It is a fact of life: What goes up must come down. And — as I’ve learned as I accumulate more birthdays — that features one’s cheekbones and nasolabial folds (also often called the creases between the nose and mouth).

I’d previously used Botox to maintain these areas looking taut, but after going longer than usual between treatments, I began to notice the contours of my face were looking a bit less… contoured. In what can only be described as a stroke of serendipity, it was around that very same time that a bottle of Clé de Peau Beauté Firming Serum Supreme landed on my desk.

The incontrovertible fact that I’m still using it three months later tells you just about all the things you must know. But that is Allure — so you understand I’ll fill you in on all the remaining.

First up, the feel: Though it’s called a serum, the formula feels to me more like a lotion or lightweight moisturizer. That is to not say it doesn’t absorb quickly: Once I massage it using upward movements, the formula melts seamlessly into my skin — forsaking only the faintest trail of flowery scent.

I believed I used to be going crazy (or on the very least, falling victim to the placebo effect) once I took a glance within the mirror moments after applying it and swore my skin looked tighter and smoother already. But after assessing its ingredients, cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos assured me it wasn’t all in my head. Indeed, the formula accommodates two varieties of polymers — trimethoxysilicate and VP/VA copolymer — that work immediately, though superficially. “The mixture helps create a smoothing, tightening effect on the surface of the skin,” says Dobos.

But the actual magic happens over time: Shiseido, the parent company of Clé de Peau Beauté, conducted research that found that licorice root and raspberry-derived extracts (each of that are included within the serum) have the power to strengthen the arrector pili muscles within the face. These teeny-tiny muscles are liable for the way in which your hair stands on end while you get goosebumps — and due to this fact also possess the power to make the skin appear more taut. As a bonus, licorice root also helps brighten hyperpigmentation when used diligently over time.