I've written before about the differences between Profhilo, Seventy Hyal and polynucleotides, and that post gets read a lot — but I realised I'd skipped a step. A lot of people asking me to compare them don't actually know what a skin booster is in the first place. So today, back to basics.
Skin booster isn't one product — it's a category
"Skin booster" describes a type of treatment, not a single ingredient or brand. It covers a group of injectables — Profhilo, Seventy Hyal, polynucleotides, and others — that all share one goal: improving the quality of your skin from within, rather than adding volume or freezing movement. That's what separates them from filler and anti-wrinkle treatments, even though all three sometimes get lumped together as "tweakments."
Filler adds volume and shape
Anti-wrinkle treatment relaxes muscle movement
Skin boosters improve hydration, firmness, and texture at a cellular level
Different jobs, different tools. A lot of the best treatment plans I put together actually combine more than one category — but skin boosters are doing something none of the others can.
How they actually get into the skin
Most skin boosters are delivered by injection, using very fine needles placed at specific points or in a light mesh pattern across the treatment area, depending on the product and the technique. Some — like polynucleotides — are also well suited to being delivered via microneedling, where the product is worked into the skin through the micro-channels the needling creates rather than direct injection.
Neither method is "better" outright. Injection technique tends to place product more precisely where I want it; microneedling delivery spreads it more broadly and adds the collagen-stimulating benefit of the needling itself. Which one I use depends on the product, the area, and what your skin needs.
What actually happens after treatment
This is the part people ask about most, so worth being upfront: skin boosters are not an overnight transformation. They work by prompting your skin to do something — produce more collagen, hold more water, repair tissue — and that process takes weeks, not days. Most courses involve two or more sessions spaced several weeks apart, with results building gradually rather than appearing after one visit.
Downtime is typically minimal — some redness or small bumps at injection points that settle within a day or two — which is part of why they're such a popular entry point into injectables for people who aren't ready for anything more dramatic.
Who they're actually for
Skin boosters suit a wide range of people precisely because they're not solving one narrow problem. Broadly, I reach for them when someone's main concern is:
Skin that looks tired, dull or dehydrated rather than lined
Early laxity or crepiness that isn't yet a filler conversation
Texture, scarring or overall skin quality
Wanting to look like a well-rested version of themselves, not a different person
If what you actually want is more volume in a specific area, or to soften a specific line, a skin booster isn't the right tool — that's a filler or anti-wrinkle conversation. Getting that distinction right at consultation is most of the job.
Building a plan, not picking one product
The question I get asked constantly is "which skin booster should I get," as if there's one right answer. Honestly, the more useful question is what your skin is asking for right now, because that can change. Someone might start with Seventy Hyal for a dehydration reset, move onto Profhilo as firmness becomes the bigger concern, and bring in polynucleotides alongside microneedling if texture or scarring is part of the picture too.
That's why I always start with a proper look at your skin rather than a product name you've seen on Instagram. The category matters less than getting the right tool for what's actually in front of me.
If you want the detailed breakdown of how Profhilo, Seventy Hyal and polynucleotides differ from each other, that's over in my earlier comparison post — today was about the bigger picture first.
Liz Founder, Novauria Aesthetics
Not sure where to start with skin boosters? Book a free consultation — no pressure, just an honest chat.