GOURI vs Rejuran vs Rituo vs Juvelook vs Sculptra — choosing a collagen treatment
Five products sold under the same label, on one page. The criteria are not effect rankings but how much human data exists, whether the material can be reversed, and where the session interval comes from.
The short answer
These five share a marketing label, not a material class, and the human evidence behind them differs by an order of magnitude. Ranked by data alone: Rejuran (Korean phase 3, 70 analysed) > Sculptra (FDA trial, 233 subjects — rated “of low quality” in a 2024 review) > GOURI (33 subjects, 6 months) > Rituo (20 subjects, 20 weeks) > Juvelook (subject count not stated, no control). But thicker data and the right choice for your face are different questions, and none of the five can be dissolved.
The comparison on one page
| Product (class) | Material | Best human data | Session basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| GOURI (liquid PCL) | Polycaprolactone in aqueous solution, no particles | 30-patient pilot (6 months) + 3 cases = 33 subjects; no human histology | Manufacturer FAQ — one session + optional 1–2, 4–6 weeks |
| Rejuran (PN) | Polynucleotides (salmon DNA derived) | Korean phase 3, 70 analysed — randomised, double-blind, split-face, active control | Trial protocol — 3 sessions, 2 weeks apart |
| Rituo (hADM) | Human acellular dermal matrix — regulated as human tissue, not a device | One trial, 20 subjects, 20 weeks (randomised split-face, double-blind, HA control) | That trial's registry protocol — 3 sessions, monthly |
| Juvelook (PDLLA) | PDLLA microspheres in hyaluronic acid | Korean female cohort report — subject count not stated, no control arm, 6 months | We could not find a primary source |
| Sculptra (PLLA) | PLLA powder (mean particle 52 µm), reconstituted | FDA registration trial, 233 subjects, 25 months — 2024 systematic review: 5 of 11 studies at high risk of bias, “of low quality” | Trial protocol — up to 4 sessions, 3 weeks apart |
| (Reference) Radiesse (CaHA) | Calcium hydroxylapatite microspheres | Randomised trial, 152 subjects — 1:2 dilution, 22G cannula | Trial protocol — day 0, week 6, week 12 |
Reversibility takes one line. Hyaluronidase dissolves hyaluronic acid, and nothing else. GOURI, Rituo, Juvelook, Sculptra and Radiesse are not dissolvable; in a product like Juvelook only the hyaluronic acid component responds. Rejuran degrades, so reversal means something different there.
One paragraph each
GOURI — the data is thin, and that is the central fact
33 human subjects in total, six months at most, and no human histology at all. In animals (a 40-rat photoaging model) dermal thickness and type I collagen rose significantly at six weeks. So the mechanism is established in animals and unconfirmed in people. No nodule reports were found, but with 33 subjects that is not an incidence.
Rejuran — the thickest data, and a narrow claim
It passed a Korean phase 3 trial (72 enrolled, 70 analysed). The primary endpoint was photographic assessment and the comparator was a hyaluronic acid product rather than placebo, so what the trial showed is non-inferiority to hyaluronic acid (95.7% vs 94.3%, difference 1.4 points, non-inferiority margin −15% met). Passing phase 3 and beating placebo are not the same statement.
Rituo — a different regulatory category
As human acellular dermal matrix it is regulated as human tissue, not as a medical device. The published human trial is one study of 20 subjects over 20 weeks, conducted after launch. We found no human data supporting the widely quoted “6–12 months” — the trial's longest follow-up is 20 weeks. And in a 2026 survey of 1,034 adults, 69.8% said they would refuse cadaver-derived tissue in aesthetic procedures. That is not an evidence question but a choice, so we raise it in consultation. More in looking into Rituo (hADM) in Daegu.
Juvelook — widely used, thinnest public data
The published study assessed Korean women at one week, one month and six months and reported good improvement and satisfaction. However the abstract does not state how many subjects, there is no control arm, and follow-up ends at six months. We could not verify the source of the “12–18 months” figure common online. Separately, a case report describes a 42-year-old woman who developed a firm, non-inflammatory nodule under the eye three weeks after injection. See Juvelook (PDLLA).
Sculptra — the oldest data, and what dilution changed
It has FDA registration trials with follow-up to 25 months. It also has a 2024 systematic review judging 5 of 11 included studies at high risk of bias and the evidence “of low quality”. There is a second lesson here: nodule rates fell from 17.2% (2009 trial, 20/116) to 1.0% (2023, 1/97), and what changed in between was not the product but the reconstitution volume (5 mL to 9 mL). The same material behaves differently depending on how it is handled. More in GOURI and Sculptra compared.
The order we choose in
- Step 1What has been lostSkin quality, volume or descent, area by area. Boosters genuinely drop out here more often than not.
- Step 2Reversible or notFor a first treatment, or when the decision is still forming, reviewing a reversible material first is the safer order.
