Fat burning creams / slimming creams: do they really work?
Topical fat reduction creams: all you need to know
What is a slimming cream, fat dissolving cream or fat burning cream?
Topical fat reduction cream vs cellulite cream
Why do I need a fat burning, or more correctly, a topical fat reduction or cellulite cream?
What is better for fast cellulite reduction, a cream or a treatment?
How do they work? What to look for in a slimming cream?
What are the other differences between a slimming cream and a cellulite cream?
Do fat burning (i.e. fat reducing / cellulite creams) actually work?
Do fat burning creams have any side effects?
How about fat burning gels or serums?
Any safety tips to follow?
FAQ: Is there a fat burning cream for extreme weight loss?
FAQ: Is there a fat burning cream for stomach / belly fat, specifically?
FAQ: What is the best fat burning cream?
FAQ: Does hot cream work?
Have a skin tightening / cellulite treatment in London with the experts
Topical fat reduction creams: all you need to know
Here is a list of questions answered for a magazine interview on topical fat reduction creams, known to the public as purported “fat burning creams” or “slimming creams”.
It is nice to be able to set the record straight amidst a sea of marketing hype, ignorance and misinformation.
What is a slimming cream, fat dissolving cream or fat burning cream?
First off let’s clarify that NO cream, lotion, gel or serum can actually ever burn ANY fat. This is biologically impossible.
Fat is oxidised (what people call “burned”) in muscles and organs after being released from fat cells. No fat oxidation occurs in white adipose fat tissue (the fat tissue that makes us fat).
So in essence a “fat burning” cream that works (most don’t), is a cream that helps stimulate lipolysis (i.e. fat release from fat cells) in specific areas where stubborn fat has accumulated.
Furthermore, there is no way to “dissolve the fat” with a cream, gel, lotion, or serum in the way fat is dissolved from a greasy plate with a washing up liquid. You cannot melt or dissolve fat and then eliminate it by going to the toilet.
So there are no topical fat burner creams, slimming, creams, fat dissolving creams or fat burning creams.
Biology does not work like that and fat dissolving creams do not exist.
Topical fat reduction cream vs cellulite cream
So such a cream is a “fat releasing cream” or ‘topical fat reduction cream’, i.e. a cream that helps reduce fat locally, without burning it, of course. These are the correct name for such products, not “fat burning cream”.
If the product aims to reduce ‘hypodermal fat’ (what people call simply call ‘cellulite’ fat), together with other aspects of cellulite (water retention, fibrosis, skin laxity etc), it is called a ‘cellulite cream’. This is much easier than the below.
If the product aims to reduce subcutaneous fat (what people call simply call ‘fat‘) or cellulite fat (dermal/hypodermal adipose tissue, what people call ‘cellulite‘).
Perhaps a good such cream can shave off a millimetre or two of subcutaneous fat and thereby indeed become a ‘fat reducing cream’.
However, 1-2 mm are negligible for most people, so it cannot possibly be called a “slimming cream”. Nobody cares about 1-2mm of slimming. With a slimming cream most people would expect to lose inches, and that definitely ain’t going to happen with any cream of any kind - ever.
On the other hand, those verbs “reducing”, “releasing” would never sell, would they?
While imagining that fat is set on fire by a “at burning cream sounds more realistic to the public.
I know, it’s crazy…
Why do I need a fat burning, or more correctly, a topical fat reduction or cellulite cream?
Exercise and diet themselves stimulate the release of fat in the body and actually lead to its oxidation in muscles and organs (fat burning), by causing a calorie deficit in the body.
However, what diet and exercise cannot do is stipulate where exactly in the body fat will be released from. Science has proven again and again that there is no such thing as a spot fat reduction or spot cellulite reduction with either exercise or diet.
Hence the need for topical treatments and creams to help release fat from stubborn fat areas and cellulite from “stubborn” cellulite areas that do not respond much to exercise or diet.
If there were no stubborn fat deposits, fat would be distributed evenly throughout the body and cellulite wouldn’t exist. In that imaginary case, there would be no need for topical fat reduction creams or treatments: diet and exercise would suffice. But the fact is that some subcutaneous / hypodermal fat is stubborn, i.e. it is resistant to releasing fat.
So for topical/spot fat release we need to offer a helping hand to stubborn fat cells with a strong topical treatment (ideally deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and high-power ultrasound cavitation) or a strong topical product, ideally a real cellulite cream, i.e. one with multiple, high-purity anti-cellulite actives in high concentrations.
What is better for fast cellulite reduction, a cream or a treatment?
Creams are slower acting than treatments, but offer much better value for money per £/$/€ spent.
If you want fast results, regardless of cost, go for treatments
If you want good value for money, regardless of speed of results, go for creams
And if you are a perfectionist aiming for maximum results, go for both
Please note that hypodermal fat (‘cellulite’) is much easier and faster to reduce. Subcutaneous fat (plain ‘fat’) is much more difficult/slow to reduce - and is some people almost impossible with any method of any kind except liposuction.
How do they work? What to look for in a slimming cream?
A good fat reducing / cellulite cream contains ingredients that stimulate adipocyte lipolysis, i.e. the release of fat from fat cells.
The most famous such ingredient is caffeine. On the other hand, the most powerful one is forskolin. However, as forskolin is also 10x times more expensive than caffeine, you will not see it in most creams. The combination of both is ideal, because forskolin and caffeine work in synergy, enhancing each others effects.
Many other natural active molecules have a lipolytic action, but to a much lesser extent than forskolin and caffeine. Retinol can help a bit, but it is generally very irritating and its use is regulated to low levels.
