I had to read it twice. A newsletter landed in my inbox, confidently introducing something called “GLP-1 skincare” — products that promise to restore facial volume if you’re using weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. For a moment, I almost admired the speed. The medical world is still trying to understand the full impact of these drugs on the face, while the cosmetics industry is already building a new category around it.
But then the journalist in me kicked in.
Because this is exactly where things start to blur — where a real biological change in the body gets translated into a cosmetic promise that sounds logical, but simply isn’t. And if we don’t pause for a second, we risk believing that a serum can fix something that fundamentally happens much deeper in the skin.
Let me explain what’s really going on — and what skincare can and cannot do when it comes to “Ozempic face.”
Fast read
- GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy often cause rapid fat loss in the face.
- Plastic surgeons increasingly report the phenomenon known as “Ozempic face”: hollow cheeks and sagging skin.
- New studies suggest GLP-1 use may also affect the quality of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), which are important for skin regeneration.
- Meanwhile, the cosmetics industry is introducing a new marketing term: “GLP-1 skincare.” Cosmetics cannot restore lost fat volume, but they can improve skin quality and make it feel firmer.
It sounds so tempting…
While doctors are struggling with what’s now called “Ozempic face,” the cosmetics industry is already trying to turn it into a new category: GLP-1 skincare. Recently, I received a newsletter enthusiastically promoting so-called GLP-1 skincare — products that claim to restore facial volume if you’re using weight-loss medication like Ozempic. It sounds tempting, but it’s simply not true.
GLP-1 skincare: serums packed with enhancers
The idea is simple. As more people start using weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic or Wegovy, the industry suggests that targeted skincare could help counteract the visible changes in the face. Informally, this is now being referred to as GLP-1 skincare. These products typically revolve around familiar ingredients: peptides, hyaluronic acid, retinoids, antioxidants — in other words, collagen boosters and skin-structure enhancers.
What happens in the skin?
The face contains multiple fat compartments that support the skin. When this fat disappears rapidly due to weight loss, the skin literally loses its underlying cushion. Some researchers suggest that GLP-1 medication may also affect adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) — stem cells found in fat tissue.
These cells play an important role in skin regeneration. They produce growth factors that stimulate fibroblasts, support collagen production, and help form hyaluronic acid. If the activity or quality of these cells declines, the skin may lose part of its ability to repair itself.
Holistic plastic surgeon Frank Niessen points to research in which disruptions in fat-derived stem cells, combined with the loss of dermal and subcutaneous fat layers, are mentioned as possible contributors to accelerated skin aging. It is still too early to draw firm conclusions, but the idea that weight-loss medication may also affect regenerative processes in the skin is being taken increasingly seriously.
The cosmetics industry responds — as it always does
As often happens with a new medical phenomenon, a cosmetic market quickly emerges around it. That’s also what makes this industry so fascinating. Serums and creams are now being marketed specifically for people using weight-loss medication, claiming to counteract volume loss and protect the skin from the effects of rapid weight loss.
But when you look at the ingredient lists, they typically consist of well-known compounds: hyaluronic acid, peptides, antioxidants, bakuchiol, and amino acids. Excellent ingredients for hydration and supporting skin condition, including collagen. But they share one clear limitation: they cannot restore lost fat volume. And, I dare say, they cannot repair damaged fat-derived stem cells either.
Don’t forget advanced glycation end products
It’s also important to realize that facial volume loss is only part of the story. Skin aging is not just about shrinking fat compartments or the breakdown of supportive structures like collagen and elastin. At the same time, a range of biochemical processes take place within the skin that determine how firm, elastic, and resilient the tissue remains.
One of the processes scientists have studied for years is glycation — a reaction in which sugars bind to proteins such as collagen and elastin. This leads to the formation of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGEs), molecules that make collagen fibers stiffer and less elastic.
Reconsider the food you eat
This process has long been studied by researchers such as Professor Helen Vlassara, who has spent decades investigating how AGEs contribute to aging and chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. According to her research, many AGEs originate from food, particularly when it is heavily processed or exposed to high heat.
When AGEs accumulate in the body — including in the skin — they can literally stiffen collagen fibers. The result: reduced flexibility, loss of elasticity, and a diminished ability of the skin to repair itself. Interestingly, glycation is one of the processes that can be measured particularly well in the skin, as shown in research by Andries Jan Smit (UMCG).
What do GLP-1 skincare products actually promise?
Looking at products currently positioned as “GLP-1 skincare,” one promise stands out: maintaining or restoring volume. But can a cream really solve volume loss and issues with fat-derived stem cells? Improving skin condition is possible — restoring volume is not.
- The Vol.u.lift 4D Skin Rebound Complex by Image Skincare combines ingredients such as bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid with silanol, the amino acid L-ornithine, and XOSM® technology with encapsulated antioxidants like ectoin and vitamin C. These ingredients support skin structure and the skin barrier, making the skin appear firmer and more plump. But it’s important to understand that this is not the same as restoring lost fat volume beneath the skin. I’m genuinely curious about this product.
- Another product often mentioned in this context is The Ordinary Volufiline 92% + Pal-Isoleucine 1% Serum. The active ingredient, Volufiline, is claimed to “plump” fat cells and create a filler-like effect. However, the scientific evidence is very limited and was originally focused on breast tissue. Even the brand itself confirms that there are no clinical studies demonstrating actual volume increase in the face beyond hydration effects.
- SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Ultra Serum is also frequently included in this trend, but in reality it targets glycation processes in collagen through ingredients such as proxylane and antioxidants. This can certainly help protect collagen structure, which is why it’s popular even among cosmetic doctors, but it does not affect fat loss or potential changes in fat-derived stem cells. I find this one very interesting as well.
- In The Peptide Serum by Dr. Barbara Sturm, biomimetic peptides such as acetyl octapeptide-3, acetyl tetrapeptide-2, and palmitoyl tripeptide-5 are used to support the skin matrix and stimulate collagen and elastin production. This can improve skin structure and make it feel firmer, but like similar serums, it does not address the loss of fat volume beneath the skin — the main driver behind “Ozempic face.”
In short, these products can improve skin quality — hydration, elasticity, perhaps a subtle firming effect — but they cannot solve the fundamental issue behind “Ozempic face”: the loss of fat volume and structural support in the face. Collagen resides in the skin, not in the fat layer. Sagging occurs in the skin, while volume loss occurs in the fat layer. The skin doesn’t sag because it suddenly becomes weak, but because the underlying fat cushion disappears. To address volume loss, you need treatments such as fillers, biostimulators, or lipofilling.
Do you have any questions about your skin, skincare? Or would you like to get in contact with us about collabs? Send us your email at info@beautyjournaal.nl
