My Mom Stole My Habelo Hand Serum—and Her Hands Look 10 Years Younger

So, what makes this hand serum so special? Per the brand, it’s made with a special HAB-1 multi-peptide complex that’s meant to boost collagen and improve elasticity, as well as sea fennel extract, “a biotech-enhanced alternative to retinol” that can help brighten and replenish skin sans the irritation you would get with traditional retinol. Rounding out the formula are familiar humectants like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, niacinamide and aloe vera to heal and hydrate for firmer, plumper-looking hands.

You can also combine with Habelo’s treatment-boosting gloves ($80), a patent-pending design that’s meant to amplify the effects of the serum while protecting hands from environmental factors like sun rays. (My mom didn’t try the gloves, but I might just have to pick her up a pair.)

My mother keeps the jar of Habelo hand serum on the side table right next to her perch in the living room. Every day (sometimes twice a day), she slathers some on and massages the formula into her hands—without breaking eye contact with Olivia Benson, who is usually front and center on her TV.

“The serum really feels more like a hand cream,” she tells me. “It’s thick, rich and very creamy, but it absorbs beautifully. My hands feel a little slick right after application but my skin quickly drinks it all up.”

For reasons I’ll never quite understand, my mom has never used the dishwasher—she prefers to use the interior racks for extra storage (cue shrug emoji)—which means that she always washes the dishes by hand. But alas, all of that harsh soap and scrubbing leaves her hands dry and cracked. And don’t even get me started on her hand sanitizer addiction. After a little over a month of using the Habelo serum, though, the cracked, flaky bits on her hands have healed and, as she puts it, her “hands feel softer and more moisturized than ever.”

But that’s not all. “The skin on the top of my hands had felt thin and crepey, and it made the veins very visible,” she says. “Since using Habelo my skin does feel firmer and tighter, and the top of my hands and fingers look plumper, with far fewer lines. It’s definitely taken a few years off.” Just take a peek at the before and after photos yourself: