skincare routine. This is definitely in my best Top 3 products of the year. All the claims are right with this product! Magic in a jar’ • ‘A wonder product for a neglected area. I have never even considered using a product specifically for neck and décolleté before but now I have used this I can see why it's so important. I followed the directions carefully, smoothing as instructed and am so surprised and impressed by the results. I would definitely repurchase but still have some left as a little really goes a long way. I wish I had discovered this earlier. It feels like one of those products that should be used from as early on as a night cream or serum to really get the best effects’ • ‘IT'S A MIRACLE!! I don't think I realised how the skin on my neck looked until it started looking better! I suddenly could see that the texture was so much better and the fine lines across it were improving. My décolleté was really quite patchy looking with bumps and very dull. This has really improved with smoother looking skin and reduction in bumps and spots’ • ‘I think my neck does look younger. The lines are still there but not as deep and the skin across my neck and décolleté is smoother and more radiant. I haven’t had specific compliments about my neck but it would be a weird for someone to say, " oh your neck looks less like an old paper bag!!” which it does’ • ‘I was shocked. I could not believe it. The lines on my décolleté that I had for a long time were literally all gone, I am not even kidding - there was nothing. Which made me wonder how dehydrated my chest area mush have been and whether that sleeping in a different position had made such a massive difference.’ My neck was softer and the lines were still there but I was just wowed with the décolleté area.
£79 for 50ml - click to buy
SILVER AWARD Gatineau Defi Lift Firming Neck & Décolleté Gel
This promises to rejuvenate the delicate skin on the neck and décolleté area, leaving it instantly smoother, firmer, toned and tightened. It contains a bunch of natural ingredients including sorghum bicolor stalk juice to provide an immediate tightening effect, which testers said they could feel. Then – wait for it! – there are extracts of Kappaphycusk Alvarezii and Caesalpinia Spinosa fruit to give a noticeable lifting and wrinkle smoothing effect, from the first application. Plus a carb complex – saccharide isomerate – for instant long lasting hydration so skin feels smooth and soft. It’s designed to apply with gentle upward strokes am/pm, before or in place of your moisturiser on that area. This made our testers very happy, as you can see below.
£54 for 50ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘I opted to trial this product on the left side of my neck and bosom. This area underwent surgery in June 21 for a lumpectomy and a course of radiotherapy in Nov 21 and has since shown signs of swelling (water retention) and sun damaged skin from the radiotherapy. The gel was a dream to apply and was absorbed extremely quickly. My skin seemed to drink it up. The progress was incremental. After a few days use the skin started to look smoother and softer. By the time I finished the tube my skin was looking so much better - wrinkles and fine lines had reduced in number and size and my skin appeared more youthful. A real confidence boost for me. Dull areas of skin had started to look as if they had a reinjection of life and the overall appearance was younger looking skin. For me the contrast between left and right side had become less dramatic and applying the product with a rolling action had also helped to stimulate the lymph. The product exceeded my expectations. My husband commented on the visible improvement and suggested I continue using the product given the positive feel good impact it was having’ • ‘The product literally melted into my skin and was absorbed and dries immediately. No greasy residue or stickiness was felt afterwards. The morning after the first use I was very surprised to see such a difference on my décolleté. It was still moisturised and feeling soft and hydrated. After 28 days of use, the crêpeyness has actually fully disappeared! I mean totally gone. Sunspots have dramatically reduced and my skin looks hydrated and moisturised and much younger. My neck and in particular my décolleté looks so much better and younger. My neck is more elastic and my décolleté has transformed from starting to look old and crêpey to moisturised, hydrated and nourished’ • ‘A great product, you can really feel it tightening the skin. After 28 days, my neck and décolleté looked tighter and firmer. Instructions and ingredients are easy to read. It’s nice to have a product, which is not over packaged in these days of waste and environmental awareness’ • ‘the product is a thin gel, which spreads easily and has a lovely fragrance. I’ve never used a special neck product before and was really impressed as to how this product performed.
£54 for 50ml - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD and BEST NATURAL ThisWorks Perfect Cleavage Firming Lotion
A bit of an icon this and still one of ThisWorks founder Kathy Phillips must-have products for a delicious décolleté. Multi-award winning Perfect Cleavage was one of the first and best products to target this area. The key natural actives are larch extract to help tighten slack skin, anti-inflammatory marine algae and vitamin C to help brighten skin stimulate collagen production so skin is plumper and more glowing. It should also help reduce dark spots and pigmentation. The fragrance is natural, and the product is vegan and cruelty free. We’re delighted to see new testers echoing the findings of predecessors in 2019 and 2020, when Perfect Cleavage won BB Awards.
£38 for 60ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. I have some lines, crêpeyness and wrinkling both on my neck and décolleté. The first day the area felt nice and smooth and hydrated. It was a pump dispenser so very easy to get the right amount, very easy to apply nice creamy texture smoothed in very easily and was absorbed quickly no greasy residue or stickiness. I liked that it had a natural fragrance with pure essential oils. After 28 days my neck definitely felt pampered using this product and fine lines and wrinkling were less pronounced; at the end my neck was more supple as well. It was much better than my usual products: the texture was richer and thicker and it felt more hydrating and that it was doing some good. I have tried a few in the this works range and this is by far my favourite - another product that I looked forward to using and was sad when it was empty’ • ‘First day I Woke up to super soft supple skin on my chest. Really, really impressed with this. No creasing or crepiness or oiliness at all. After 28 days, I think this is about as good as it gets really. Left the skin on my neck and chest super moisturised and supple. Skin looked more refined and more 'expensive' looking somehow as if I'd had daily hour-long massages. Fine lines were diminished and skin felt plumper, fresher and more 'lifted'. My skin definitely had a glow. I will definitely by purchasing this product - You owe it to yourself to give it a go! ’ • ‘I have never used a neck & décolleté product before; I just use the other products that I use on my face and extend their use onto both my neck and upper bosom area. The first morning after use my skin on my cleavage felt softer and smoother. After 28 days, my neck looks younger and feels smoother to the touch. My décolleté area on the whole looks a lot better, refreshed and feels smoother however there are some red angry small lumps that have appeared in this area that weren't there before using the product. I would buy this cream because I saw a noticeable change in the brightness of my skin in this area and a reduction in fine lines. My skin in this area also felt nourished and more supple’ • ‘I have been so impressed with this cream. The bottle is white with a pink font that is easy to read. It's very plain and simple but don't let this deceive you or put you off because it is not a bland product. The website claims that the cream is "a targeted youth-boosting formula to protect and perfect delicate skin on the neck and chest area." That is exactly what it does. I had started to notice some age lines appear on my neck and cleavage area and since applying this cream twice daily those lines have significantly reduced. This area looks brighter and feels well-moisturised and supple’ • ‘I do think there is an improvement in my skin. It looks moisturised and the wrinkles in my neck have improved. I'm bad at moisturising my neck and chest and always mean to, so I'm hoping that having a dedicated product will help. The scent doesn't linger which is good and it leaves my skin feeling nice. A little goes a long way, which is also good; you don't speed through the product! ’ • ‘The main results were based on my chest being slightly wrinkly immediately after waking up. The product was effective in adding elasticity to my chest area - I didn't notice any where near as much wrinkling after using the product for a month. I think that the results are due to the fact that this is a much richer moisuriser than I would ever put on my face. This targeted approach really worked for my chest and I would continue to use this product to prevent more permanent creases on my chest.’
£38 for 60ml - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD Emma Hardie Lift & Sculpt Firming Neck Treatment
This rich, hydrating neck and décolleté serum from a much loved British brand contains patented Liftonin®-Xpert 3% which helps to boost collagen plus Neodermyl® 2% "needle free" collagen and elastin filler that helps to improve skin density and firmness. More familiar ingredients are a super moisturising omega 3, 6 and 9 complex of inca inchi oil and raspberry seed oil plus hyaluronic acid to leave the skin looking nourished, firmer and plumper. The USP of the delivery system is an inbuilt roller at the bottom of the tube, designed to massage in the serum in long strokes from chin to chest. Most testers love it, as we all do, but one tester really didn't and marked it down on that.
£65 for 40ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. I have some crêpeyness and roughness in that area and dry skin. I like the texture, it's very pleasant to use and it sinks in well, leaving the skin clean and soft with no greasy residues. The first morning I noticed that my skin is very soft and feels firmer. After 28 days, I can see some visible effects, skin condition definitely improved, looking so much more healthy, smooth and radiant. It absolutely looks younger, smoother and better. I have had compliments! I really love using this product; I like the results and will definitely buy it again. A must have for neck and décolleté’ • ‘This is a fantastic product that I didn’t even know I needed in my life. In my early 40s and starting early development of turkey neck, this product has not only improved the situation, it seems to have stopped my problem from getting any worse. I noticed a significant difference in my slowly developing turkey neck, the skin appeared less crêpey and more firm. My neck looks much younger and smoother, it is firmed up and the skin seems tighter’ • ‘I loved the built in applicator with this neck serum; it was such a joy to massage it in and actually made it much simpler and quicker to use. It felt cooling and soothing with instant softness to the area’ • ‘Neck area felt so much smoother, skin tone improved and felt more refined; it had a very fresh clean pleasant fragrance, which almost smelled cooling, and minty’ • ‘Definitely feel there has been some improvement after using twice daily. Skin feels moisturised and hydrated; my lines look slightly lighter’ • ‘The first thing that was noticeable was the softness of my neck. It felt nicely smooth to touch. After 28 days, the one most visible and noticeable improvement would be my neck's and décolletage’s softness, smoothness and hydration. Especially on my décolletage it was visible that the skin looked healthier and impressively got a bit glow. I would definitely say that using the roller did the trick (and was also pleasurable) and improved my skin looks. I would say that within 2 weeks the dullness of my décolletage was visibly reduced. I was also happy with the tone - almost like the skin got a bit more live, the yellowish, unhealthy tones disappeared and my skin looked rejuvenated and more radiant, I am really pleased with that. The softness of my skin was incredible.’
£65 for 40ml - click to buy