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I know it shouldn’t play a role, but I am hugely influenced by what a product is called. Take the True Botanicals Supersea Firming and Lifting Treatment for example. Not only does it say “firming and lifting”, which catches my attention ever since I passed the 40 years mark a while ago, no, it is also called “treatment”, which – admit it – sounds much better than just calling it serum.
Now names are just names, and 188 $ is a ton of money, so let’s push that aside and focus on how the Supersea Firming and Lifting Treatment actually worked for me and on my skin. Did it convince?
What the True Botanicals Supersea Firming and Lifting Treatment claims
Clinically proven to give you a lift. A revolutionary breakthrough in skincare technology that visibly firms, tightens and lifts to reveal your sculpted cheekbones and jawline again.
The claims are surely intriguing, “visibly firms, tightens and lifts to reveal your sculpted cheekbones and jawline again” – I could do with that!
Facts about the True Botanicals Supersea Firming and Lifting Treatment
Prize and size
One pump bottle made from dark brown glass with golden writing contains 30 ml and is available for 188 $ on the website here. The pump works perfect in giving you a small amount of product, 3-4 will be needed for your whole face, which I like. It prevents wasting product should you feel you missed just a small spot.
Texture and smell
It looks more like a light lotion than like a serum, being off white to light brown in color, and feels like one on the skin too. The scent is quite strong, earthy and sharp, and like the other True Botanicals products I have tried, not my favorite. It lingers quite a while, so if strong smells give you headaches, it probably isn’t the one for you.
How to use the True Botanicals Supersea Firming and Lifting Treatment
Depending on your skin type this is either the last step in your evening routine or what you put on at night before applying a richer moisturizer and/ or a face oil. While it could work as serum step as well for those with dry skin, for me it feels more like a light moisturizer. There is nothing in it that prevents you from using it in the mornings though, should that fit your routine better. It spreads easily and leaves the skin feeling instantly firmer with no tackiness.
Both according to the brand and to my interpretation of the ingredient list it could be layered with retinoids and acids, so should fit smoothly in your evening routine. (More info: How to layer your skincare)
Ingredients of the True Botanicals Supersea Firming and Lifting Treatment
sii|h 0 0, Sea Water h|solv, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract* 
aox|so, Silybum Marianum (Milk Thistle) Extract aox|so, Silybum Marianum (Milk Thistle) Ethyl Ester, Water/Aqua/Eau solv, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emo|emu, Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Oil* emo, Camelina Sativa Seed Oil so|emo, Prunus Avium (Sweet Cherry) Seed Oil emo, Rosa Rubiginosa (Rosehip) Seed Oil* aox|emo, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate emu, Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Extract h, Laminaria Saccharina (Sugar Kelp) Extract h|so, Nannochloropsis Oculata Extract h, Algin vc 4 4, Undaria Pinnatifida Extract, Porphyra Umbilicalis (Red Algae) Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Populus Tremuloides (Aspen) Bark Extract, Lysolecithin emu, Sclerotium Gum vc, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Peel Oil 
perf, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil perf, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil perf, Copaifera Officinalis (Balsam Copaiba) Resin Oil, Mentha Spicata (Spearmint) Oil perf, Hydrogenated Lecithin emo|emu, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Phenethyl Alcohol, Pullulan, Xanthan Gum vc, Sodium Phytate chel, Citric Acid buff, Saponins surf|emu, Mineral Salts, Silica vc, Potassium Sorbate pres, Sodium Benzoate pres, Tocopherol aox 0–3 0–3Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
Apparently one of the key ingredients is what the brand calls SuperSEA Biocompatible 3XBlend, a trademark blend of seaweeds and minerals from four different marine ecosystems. In the ingredient list you will find them as different plant extracts as well as sea water, combined with Green Tea Extract and various oils like Rosehip Seed Oil, but also a bunch of fragrant essential oils from citrus fruits. (More info: The benefits of Green Tea Extract in skincare explained and Is fragrance in your skincare bad for you?)
For hydration you will find Glycerin and Sodium Hyaluronate, but the firming you will notice when applying the product most likely comes from Pullulan, a polysaccharide polymer that forms a thin and elastic film on the skin. That is a temporary effect, not a long-term one, but feels nice. (More info: The benefits of Hyaluronic Acid in skincare explained)
More info: How to read the skincare ingredient list
Does it live up to its claims?
No.
And quite frankly, I didn’t expect it to. It would take more than skincare to bring back my sculpted jawline and cheekbones, and even if skincare could help in that long-term (which it can, but only very subtly), it would need things like retinoids to do it, which aren’t present in this formula here.
How does it compare to…
Alpha-H High Tide Water Cream
I admit I struggled a little to find a product to compare the True Botanicals Treatment to, as I don’t think I have used anything with similar claims and texture, so I decided to mention the Alpha-H High Tide Water Cream here, mainly because it also contains Pullulan and has that temporary tightening effect on my skin. It has more humectants and additional soothing ingredients like Panthenol and Allantoin that make it my favorite out of the two, and while it also isn’t what I would call an affordable brand, it isn’t quite as expensive – 50 ml are available for 51 €.
You can read my full review of the Alpha-H High Tide Water Cream here.
Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend it to?
While I like the temporary firming effect it has on my skin, both the price and the scent would hinder me from purchasing it again. I didn’t see anything in the ingredient list that gave me hope for firming over time – think retinoids or similar, so I think it is best suited for more mature skin types that enjoy the scent and are able to spend more on skincare with beautiful packaging. It is definitely not a must-have.
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