Anua vs Medicube Gua Sha Cream: Which Neck-Firming Cream Should You Choose?

If there's one area even the most dedicated skincare routines forget, it's the neck. We spend our days looking down at phones and laptops, and that constant crease, now nicknamed "tech neck," shows up as horizontal lines, lost firmness and a softening jawline long before most of us think to do anything about it.

Enter the gua sha cream: a firming neck and décolleté treatment with a sculpting tool built right into the tube, so you massage the actives in as you apply. Two of the most talked-about have landed at Kosmetics, the Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream and the Medicube PDRN Collagen Gua Sha Neck Wrinkle Cream. They look almost identical on the shelf, so which one is right for you? We compared them side by side.

What Is a Gua Sha Cream (and How Is It Different From a Gua Sha Tool)?

Traditional gua sha uses a flat stone tool to massage the face and neck, boosting circulation and helping with puffiness and tension. A gua sha cream takes that idea and builds the tool into the product: a W-shaped applicator sits in the cap and dispenses a firming cream as you glide it along the jaw, neck and décolleté. You get the lymphatic-style massage and a dose of targeted actives in one quick step, with no separate stone or facial oil required. The cooling applicator also helps de-puff and makes the whole thing feel like a mini in-home treatment.

The difference that matters: a gua sha tool is just the massage, while a gua sha cream pairs that massage with retinol, peptides, collagen and other firming ingredients that actually work on the skin over time. That's why these two are worth the shelf space your old stone roller isn't getting.

Meet the Two Contenders

Both are retinol-based firming creams for the neck, jawline and décolleté, both come with a built-in W-shaped gua sha applicator, and both are evening treatments. Here's the quick introduction before we get into the detail.

Anua vs Medicube Gua Sha Cream: Side by Side

On paper, these two are closer than almost any pair of products we stock. Here's how they line up.

	Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream	Medicube PDRN Collagen Gua Sha Neck Wrinkle Cream
Size	80 ml	90 g
Applicator	Built-in W-shaped gua sha	Built-in W-shaped gua sha
Hero actives	Encapsulated retinol, collagen, peptides, niacinamide	PDRN (salmon DNA), 5% Volufiline, 12-peptide complex, collagen
Also includes	Adenosine, panthenol, squalane, cholesterol	Retinol, niacinamide, ceramide NP, hyaluronic acid, vitamins C & E
Contains retinol?	Yes (encapsulated, the hero active)	Yes (a supporting active)
Texture	Rich, nourishing, barrier-supportive	Lightweight, non-sticky
Best for	Fine lines, crepiness, gentle anti-ageing	Firmness, plumping, bounce
Targets	Tech neck, jawline, décolleté	Tech neck, jawline, décolleté
When to use	PM, SPF the next morning	PM, SPF the next morning

The Key Difference: How the Actives Compare

Same format, same purpose, both retinol-based. The real difference is what leads each formula.

Anua is retinol-forward. Its encapsulated retinol is the headline act, and encapsulation means it releases slowly and gently, which matters on the thin, easily-irritated skin of the neck. Around it sit collagen and peptides for elasticity, niacinamide to even tone, and genuine barrier lipids (squalane and cholesterol) that cushion the skin so the retinol is better tolerated. If your neck leans dry or a little reactive, that barrier support is the standout.

Medicube is plumping-forward. It leads with salmon-derived PDRN (prized for skin regeneration and tone), 5% Volufiline (a lipid-based active used to visibly volumise and firm), and a 12-peptide complex including copper tripeptide-1 and carnosine for elasticity and bounce. Retinol is in the mix too, but here it plays a supporting role rather than the lead. Ceramides, hyaluronic acid and vitamins C and E round it out. If loss of firmness and a softening jawline are your main concern, that's the heavier firming-and-plumping stack.

Both include niacinamide and hydrating, barrier-supporting ingredients, so neither is harsh. It really comes down to this: do you want retinol as the star (Anua), or the biggest firming-and-plumping active stack (Medicube)?

Which Gua Sha Cream Should You Choose?

Choose the Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream if… you want retinol to be the star for fine lines and crepiness, you prefer a gentler, encapsulated retinol, or your neck skin leans dry or slightly reactive and would appreciate the squalane-and-cholesterol barrier support.

