Skinvive: What the Trials Actually Measured (and Who Paid for Them)

Q: What is Skinvive?

Skinvive is a hyaluronic acid gel from Allergan that is injected in small amounts into the skin of the cheeks. It aims to improve skin smoothness, fine lines and hydration rather than add volume. Outside the US, the same product line is sold as Juvederm Volite.

Q: Is Skinvive FDA-approved?

Yes. In FDA's database we checked, Skinvive was approved as a premarket approval (PMA) device on May 11, 2023, to improve cheek skin smoothness in adults over 21. A June 2026 supplement also lists neck lines. Device listings can change, so check FDA before relying on this.

Q: Does Skinvive work?

In the main trial, which Allergan funded, 57.9% of treated people improved by at least one grade on a cheek-smoothness scale at one month, compared with 4.5% of people who got no treatment. Results held through the 6-month follow-up. The comparison group got no injection rather than a placebo, and Allergan developed the rating scales.

Q: How long does Skinvive last?

The main trial followed people for 6 months, and results held over that time. In a single-arm Allergan study, the share of people rated as improved fell from 96.2% at month 1 to 34.9% at month 6. The studies we reviewed don't follow people much beyond 9 to 10 months.

Q: What are Skinvive's side effects?

In the trials, the reported side effects were mostly redness, swelling and small lumps or bumps that usually cleared within about 3 days. In the main trial, 6 treated participants had treatment-related side effects and none dropped out because of them. Like other HA injectables, Skinvive carries general injection risks, so ask your clinician what to watch for and how complications are handled.

Q: Is Skinvive a filler?

Skinvive is made of hyaluronic acid like many fillers, but it isn't meant to add volume or reshape the face. It's placed within the skin and aims to improve smoothness and fine lines. If your main concern is lost volume, ask your clinician about the difference.

Q: What is the difference between Skinvive and Rejuran?

Skinvive is a hyaluronic acid gel. Rejuran is a polynucleotide booster, which is a different ingredient. Skinvive has an FDA listing for cheek smoothness, and we found no FDA listing for Rejuran in the databases we checked. We found no trial comparing the two directly.

Q: How does Skinvive compare with Profhilo?

Both are described as hyaluronic acid skin boosters, but they are different products. We found no head-to-head trial comparing Skinvive with Profhilo in the abstracts we reviewed. Any claim that one works better than the other is opinion, not trial data.

By Peptide Skincare Editorial Team · Published November 7, 2026 · Updated November 5, 2026 · 13 min read

Start with our pillar guide: Dermal Fillers for Ozempic Face: What the Evidence Shows (and Doesn't), or browse all Aesthetic Treatments articles.

Skinvive is a hyaluronic acid (HA) gel from Allergan, injected in tiny amounts into cheek skin. FDA approved it in 2023 to improve cheek skin smoothness in adults over 21. In the main Allergan-funded trial, about 58% of treated people improved by at least one grade at one month, compared with about 5% of untreated people, and results held through 6 months. It isn't a volume filler, and it's a different ingredient from polynucleotide boosters such as Rejuran. Evidence: Moderate.

Skinvive by Juvéderm is made by Allergan Aesthetics, an AbbVie company. Here we read the published research: what the trials measured, how long people were followed, side effects and who paid. Almost every study we found was funded by Allergan or has Allergan-tied authors.

Key takeaways

The main trial randomized 202 adults to Skinvive or no treatment. At month 1, 57.9% of treated people improved on cheek smoothness, compared with 4.5% of controls (Alexiades et al., 2023). Allergan funded it.
The control group got no injection rather than a placebo, and the investigator scales were Allergan's own.
In a single-arm Allergan study, the share of responders fell from 96.2% at month 1 to 34.9% at month 6 (Niforos et al., 2019).
Collagen claims rest on an 11-person forearm study and lab tissue, both Allergan-tied (Safa et al., 2022).
In the abstracts we reviewed, we found no randomized trial without Allergan funding and no head-to-head trial against Rejuran or Profhilo.

What is Skinvive?

Skinvive is the US name for an injectable HA gel that Allergan developed under the code VYC-12L. Outside the US, the same product line is sold as Juvéderm Volite. VYC-12L contains the numbing agent lidocaine, and VYC-12 is the version without it.

A Skinvive injection places small amounts of gel into the skin itself (intradermal) rather than deeper beneath it. The goal is smoother-looking skin, softer fine lines and better hydration, not added volume or lift. The pivotal trial measured cheek smoothness, fine lines and a hydration probe (Alexiades et al., 2023). Allergan plc funded its design and conduct; AbbVie interpreted the data and approved publication; AbbVie employees are among the authors, and an AbbVie employee wrote the medical text.

Skinvive is a medical device approved through FDA's PMA pathway, not a drug. Whether it suits you is a question for your clinician. Evidence: Moderate.

How is Skinvive different from filler, topical HA and other skin boosters?

Skinvive vs filler. HA dermal fillers are designed to add volume or reshape areas such as the cheeks or lips. Skinvive also uses HA, but it's placed within the skin and aims to improve the skin's surface. The trials we reviewed measured smoothness, fine lines, hydration and satisfaction, not volume (Alexiades et al., 2023; Allergan-funded).

Skinvive vs topical HA. HA serums sit on the skin's surface. Injected HA is a crosslinked gel placed in the skin, so findings for one don't carry over to the other. For the topical side, see our guide to using topical hyaluronic acid with retinol.

Skinvive vs other skin boosters. "Skin booster" is a marketing term, not a regulatory category. Polynucleotide boosters such as Rejuran are a different ingredient. Profhilo is another HA-based booster, which we cover in its own guide.

Skinvive also isn't an under-eye product. Its FDA listing covers the cheeks and, more recently, neck lines. For the under-eye area, see our guide to under-eye hollows. Evidence: Moderate.

Is Skinvive FDA-approved?

Yes, for specific uses. In FDA's database we checked, Skinvive by Juvéderm sits under Allergan's Juvéderm-family premarket approval, PMA P110033. Supplement S059, decided on May 11, 2023, approved it for intradermal injection to improve facial skin smoothness of the cheeks in adults over the age of 21.

A later supplement, S099, dated June 11, 2026, lists the indication as the cheeks plus intradermal and/or subdermal injection to reduce neck lines. This reflects FDA's database as of publication. Device listings change, so check FDA before relying on it.

The published evidence for the neck is thin. One prospective study of the ex-US version for neck lines reported that a neck-appearance questionnaire score rose from 31.0 to 49.7 at month 1, with no treatment-related side effects (Renga et al., 2022). PubMed doesn't state the study's funding or conflicts, and one co-author is from a medical-communications agency. For other approaches, see our guide to neck lines. Evidence: Limited.

FDA approval means FDA judged the evidence sufficient for that indication. It doesn't mean Skinvive has been compared with other boosters.

What did the main Skinvive trial measure?

The pivotal US trial (NCT03728309) is the backbone of the Skinvive evidence (Alexiades et al., 2023):

Who: 202 adults, randomized 2:1 to Skinvive (131) or no treatment (71). 86.1% were women, and the median age was 58. The abstract doesn't report results by skin type.
What was measured: Blinded investigators rated cheek smoothness on the Allergan Cheek Smoothness Scale and fine lines on the Allergan Fine Lines Scale. A probe measured skin hydration.
Main result: At month 1, 57.9% of treated people improved by at least one grade in cheek smoothness, compared with 4.5% of controls. For fine lines the figures were 58.3% and 5.4% (both p<.001).
Follow-up: Responder rates "remained consistent" through the 6-month follow-up.
Safety: 6 participants had treatment-related side effects, and none withdrew because of them.

Allergan plc funded and ran this trial, which had AbbVie-employed authors and an AbbVie medical writer.

A second paper from the same trial reported participants' views (Chiu et al., 2023). On the FACE-Q Satisfaction With Skin scale, scores rose 32.0 points in the treated group and 1.4 in controls at month 1. On the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS), 85.5% were rated improved at month 1 and 83.1% at month 6. Allergan also funded this paper. Two authors were AbbVie employees, and the authors report consulting for AbbVie, Galderma, Merz and Revance. It is the same trial, not a second confirmation.

What "Skinvive before and after" means in the research. Clinics show before-and-after results. In this trial, the closest equivalent is the change in scale grades. Three limits matter:

The control group got no injection. With no placebo or sham, participants knew whether they'd been treated, which can sway self-rated outcomes.
Allergan developed the investigator scales. Blinded raters help, but the tools aren't neutral.
Follow-up ended at 6 months.

