Although we haven’t quite experienced a skin rebirth – as Avon’s marketing materials promise – our skin has definitely been transformed over the course of this seven-day treatment.
We’re impressed with how much tighter our skin looks and feels and, while it’s impossible to know what the equivalent of seven years’ of collagen loss looks like, the fact we’ve seen such a visible difference in just a week suggests that the claims surrounding Avon’s Plumping Shots aren’t hyperbole.
As Protinol helps restore collagen loss, the benefits are most profound in 30+ skin – we’re 33 – so we can only imagine how great the differences would be on older skin.
At a retail price of £18, Avon’s Plumping Shots aren’t the cheapest of products. Plus, given their size, you could be fooled into thinking you’ve overpaid.
However when you compare this to the cost of a superb facial, it’s good value with the bonus of longer lasting results!
| Avon | £15 |
| Amazon | £15.75 |
Avon is a highly underrated makeup and skincare behemoth in the UK, offering affordable products that punch well above their weight (you can read more in our Avon Brand Spotlight) – so our interest was piqued when given the chance to write an in-depth Avon Anew Skin Reset Plumping Shots review.
Containing a breakthrough, clinically tested ingredient* called Protinol, Avon claims its latest skincare discovery has been proven to restore both types of collagen found in healthy skin, helping to “mimic the perfect collagen equilibrium found in baby skin.”
Avon is so bold with its claims, that it markets the Plumping Shots as being able to restore “seven years of collagen in seven days.”
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FURTHER READING: What is retinol and what does retinol do for your skin? | Retinol for beginners
Before and after photos from Avon’s Anew Skin Reset Plumping Shots
On sale now via the Avon website, the Anew Plumping Shots retail for £18, but are very often on offer for £15.
For this price, you get an Avon Anew Skin Reset Plumping Shots skincare kit with seven capsules that contain the maximum concentration of Protinol in each one.
READ NEXT: Best neck creams to help with sagging skin
WHAT IS PROTINOL?
“Collagen is responsible for the texture and quality of skin in babies,”Avon’s Head of Research and Development Anthony Gonsalez told mamabella.
“In baby skin, when collagen levels are in their prime, both collagen 1 and 3 are present in equal proportions, working together in perfect harmony. But even in your childhood, your skin is already losing this optimum collagen balance.
During independent testing, conducted on real skin, Protinol was found to restore the collagen ratio to that of younger skin.
When used daily, Avon promises that this system is so effective, it “restores seven years of collagen loss in just seven days”.
As you can read in our How to prevent wrinkles guide, collagen is a protein that helps give skin its supporting structure. You can think of it like scaffolding.
Collagen binds the skin together and strengthens it, making up around 80% of your skin, yet as we age, collagen levels drop and this is what leads to our skin sagging and becoming wrinkly.
More specifically, there are two main types of collagen – collagen 1 and collagen 3. Collagen 3 (otherwise known as ‘baby collagen’, because of its presence in infant skin) provides the framework that collagen 1 binds onto.
The two types of collagen need each other to function efficiently and collagen makes up nearly 80% of the skin.
Consequently, collagen is the most critical structural protein in our skin, yet it decreases at around 1% a year from around the age of 25.
This is why even people in their mid-20s are said to have mature skin and are encouraged to start using measures to prevent wrinkles.
After the initial seven-day treatment, Avon recommends using the shots at least once a month to maintain the collagen levels.
Avon also adds that there is enough product in each shot to cover your neck and décolletage, as well as your face.
Buy now from AvonTo put Avon’s bold claims to the test, we did as the brand suggests – we spent seven days applying Avon’s Skin Plumping shots every morning as part of our daily face care routine.
It was the only product we changed in our routine, to make sure the results weren’t skewed.
Using one capsule a day, we gently massaged the shots into our face, neck and décolletage (the fancy name for our chest and boob skin).
This skin is particularly susceptible to wrinkling because its thinner than on your face.
It also has fewer muscles and other “scaffolding” beneath it to give it elasticity.
You can read more about this in our best neck cream guide.
We have sensitive skin so our usual routine consists of using Simple face wipes alongside the Simple Light Moisturiser.
Due to this sensitivity we tend to avoid adding too many products to this mix, and we’re hesitant when it comes to introducing a new product entirely.
As a result, we were a little hesitant about using Avon’s Anew Skin Reset Plumping Shots.
Especially because traditional retinol products have, in the past, enhanced this sensitivity and made our skin worse. We explain more about why retinol is so great, but why it needs to be introduced gradually, in our What is retinol and what does it do to the skin? guide.
Thankfully, after seven day’s use, not only did the Plumping Shots fit in well with our overall routine, we didn’t experience any flare ups or extra sensitivity and we have both seen and felt definite improvements in our skin.
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Avon’s new breakthrough patented ingredient, Protinol, is said to work to restore both collagen 1 and collagen 3, bringing them closer to that optimal ratio found in baby skin.
We’re not entirely sure what the exact formula of Protinol is (Avon, unsurprisingly, doesn’t want to give away its secrets!) but the shots themselves are a little thicker than water, but not quite as thick as regular retinol and other anti-ageing serums we’ve used.
This lightweight liquid feels great on the skin, it’s cooling and is absorbed quickly with minimal massaging. This helps reduce the chances of damaging your skin from pulling it or pinching it.
READ NEXT: Best anti-ageing creams for fine lines and wrinkles
When followed with moisturiser, we found it left our face with that ‘just had a facial’ feel. This is why we’re particularly excited by the fact that Avon has released an Anew Day, and Night cream that both contain this wonder ingredient. Every little helps, after all!
The capsules are so small, our initial reaction was that there was no way this small amount of product was going to cover our face, neck and décolletage. However, having started off on day one using the product sparingly, we soon realised there was plenty to go around.
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Each pack of Avon Plumping Shots comes with seven individual capsules
Avon recommends you apply each shot to freshly cleansed skin, using one shot a day for seven days.
The product should be massaged gently into your face, neck and décolletage. After allowing the product to absorb completely, Avon then recommends (unsurprisingly) following it with their Anew skincare regime. In particular, its Skin So Soft range, which we can vouch for as being a great product.
The instructions in the box, however, simply say to follow with moisturiser so we have been using our normal Simple moisturiser. We shall soon be using the Anew Platinum creams with Protinol in place of this moisturiser to see what a difference it makes.
The product comes in individual capsules which you flick the top of to ensure there isn’t any liquid trapped in the top.
You then snap this top off and pour the clear liquid onto your fingers to massage into the skin.
It took us a good couple of days to get the hang of actually getting the product out of the capsule – opening them for one thing is much more tricky than it should be! – which essentially involves flicking the top off with your thumb before lightly tapping onto your fingers!
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Lisa McKenzie/mamabella After seven days, the visible wrinkles and fine lines around the eyes were more shallow in appearance and the eyelid skin was tighter
After seven days using the Avon Plumping Shots, our skin felt smoother, better hydrated and areas such as the forehead and décolletage were noticeable tighter.
There was also an improvement in the depth and spread of lines around our eyes (pictured above).
In fact, many of these results started appearing after just 48 hours!
By day two, some of our wrinkles, particularly those on our neck and chest (pictured below), were far less noticeable in appearance and by day seven the improvement was visible all over.
By day two, some wrinkles, particularly those on the neck and chest (pictured), were far less noticeable in appearance and by day seven the improvement was visible all over
Beyond the fact our wrinkles and fine lines were less visible, and our skin felt tighter, Avon’s Plumping Shots also left us with a much improved skin texture and appearance.
The added hydration from the Plumping Shots gave our skin a fresh, youthful complexion and we’ve been complimented regularly on it.
Beyond the fact wrinkles and fine lines were less visible, Avon’s Plumping Shots also left us with a much improved skin texture and appearance
Although we haven’t quite experienced a skin rebirth – as Avon’s marketing materials claim – our skin has definitely been transformed over the course of this seven-day treatment.
We’re impressed with how much tighter our skin looks and feels and, while it’s impossible to know what the equivalent of seven year’s of collagen loss looks like, the fact we’ve seen such a difference in just a week suggests to us that the claims surrounding Avon’s Plumping Shots aren’t hyperbole.
The only product we’ve used recently that has come close to the noticeable difference caused by Avon’s Plumping Shots is the silicone skin patches from Oia Skin. You can read more in our Oia Skin patch review.
As Protinol helps restore collagen loss, the benefits are most profound in 30+ skin – we’re 33 – so we can only imagine how great the differences would be on older skin.
It’s also rare for a product to make a noticeable difference in seemingly reversing the signs of ageing. So many simply delay wrinkles, and this makes it incredibly difficult to quantify and know how your skin would have looked if you hadn’t used it.
At a retail price of £18, Avon’s Plumping Shots aren’t the cheapest of products. And they only last a week for this price, whereas you may be able to get a more expensive cream or serum, but it lasts for weeks or months at a time. Plus, given their size, you could be fooled into thinking you’ve overpaid.
However, when you compare this to the cost of a superb facial, it’s good value with the bonus of longer-lasting results!
You can buy Anew Skin Reset Plumping Shots at avon.uk.com or through a local independent Avon representative.
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*Avon’s clinical testing was carried out by dermatology research scientist Dr Ardeshir Bayat at The University of Manchester.
Lisa is a curly-haired redhead mum of two who graduated from Bournemouth University with a degree in Law. When she’s not testing skin and hair care, and writing beauty articles, you will find her baking up a storm in the kitchen over at Bake Along with Lisa
