Best anti-cellulite formulas for a sleeker silhouette: Creams, serums and oils
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Let’s begin by clearing up a pervasive beauty myth: no cream, lotion or oil is going to ‘cure’ cellulite.
Driven more by marketing that science, anti-cellulite products made some wild claims when they started arriving on beauty shelves around two decades ago. And while today those assertions have thankfully been reigned in, there’s still a common misconception that slapping something on your thighs every evening will give you the svelte legs of a supermodel.
That said, armed now with a better understanding of what cellulite actually is combined with the reassurance that it’s a completely normal part of the body’s appearance, we can reap achievable benefits delivered by products that instead can help smooth, tone and firm wobbly bits and bumps.
“First, cellulite is completely natural and normal; second, it has nothing to do with your size or shape,” explains Kate Shapland, former Vogue and Telegraph beauty journalist, who has channelled her wisdom into Legology, an award-winning range of products focused on bodycare from the waist down. “Cellulite is about what’s going on around the fat cells, not inside them. It happens when fluid collects in the spaces between fat cells (a completely natural phenomenon) and pushes the cells out of alignment, so the unevenness that manifests on the skin’s surface is evidence of the displaced fat cells underneath.”
That’s why cellulite most often appears in the fleshiest parts of the body, be it the bottom or the thighs, although it can be spotted in areas such as the upper arms. Shapland points out that cellulite can look different place to place too, from only being visible when skin is pinched to appearing more obvious.
While there are simple steps you can take to help counteract cellulite by keeping the lymph (your body’s natural waste disposal system) moving, such as daily body brushing and drinking plenty of water, applying a carefully formulated body treatment can make subtle improvements by smoothing and strengthening the skin’s outer layers for a firming effect.
“Cellulite cannot necessarily be completely resolved with a firming or toning product unless these products also deliver real deep drainage benefits as well,” adds Shapland. “However, firming, toning and smoothing products definitely help to improve on the appearance of cellulite and – importantly – self-confidence.
“Very often women with early or lesser signs of cellulite find that a great toning, firming or exfoliating product can be all the help they need to feel more positive about their bodies and cellulite. Women with more developed cellulite definitely need to use a specific deep drainage oil or cream and take a lifestyle approach to managing cellulite if they want to improve on it. If those products have added firming, toning or smoothing benefits it’s a bonus.”
Find out more below
Inlight Firm & Tone Oil
Handmade in the UK and certified 100 per cent organic by the Soil Association, the Inlight range is based around a green chemistry approach where nature meets science.
For this highly concentrated toning oil, the powerful natural ingredients include stimulating ginger and purifying burdock plus astringent herbs, all working in harmony to tackle water retention while improving the elasticity of the skin.
The oil won’t leave behind a sticky or greasy feel, but you’ll want to take your time to massage it in, which in turn helps boost the draining benefits and results. The delicate geranium and ylang ylang scent is a real mood-booster too.
Tata Harper Resurfacing Body Serum
It may swing a hefty price tag but this cooling, milky fluid is rich in the kind of premium-quality skincare ingredients that are usually reserved for the face.
Vitamin A (the source of retinol) taken from cacay oil helps skin cells regenerate, while willow bark and an AHA superfruit blend encourage dead cells to be sloughed away. Kakadu plum, rich in vitamin C, helps brighten skin; hyaluronic acid has a plumping effect; and pomegranate and orange extracts add a smoothing feel.
The result is a serum that absorbs quickly but brings brightening, softening and plumping results that make skin look and feel better instantly and long term.
Susanne Kaufmann Toning Body Serum
A little of this silky gel - formulated with locally-sourced ingredients from Susanne’s home in the Alps - goes a long way and despite being almost watery in texture, it delivers an intensive hit of moisture instantly. Hydrating ingredients including rockrose and moth bean extract leave skin soft and plumped out while also strengthening the natural moisture barrier.
There’s also a complex made up of caffeine, tiger grass and boldo extracts to help the skin feel more supple and boost metabolism to drain excess fluids. The formula is clincally proven to help bolster firmness and elasticity too, reducing the bumpy way cellulite can look.
Mio Smooth Move Cellulite Body Cream With Niacinamide
This light, fresh-feeling cream is geared towards elevating overall skin health and by extension, assisting in tackling the appearance of cellulite. The treatment uses caffeine for its powerful stimulating and firming benefits, alongside spirulia to help strengthen the skin so it becomes more toned.