Evidence: Moderate.

How long does Skinvive last?

In the pivotal trial, results held through the 6-month follow-up, which is when the trial ended (Alexiades et al., 2023). It can't tell you what happens after that.

The clearest look at fading comes from a single-arm European study of 131 people treated with the ex-US version (Niforos et al., 2019). The share rated improved for skin roughness was 96.2% at month 1, 76.3% at month 4 and 34.9% at month 6. After an optional repeat treatment at 9 months, 87.1% were responders. There was no control group. All authors were Allergan investigators, and two were Allergan employees.

Patient-reported results from that study showed improved satisfaction in 90.8% at month 1 and 76.4% at month 9 (Ogilvie et al., 2020; Allergan plc grant). An open-label study of 40 women found camera-measured texture improved 30.7% at month 6 (Cavallini et al., 2019; funding/COI not stated in PubMed). A Brazilian records review of 108 people found that 8.4% had a touch-up (Dal'Asta Coimbra, 2021; author is an Allergan/AbbVie speaker).

The studies we reviewed don't follow people beyond about 9 to 10 months. Ask your clinician how often treatment might be repeated. Evidence: Limited.

What are the side effects of a Skinvive injection?

In the pivotal trial, 6 treated participants had treatment-related side effects, and none stopped because of them (Alexiades et al., 2023; Allergan-funded). The patient-reported paper describes redness, swelling and lumps or bumps that mostly resolved within 3 days, with pain scores below 3 out of 10 (Chiu et al., 2023; Allergan-funded, AbbVie employee authors). In the European single-arm study, at least 94% of people were back to normal social activities the next day (Ogilvie et al., 2020; Allergan grant).

Delayed reactions are a known issue with HA injectables. A retrospective paper from a Canadian clinic looked at delayed adverse events after VYC-12 treatment (Zarbafian et al., 2022). PubMed has no abstract for it, so we can't report its findings, and PubMed doesn't state its conflicts.

Like other HA injectables, Skinvive carries general injection risks such as bruising. Rare but serious events involving blood vessels are a recognized risk with HA injectables in general. Small trials with short follow-up can miss rare problems. Ask your clinician which side effects to watch for and how complications are handled. Evidence: Limited.

Does Skinvive build collagen?

Research suggests Skinvive may change some markers of skin structure, but in the abstracts we reviewed no facial trial has shown this. The main human evidence is an open-label forearm study of 11 people (Fitzpatrick II-III) (Safa et al., 2022). Hydration and firmness rose at months 1 to 3; biopsies at month 3 showed more AQP3 and Ki67 and, qualitatively, more collagen I. One author consults for Allergan; Allergan funded the CRO; one author is an AbbVie employee. An erratum exists; the paper remains citable.

A lab study on donated human skin found more glycosaminoglycan and fibrillin markers over 8 days than with non-crosslinked HA (Nakab et al., 2020). Allergan funded it, and all three authors were Allergan employees.

Neither study shows that Skinvive builds collagen in facial skin or that marker changes lead to visible results. Evidence: Very limited.

Can Skinvive be combined with Botox, lasers or RF?

Clinics often pair Skinvive with other treatments, but the evidence on combinations is small.

With Botox: A randomized trial studied Botox plus VYC-12 against Botox plus a sham injection for crow's feet, an area outside Skinvive's US label. The combination group had less severe crow's feet at 3 to 6 months and higher satisfaction (Neves et al., 2025). The first author is an AbbVie-Allergan speaker.
With energy-based devices: A small study in Asian participants gave VYC-12L followed by an energy-based device. FACE-Q and GAIS scores improved 8 weeks later, with minor, short-lived reactions (Oku et al., 2025). The authors declared no conflicts, and funding isn't stated.
Expert opinion: A panel of 8 clinicians, funded by Allergan Aesthetics and including Allergan co-authors, gave opinions on combining Skinvive with devices (Humphrey et al., 2025). Evidence: Expert opinion.

RF microneedling is one device clinics pair with boosters; see our RF microneedling guide. Order and timing are clinical decisions, so ask your clinician. Evidence: Limited.

Skinvive vs filler, Rejuran and Profhilo: how do they compare?

In the abstracts we reviewed, no head-to-head trial compared Skinvive with Rejuran, Profhilo or HA filler. Any claim that one is better is opinion.

Skinvive: HA gel placed within the skin. It's an FDA PMA device for cheek smoothness in adults over 21, and a 2026 supplement lists neck lines. The evidence is one Allergan-funded randomized trial plus Allergan-tied single-arm studies.
Rejuran: a polynucleotide booster, which is a different ingredient. We found no FDA listing for it in the databases we checked. See our Rejuran guide.
Profhilo: another HA skin booster. See our Profhilo guide. We make no claims about it here.
HA filler: HA gels designed to add volume and shape contours. See our guide to HA dermal fillers.

In short, filler aims to add volume and Skinvive aims to make skin smoother. Collagen-stimulating injectables are a separate category; see Sculptra vs Radiesse. For cost, ask the clinic.

Who funds the Skinvive research?

Nearly all of it traces back to the maker, Allergan. The remaining papers either don't state funding or conflicts in PubMed or declare none.

Study	Design	Funding / ties	Evidence
Alexiades 2023	RCT vs no treatment, n=202	Allergan plc funded; AbbVie-employed authors and writer	Moderate
Chiu 2023	Same RCT, patient-reported	Allergan-funded; AbbVie employees	Moderate
Niforos 2019	Single-arm, n=131	Allergan investigators and employees	Limited
Ogilvie 2020	Same cohort, patient-reported	Allergan plc grant	Limited
Cavallini 2019	Open-label, n=40	Not stated in PubMed	Limited
Renga 2022	Neck lines, prospective	Not stated in PubMed	Limited
Dal'Asta Coimbra 2021	Records review, n=108	Allergan speaker; no study funding	Limited
Zarbafian 2022	Retrospective, delayed events (title only)	Not stated in PubMed	Very limited
Safa 2022	Forearm, n=11	Allergan consultant; Allergan-funded CRO; AbbVie employee	Very limited
Nakab 2020	Lab explants	Allergan-funded; Allergan employees	Lab only
Neves 2025	RCT with Botox, crow's feet	AbbVie-Allergan speaker	Limited
Oku 2025	Small, with device	No conflicts declared; funding not stated	Very limited
Watanabe 2025	Case series, n=15	Allergan Aesthetics grant; Allergan advisor	Very limited
Humphrey 2025	Expert panel	Allergan Aesthetics-funded	Expert opinion

One more study needs context. A case series of 15 Japanese patients with atopic dermatitis, acne, rosacea or dryness reported less redness and more moisture at about 4 months (Watanabe et al., 2025). It lists an Allergan Aesthetics grant, its author is an Allergan advisor, and the use is off-label. It isn't a reason to treat a skin condition with Skinvive.

In the abstracts we reviewed, we found no randomized trial of Skinvive without Allergan funding. Industry funding doesn't make results wrong, but the same company designed, paid for and often wrote up the studies.

Where the evidence stops

One sponsor. The controlled evidence is a single Allergan-funded RCT reported in two papers. We found no non-Allergan-funded RCT in the abstracts we reviewed.
No placebo. The control group was untreated, and the scales were Allergan's own.
Short follow-up. Controlled data stop at 6 months, and single-arm data show the response fading by month 6.
No collagen data from faces. Collagen findings come only from 11 forearms and lab explants.
No head-to-head trials against Rejuran, Profhilo or HA filler.
Skin types. The pivotal abstract doesn't report results by skin type, and the forearm study enrolled Fitzpatrick II-III only.

FAQ

What is Skinvive?

Skinvive is a hyaluronic acid gel from Allergan that is injected in small amounts into the skin of the cheeks. It aims to improve skin smoothness, fine lines and hydration rather than add volume. Outside the US, the same product line is sold as Juvederm Volite.

Is Skinvive FDA-approved?

Yes. In FDA's database we checked, Skinvive was approved as a premarket approval (PMA) device on May 11, 2023, to improve cheek skin smoothness in adults over 21. A June 2026 supplement also lists neck lines. Device listings can change, so check FDA before relying on this.

Does Skinvive work?

In the main trial, which Allergan funded, 57.9% of treated people improved by at least one grade on a cheek-smoothness scale at one month, compared with 4.5% of people who got no treatment. Results held through the 6-month follow-up. The comparison group got no injection rather than a placebo, and Allergan developed the rating scales.

How long does Skinvive last?

The main trial followed people for 6 months, and results held over that time. In a single-arm Allergan study, the share of people rated as improved fell from 96.2% at month 1 to 34.9% at month 6. The studies we reviewed don't follow people much beyond 9 to 10 months.

What are Skinvive's side effects?

In the trials, the reported side effects were mostly redness, swelling and small lumps or bumps that usually cleared within about 3 days. In the main trial, 6 treated participants had treatment-related side effects and none dropped out because of them. Like other HA injectables, Skinvive carries general injection risks, so ask your clinician what to watch for and how complications are handled.

Is Skinvive a filler?

Skinvive is made of hyaluronic acid like many fillers, but it isn't meant to add volume or reshape the face. It's placed within the skin and aims to improve smoothness and fine lines. If your main concern is lost volume, ask your clinician about the difference.

What is the difference between Skinvive and Rejuran?

Skinvive is a hyaluronic acid gel. Rejuran is a polynucleotide booster, which is a different ingredient. Skinvive has an FDA listing for cheek smoothness, and we found no FDA listing for Rejuran in the databases we checked. We found no trial comparing the two directly.

How does Skinvive compare with Profhilo?

Both are described as hyaluronic acid skin boosters, but they are different products. We found no head-to-head trial comparing Skinvive with Profhilo in the abstracts we reviewed. Any claim that one works better than the other is opinion, not trial data.

References

Alexiades M, et al. Pivotal US randomized trial of VYC-12L for cheek skin smoothness. Dermatol Surg. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37163665/ — Funding/COI: Allergan plc funded design and conduct; AbbVie interpreted data and approved publication; medical writing by an AbbVie employee; three authors are AbbVie Inc employees.
Niforos F, et al. Prospective single-arm study of VYC-12 in the cheeks, forehead and neck. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31749628/ — Funding/COI: all authors Allergan investigators; two Allergan employees and one former employee.
Safa M, et al. Open-label forearm mechanistic study of VYC-12L with biopsies. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35300433/ — Funding/COI: author is an Allergan consultant; CRO funded by Allergan; AbbVie employee author. Erratum published (PMID 35418770).
Renga M, et al. Prospective study of VYC-12 for neck lines. Dermatol Surg. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35093965/ — Funding/COI: not stated in PubMed; medical-communications agency co-author.
Chiu A, et al. Patient-reported outcomes from the pivotal VYC-12L trial. Aesthet Surg J. 2023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37074002/ — Funding/COI: Allergan-funded; two AbbVie employee authors; authors consult for AbbVie, Galderma, Merz and Revance.
Ogilvie P, et al. Patient-reported outcomes after VYC-12 treatment. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31621189/ — Funding/COI: Allergan plc grant; Allergan affiliation.
Cavallini M, et al. Open-label study of VYC-12 and skin texture in women. Dermatol Surg. 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30893167/ — Funding/COI: not stated in PubMed; medical-communications agency co-author.
Dal'Asta Coimbra D. Retrospective clinic cohort of VYC-12 treatments. Health Sci Rep. 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34632098/ — Funding/COI: author is an Allergan (AbbVie) speaker; paper states no study funding.
Zarbafian M, et al. Delayed adverse events after VYC-12 treatment: a retrospective analysis (cited by title only; no abstract in PubMed). Dermatol Surg. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36342258/ — Funding/COI: not stated in PubMed.
Nakab L, et al. Human skin explant study of VYC-12 compared with non-crosslinked HA. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32537370/ — Funding/COI: funded by Allergan; all authors Allergan employees; Allergan-funded medical writing.
Neves JR, et al. Randomized trial of botulinum toxin plus VYC-12 versus sham for crow's feet. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40814769/ — Funding/COI: first author is an AbbVie-Allergan speaker; other authors declared none.
Oku Y, et al. Prospective study of VYC-12L followed by an energy-based device. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41065147/ — Funding/COI: no conflicts declared; funding not stated.
Humphrey S, et al. Expert opinion on combining VYC-12L with energy-based devices. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40702906/ — Funding/COI: funded by Allergan Aesthetics; Allergan Medical Affairs and Clinical Development co-authors; authors are Allergan consultants or speakers.
Watanabe K, et al. Case series of VYC-12L in Japanese patients with skin concerns. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40468455/ — Funding/COI: Allergan Aesthetics grant; author is an Allergan advisor.

For educational purposes only; not medical advice. See our disclaimer and research method.