This Serum Has a Surprising Ingredient That Makes Wrinkles "10 Times Lighter," According to Fans

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If you even look at a beauty brand these days, they launch a foundation. We've seen recent releases from Charlotte Tilbury, Nars, Kosas, Ilia, Make Up For Ever, Dior, Chanel, and Rose Inc., but as many options as there are now, even the best foundation looks a hundred times better when your skin is happy to start. And according to people with wrinkles and skin gone slack, Three Ships' Dew Drops Mushroom Hyaluronic Acid + Vitamin C Serum makes a powerful difference.

"Life-changing serum," one shopper titled their review on the brand's website, writing that after their mom used the fluid for a week, she bought no less than 10 bottles to take back home to Korea. "She said she's never tried anything like it. Her fine lines are 10 times lighter, her skin is 10 times tighter and firmer, [and] she won't stop looking in the mirror."

It's a good problem to have. That effect is likely because the formula isn't your run-of-the-mill ascorbic acid; as its name implies, the serum instead relies on a mix of tremella mushroom polysaccharides, kakadu plum extract, red algae extract, and extracts from black spruce, red maple, jack pine, and yellow birch tree barks. As cosmetic chemist Ginger King previously told InStyle, tremella mushroom — alias, snow mushroom — is a plumping hydrator that works like hyaluronic acid.

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Shop now: $35; threeshipsbeauty.com

"The extract has shown in studies to protect against some aging pathways in skin, and to be protective against free-radical damage, making it a potential tool in our daily skincare regimen to decrease wrinkles, fine lines, and even skin tone," added Dr. Rachel Nazarian, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. Thank you, fungus.

Kakadu plum extract is no less potent — the brand says it has 100 times more vitamin C than oranges. Canadian researchers, meanwhile, found that black spruce extract contains "highly valuable, bioactive polyphenols," and scientists at the University of Rhode Island found that maple leaf extract shows promise for inhibiting elastase, an enzyme that decreases skin's elasticity. Other studies suggest pine bark extract is useful for hyperpigmentation, and birch bark extract is anti-inflammatory.

All good things, and per reviewers, those clinical findings translate to significant results. After using the serum for the last six months, a 50-year-old fan said their skin "feels and looks more like [that of] my younger years," with their fine lines and dullness having faded away. Others noted reduced wrinkles and more vibrancy noticeable after a week of using the $35 product.

"My skin feels so plump and soft," wrote a commenter in the 26 to 35 age range, while one in the 36 to 45 bracket said their sensitive, aging skin has been "transformed." And as a penultimate 65-year-old added, they see a serious tightening effect immediately upon application. The only downside: It's not available in a bigger size.

"Super soft, firm skin" in a bottle — it's a dream come true. Get yours from the female-founded Canadian brand for $35.