I Was a Skeptic, But This Firming Gel Smoothed My Sagging Neck and Chest Skin In Under a Week

If I could go back in time, I’d tell my 20-something self two things: don’t over-pluck your eyebrows (that’s one Y2K beauty trend that should stay firmly in the past) and don’t forget to moisturize your neck and chest. Thanks to my hypervigilant skincare routine—which includes a generous layer of SPF 50+, daily, gentle cleansing, and a mix of my favorite anti-aging serums and moisturizers—my face looks nearly a decade younger than my 47 years. My neck and chest? Not so much, thanks to years of running outdoors year-round in scoop-neck tops, and well, gravity.

I would have continued to live the rest of my days in ignorance if it wasn’t for a recent facial that jolted me out of my neck neglect. After praising my dewy and youthful face, the no-nonsense aesthetician pointed out the slightly saggy, crepe-y skin below my chin and sternly said, “You need to moisturize this more.” Then, she slathered me with a copious amount of Alchimie Forever’s Firming Gel for Neck and Bust ($49), a cream designed specifically for smoothing and tightening delicate décolletage.

While I was initially skeptical about adding yet another cream to my growing daily rotation, it turns out you really do need a specialized product for your neck. Not only is its skin thinner and more delicate than that of the rest of your face, but the neck doesn’t produce as much collagen and elastin, making it more prone to wrinkling—especially as you age. Add in my very bad habit of working on my laptop while lounging in awkward positions on the sofa, which bad for my posture and can cause even *more* lines and wrinkles by way of “tech neck.”

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Sufficiently shamed, I splurged and purchased the $49, 8-ounce bottle of Alchimie Forever gel and noticed a significant change in my skin’s texture and appearance after just a week. The dermatologist-formulated cream is made with green tea and rosemary, natural antioxidants that help reduce the appearance of those telling fine lines, all while plumping and tightening delicate skin on the neck, chest, and even upper arms. Although the texture is opaque and thicker than a face or even body cream, it absorbs quickly and helps even out my skin tone, perfect for masking those little hyperpigmentation spots that pop up after being outdoors or during allergy season. It’s also super soothing—almost like an aloe–and I love applying it after a hot bath before bedtime because the smell is so pleasant and calming. And it’s vegan and cruelty-free, so I can apply it without feeling guilty about using something tested on animals or loaded with toxins.

One 8-ounce bottle lasts for several weeks, and I even started applying it to the backs of my hands, elbows, and any other spots that might betray my true age. If Nora Ephron was right, and “our faces are our lies and our necks are the truth,” with Alchimie Forever’s help, I’m hoping to atone for past neglect and keep up the deception a little longer.