I’ve always pictured the Fountain of Youth as an ornate structure with water cascading slowly down and gathering in a glistening pool below. But after a recent product discovery, I’m convinced that the fountain’s magic waters actually come in a little pink bottle.

Filorga, a French lab known for developing anti-aging products that are like injectables in a bottle, was inspired by new innovations in the cosmetic injectables space to create the Filorga NCEF-Shot ($99), an ultra-concentrated, anti-aging facial serum designed to intensely boost cell regeneration, improve firmness and radiance, and reduce wrinkles in just 10 days.

Filorga, NCEF-Shot Anti-Aging Serum — $99.00

Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, vitamin B3, Filorga NCEF

Pros:

• Delivers results instantly after application and over time (in only 10 days)
• Designed to mimic the plumping and wrinkle-reducing results of cosmetic injectables
• Boosts the skin’s natural production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid
• Contains powerful anti-aging ingredients, including coenzyme A, niacinamide, and glutathione, as well as Filorga’s proprietary NCEF technology

Cons:

• Expensive
• Contains fragrance

What does NCEF mean?

NCEF stands for “new cellular encapsulated factors,” Filorga’s proprietary formula of 50 ingredients that includes hyaluronic acid, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, coenzymes, and amino acids. This ultra-sciencey blend is enriched with marine biotechnologies that work synergistically to renew the skin.

“NCEF provides the cells with elements that are essential to their proper function while respecting the skin’s natural mechanisms,” says Veronique Ros, the brand’s international training director. “To ensure their effectiveness, the ingredients are encapsulated in microscopic multi-layer vectors and diffused into the skin. NCEF acts as a real booster that activates the skin’s natural cellular mechanisms to fight against the signs of aging.”

Filogra NCEF-shot benefits

Actives in a daily dose—which the brand quantifies as two applications—of the NCEF-SHOT are equivalent to that of one “meso-injection,” a type of filler injectable contains biostimulators to increase cell metabolism as well as the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, says Ros.

NCEF’s magic potion also includes coenzyme A, vitamin B3 (niacinamide), and glutathione, all of which are powerful anti-agers, says Azza Halim, MD, a board-certified anesthesiologist who specializes in aesthetic medicine, anti-aging treatments, and regenerative medicine.

“Vitamin B3 helps prevent water loss from the skin as well as decrease pigmentation and is a potent skin antioxidant to help minimize signs of aging, while coenzyme A benefits skin as an emollient, neutralizes free radicals, and stimulates collagen production,” says Dr. Halim. “Glutathione is another great antioxidant and therefore protective, brightening, and anti-inflammatory.”

In clinical studies conducted by the brand, NCEF-Shot boosted cell regeneration, and intensely corrected wrinkles, firmness, and radiance in just 10 days—so if I could see results that quickly I was happy to give the product a “shot” (pun intended).

Filorga NCEF-Shot Review

The Filorga NCEF-Shot is meant to be applied in the morning and at night to the entire face, neck, and décolletagé before using your usual serums and moisturizer.

Following the directions laid out by the brand, I warmed the product in the palms of my hands then applied it outward from the center of my face in fluid motions before crisscrossing across my face with my fingers, which felt like a nice mini facial massage.

The product has a smooth, light, serum-like texture and comes with a light hint of fragrance. Minutes after application, my skin already looked brighter and more hydrated. Within a few days, I was really loving the results, and by Day 10, the product became my new best friend. My skin was noticeably brighter and more radiant, but what amazed me most was how well the product delivered on the promised filler effect (and trust me, I didn’t get my hopes up!). My cheeks and mid-face looked fuller, the hollows under my cheekbones were less pronounced, and the deeper lines in my lower face were softer.

I’ve used hundreds of anti-aging products on my mature skin, and I’m not exaggerating when I say these are some of the best before and afters I’ve ever gotten. Along with the results over time, I loved that each application gave my skin an instant, healthy glow. The brand recommends using NCEF-Shot during changing seasons, and periods of stress and fatigue. After seeing what it can do, I’ll be tempted to turn to the youthful formula inside the little pink bottle more often than that.

Filorga-NCEF shot before and after