Choose the Medicube PDRN Collagen Gua Sha Neck Wrinkle Cream if… firmness and bounce are your priority, you love an active-stacked formula (PDRN plus Volufiline plus 12 peptides), and you want a lightweight, non-sticky finish in a slightly larger tube.

Honestly, they're close enough that you could happily use either, or even alternate them. Both tackle the same tech-neck, jawline and décolleté concerns with the same clever built-in tool.

How to Use a Gua Sha Neck Cream?

1. Turn the applicator to ON and dispense a little cream onto your neck and jawline.
2. Glide the tool upward and outward for about 5 minutes, from the décolleté up the neck, then along the jawline toward the ears. You can carry the massage up onto the cheeks too if you want a fuller facial treatment, just keep it clear of the eye area.
3. Wipe the applicator head with a tissue or an alcohol swab, then turn it back to OFF.

Because both contain retinol, use them at night only, start with 2 to 3 times a week and build up as your skin adjusts, and apply a broad-spectrum SPF to your neck and décolleté the next morning (SPF 50+ is the smart choice in Australia's UV). Skip both if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and patch test first if your skin is sensitive.

The Verdict

There's no loser here. Both are genuinely good two-in-one firming treatments for a part of the body most of us ignore. If we had to split them: reach for the Anua Collagen Retinol Refining Gua Sha Cream when you want a gentler, retinol-led treatment with barrier support, and the Medicube PDRN Collagen Gua Sha Neck Wrinkle Cream when you want the heaviest-hitting firming-and-plumping stack in a slightly bigger tube. Either way, the built-in gua sha turns a step most people skip into one you'll actually look forward to.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do gua sha neck creams actually work?

They work on two levels. The massage from the built-in tool boosts circulation and helps with puffiness and tension straight away, while the actives (retinol, peptides, collagen, PDRN) work on firmness and fine lines over several weeks of consistent use. Like any skincare, the results come from regular use, not a single session, but these do more than a plain gua sha stone because they deliver real ingredients at the same time.

What is tech neck, and can a cream fix it?

"Tech neck" refers to the horizontal lines and loss of firmness that come from constantly looking down at phones and screens. A firming cream with retinol and peptides, used consistently, can soften the look of those lines and improve elasticity over time. It won't erase deep set creases, but it's one of the most effective at-home steps for an area that's usually neglected.

Can I use a gua sha neck cream on my face?

Yes, you can. There's nothing in either formula that makes it off-limits for the face: retinol, peptides, collagen, niacinamide, PDRN, ceramides and hyaluronic acid are all standard facial-skincare ingredients. Anua and Medicube position these as neck creams because the neck, jawline and décolleté are the areas most people skip, and the W-shaped applicator is shaped for those longer sweeping strokes, but gua sha is a facial massage technique to begin with, so it carries naturally up along the jaw and cheeks. A few sensible rules: keep both well away from the eye area, since they contain retinol; if you already use a retinol or other strong active on your face, don't layer retinol over retinol (alternate nights, or keep these to the neck); and because the Anua cream is on the richer side, acne-prone skin may prefer to keep it below the jaw. As with any retinol, build up slowly and wear SPF the next morning.

Do the Anua and Medicube gua sha creams contain retinol?

Yes, both do. In the Anua cream, encapsulated retinol is the hero active. In the Medicube cream, retinol is present as a supporting active behind PDRN, Volufiline and peptides. Because both contain retinol, use them in the evening, apply SPF the next morning, and avoid them during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

How often should I use a gua sha neck cream?

Start with 2 to 3 evenings a week to let your skin adjust to the retinol, then build up to nightly if your skin is comfortable. The massage itself only takes a few minutes, so it's easy to make part of your wind-down routine.

Do I still need a separate gua sha tool?

Not for your neck. The W-shaped applicator built into each tube does the sculpting massage and dispenses the cream in one step. A separate stone gua sha is still nice for a longer facial massage, but for the neck and jawline these two-in-one creams cover it.

Anua or Medicube, which is better?

Neither is "better," they're built for slightly different priorities. Choose Anua for a gentler, retinol-led formula with barrier support, and Medicube for the bigger firming-and-plumping active stack (PDRN plus Volufiline plus 12 peptides). Both use the same built-in gua sha tool and target the same concerns.

Where can I buy these in Australia?

Both the Anua and Medicube gua sha creams are available at Kosmetics, with free standard shipping on orders over $45. We're an authorised Australian stockist for both brands, with fast domestic delivery.