Curcumin, centella asiatica, EGCG, quercetin and a host of other polyphenols have a lipolytic action.
In summary, to choose a real fat reducing / cellulite cream, look for forskolin and caffeine plus as many of the ingredients above as possible, in high purity in high concentrations (unfortunately most creams contain only:
one or two actives
diluted actives
low purity actives
or all the above
That means that for profit maximisation purposes most creams contain the opposite of what is needed. The sad truth is that marketing is what sells such creams, not content. People don’t use their brain when buying such creams, they blindly believe celebrities and influencers.
What are the other differences between a slimming cream and a cellulite cream?
A fat releasing cream contains only lipolytic (=fat releasing) ingredients.
To justify its name, a cellulite cream must contain ingredients for other aspects of cellulite, i.e. poor circulation, skin laxity, fibrosis, glycation, inflammation and oxidative damage.
Luckily most of those ingredients coincide, so a. good fat releasing cream would overlap with a cellulite cream. For example centella asiatica has a multiple action against most aspects of cellulite, including lipolysis, so it can be used in both types of creams.
However, I would put a higher amount of forskolin and caffeine in a fat releasing cream, while I would include a balanced amount of both lipolytic and other anti-cellulite actives in a cellulite cream.
Do fat burning (i.e. fat reducing / cellulite creams) actually work?
(Again, we use the term fat burning here to mean ‘fat reducing’ / ‘anti-cellulite’ - not literally.)
If those creams contain high enough concentrations of lipolytic ingredients, yes, they do work, albeit not how the public imagines them to work.
Here’s a full list of caveats:
Even if you use the best fat reducing cream int he world, it will take weeks to work, not days. Only water can be shifted in hours/days, which then quickly returns again. So be patient and apply twice a day for several weeks (12 weeks ideally). Then have 1-2 week break and start using the cream again for another 12-week cycle.
Many people apply a cream occasionally and still expect results. Of course this is never going to work.
Fat can always return if you eat more and don't exercise, so keep up the good work with healthy nutrition and exercise during and after the 12+ weeks of application
Having said all that about consumer behaviour regarding cellulite/fat reducing creams, I have to say that the problem with most creams is that they don’t include high enough concentrations of actives, for profitability reasons. Obviously those creams (the vast majority on the market) don’t work.
Also, topical fat reduction creams are for small improvements, don’t expect inches of reduction. This only happens in fake “before and after” instagram photos, not in real life. Have realistic expectations. Significant topical fat reduction is only possible with liposuction.
As cellulite is fat more superficial and lesser in volume than subcutaneous adipose tissue (what people call ‘fat’), a good topical fat reduction cream will automatically help with cellulite too - even more so that topical fat. A specifically designed cellulite cream will help with both fat reduction and improvement of the other aspects of cellulite (puffiness, skin laxity, fibrosis etc).
Do slimming creams have any side effects?
No cosmetic product on the market in the UK and the EU (the strictest jurisdictions in the world, when it comes to cosmetics) should reach the public without a toxicology assessment. For example there is an upper limit in the inclusion of caffeine, retinol etc in skincare products.
So no, there should be no more side effects than using any other skincare cream.
Do not buy products made outside of EU/UK, unless you know that you are buying a quality brand.
(The US is catching up from this December (2023) with an equally stringent legislation, so hopefully by the end of 2024 US standards will be equal to EU/UK standards.)
How about fat burning gels or serums?
The same comments made about fat burning creams apply to so-called slimming gels and serums.
The only difference is that gels do not absorb anywhere near as well as creams.
Serums do not absorb well either and by definition cannot hold enough quantity of actives, so they are even worse than gels.
Serums for body use, where high quantities of actives are required, are pointless, as serums are very diluted and are sold in 15ml or 30ml bottles, i.e. enough proper application for 1-2 days.
Any safety tips to follow?
The usual cosmetic safety tips apply.
Do not use more than recommended quantity per day by the manufacturer, as those recommendations are based on the safety analysis
Do not use while pregnant, breastfeeding or if you are sensitive to any of the ingredients
Given that everyone can be sensitive/allergic to anything, if you suffer from skin sensitivity / allergies always do a patch test before applying the product on large body areas.
FAQ: Is there a fat burning cream for extreme weight loss?
As explained above, “fat burning creams” do not “burn fat”, they can only help release fat locally from stubborn areas. So even if you bathed yourself in a “slimming cream” you would not lose a single gram.
All in all, so-called “slimming creams” do not help you lose weight, let alone lead to extreme weight loss.
In one phrase: weight loss creams do not exist.
FAQ: Is there a fat burning cream for stomach / belly fat, specifically?
Subcutaneous adipose tissue (what we call ‘fat’) is the same throughout the body, so any ream that helps with spot fat reduction would work equally well on the tummy, thighs or nay other body area.
On the other hand, deep stomach fat which is found between your intestines which gives rises to the beer belly look (i.e. visceral fat), obviously cannot be reduced with any other method than diet, exercise or GLP-1 medications (ozempic, mounjaro, wegovy etc), which also lead to appetite loss.
FAQ: What is the best fat burning cream?
None, because as, mentioned above, fat burning creams do not exist.
If you are looking for a topical fat reduction cream, for MODEST fat reduction or cellulite reduction - look for a cream rich in both forskolin and caffeine.
FAQ: Does hot cream work?
Some manufacturers include in so-called fat burning creams ingredients that induce the sensation of heat.
However, feeling hot does not equate to “burning fat”, it’s just that your nerve endings experience “heat”.
Needless to say, “hot creams” don’t work - they are a gimmick.
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
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Learn more or check prices and book an expert treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)