To get the brilliant hydrating benefits, red marine algae and monk’s pepper berries – which also have a protective antioxidant effect – have been added as well. Infusing a much richer, more nourishing feel into the skin than the light texture would have you think, this is ideal for achieving a fast, softening effect when you need to get dressed quickly afterwards.
Wildsmith Skin Toning Body Serum
Working on the support of microcirculation within the skin and how boosting that can help with overall tone and texture lie at the heart of this creamy serum. The natural ingredients include capsaisin from chilli pepper, so there’s a cool sensation followed by a warm one as blood and lymph flow are stimulated to help drain and smooth out areas of cellulite.
The effect also gives you a bit of pep to your step so you feel less sluggish overall, meaning it’s ideal for applying in the morning and recommended before exercise too. For a soft feel and better look to the skin, lines and crepiness are smoothed out as well thanks to potent hydrating ingredients.
Legology Cellu-Lite Salon Secret For Legs
The entire Legology range is infused with a Lymphology deep drainage complex that combines firming, toning and smoothing benefits as well as targeted draining qualities. This non-greasy, skin-softening oil is packed with an invigorating aromatherapeutic blend that makes legs feel lighter by flushing out fluids trapped around areas of cellulite. Think detoxifying rosemary and eucalyptus, cooling peppermint and uplifting geranium that provide a wonderful herbal scent alongside their own active benefits. Try applying by popping a few drops on a body brush and work over the skin in long strokes to amplify results even more.
Decléor Tonic Grapefruit Body Firming Cream
If you prefer your body treatments with a rich, cocooning texture, this oil-in-cream formula feels exceptionally nourishing but sinks in quickly to leave behind a satiny skin finish. The formula is smoothing and ‘anti-sagging’ with buckwheat seed extract to improve elasticity as well as macadamia and jojoba oils to give skin a hydrated and comforted feel.
To help minimise the bumpy look of cellulite, a concentrated amount of grapefruit essential oil - known for its effective draining properties - is added, which has the extra benefit of energising, both for the skin and the emotions.
Biossance Squalane + Caffeine Toning Body Cream
Another formula that applies a facial anti-ageing approach to bodycare, this delicious cream is packed with fantastic firming and nourishing ingredients.
Squalane derived from sugar cane ensures deep, skin-softening hydration, marine algae improves texture and elasticity, plus niacinamide provides a smoothing effect. Add caffeine from green coffee beans into the mix to help firm and invigorate skin, and you’ll see good toning results.
The cream sinks in beautifully but has enough slip to allow for massaging well into the areas you want to focus on and as a little goes a long way, the chunky pot will last an impressive amount of time.
VENN Probiotic-Tensive Hydro Firming Body Cream
Rub a little of this cream between your palms and it quickly transforms into a luscious serum-smooth texture that glides onto skin and delivers an instant hit of hydration that lasts all day. It’s rich in fantastic cellulite fighters, including fermented seed and root extracts that repair the skin, counteract roughness and improve collagen production to help firm up sagging areas.
The signature blend of pre, pro and postbiotics as well as antioxidants help boost skin health too, keeping the surface more hydrated and warding off a wrinkled appearance that exacerbates the look and feel of cellulite further.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
Certainly the best named anti-cellulite treatment around, this thick, whipped cream is now a cult classic for a reason. The hero ingredient is guarana, an Amazonia vine that contains five times the amount and power of caffeine, allowing it to deliver a potent stimulating and draining effect to help reduce the look of cellulite as well as smooth the skin’s surface.
Coconut oil, cupuaçu butter and Brazil nut extract all work to keep up incredible hydration so skin feels like satin and looks tightened, plus the sweet nutty, scent will transport you to Rio in seconds.
Verdict
While using an oil rather than a cream takes a little more elbow work, when it comes to minimising the look and feel of cellulite, taking the time to massage it in is part of what makes oil so effective. Combined with the superb lymphatic drainage qualities of ginger and burdock root, Inlight Firm & Tone Oil is a fantastic way to not only speed up sluggish systems but to deeply nourish the skin and keep it feeling beautifully soft. Even the uplifting scent from geranium and ylang ylang flower oils makes this feel like wrapping yourself in luxury.