- Step 3Depth of evidenceWhere several products target the same goal, compare subjects and follow-up. That is what the table above is for.
- Step 4Where the session count comes fromManufacturer documentation, a trial protocol, or market habit. These are three different things.
Thicker data does not mean the better choice. The targets differ, and what is already in the face narrows the options. But if you are told one product is simply the best, which study, and how many subjects is a fair question.
The commonest error in comparisons: borrowed numbers
Same ingredient, different formulation means the data is not shared. Polycaprolactone is the clearest case.
| Item | GOURI (liquid PCL) | Ellansé (microsphere PCL) |
|---|---|---|
| Form | No microspheres; aqueous solution | 25–50 µm microspheres 30% + CMC gel 70% |
| Human histology | We found none | 13 subjects — +26.7% ± 9.3% at 1 year; +48.1% ± 5.8% at 4 years in 3 subjects (P < 0.001) |
| Post-market data | None | 323,726 syringes: adverse events 0.048%, nodules 0.016%. Separately, zero nodules across 1,111 treatments in 780 patients over 3 years |
No study compares the two formulations in humans. The right-hand column therefore cannot serve as evidence for the left-hand product — and this is the single most common substitution in marketing copy.
Also worth noting: collagen stimulation is not one class's property. Cross-linked hyaluronic acid has been reported to increase type I and III procollagen on human biopsy (11 subjects, P < .05).
How Miso Clinic decides
- We do not rank products. We show the subjects and follow-up behind each class as they stand.
- We state irreversibility for all five before anything else.
- We map what is already in each area, and advise holding where irreversible materials would overlap.
- We separate the source of a session count — manufacturer, protocol, or habit.
- For Rituo we also state the tissue classification and the survey result, and leave what data cannot answer as a choice.
Items to check before choosing a clinic: seven things to check. Triage by skin state: which skin types is it for.
Summary
Established
- Rejuran: Korean phase 3, 70 analysed — claim limited to non-inferiority to hyaluronic acid
- GOURI 33 subjects / 6 months / no human histology; Rituo one trial, 20 subjects / 20 weeks
- Sculptra nodules 17.2% → 1.0%; what changed was dilution (5 → 9 mL)
- None of the five is dissolved by hyaluronidase (only Juvelook's HA component responds)
Not established
- Any head-to-head trial among these products — we found none
- Juvelook's subject count; the source of “12–18 months”
- Rituo's injected volume per session; human evidence for “6–12 months”
- Any human comparison of liquid versus microsphere PCL
Frequently asked questions
Is GOURI the best collagen booster?
No public data supports ranking these products, and no head-to-head trial exists among them. By depth of human evidence Rejuran is ahead (Korean phase 3, 70 analysed) and GOURI has 33 subjects - but the two do not aim at exactly the same thing, so 'best' cannot be stated from data.
Has anyone compared these five products directly?
We found no study comparing them within a single trial. Comparison is therefore only possible by placing each product's separate data side by side, which is what the table in this column does.
Juvelook is popular - what does thin data mean here?
It means the published study did not state how many subjects it included, had no control arm, and followed patients for six months. Being widely used and having thick public data are separate things. The common '12-18 months' figure has no source we could verify.
Why is Rituo classified differently?
As human acellular dermal matrix it is regulated as human tissue rather than as a medical device, so tissue-bank and import-approval rules apply instead of a device authorisation number. We also mention that in a 2026 survey of 1,034 adults, 69.8% said they would refuse cadaver-derived tissue in aesthetic procedures.
I heard Sculptra causes nodules.
Rates were 17.2% in the 2009 registration trial and 1.0% in the 2023 trial. What changed was reconstitution volume (5 mL to 9 mL), not the product. One randomised comparison found 1.3% at 10-12 mL versus 8% with the standard protocol - so this is closer to a handling question than a property of the material.
Is combining several of them better?
We found no data showing combination outperforms single treatment. And overlapping irreversible materials in one area makes any later problem impossible to attribute, so we do not recommend stacking non-reversible products.
What about price differences?
Miso Clinic does not discuss costs in columns or on the website; they are explained during consultation. With irreversible materials we would suggest not placing price first in the decision.
Which options are reversible?
Hyaluronidase dissolves hyaluronic acid. If this is your first treatment, or the decision is still forming, reviewing a reversible material first is the safer order. Worth noting that cross-linked hyaluronic acid has also been reported to raise procollagen on human biopsy (11 subjects).
Read next
Product page
The product itself is set out here. GOURI: liquid polycaprolactone as a collagen stimulator
Who wrote this
Written and reviewed by Lee Chi-Hak, MD, medical director of Miso Clinic in Daegu, South Korea. Every study cited above is given together with its design, its size and the limitations the authors themselves recorded, and where we could not find data, we have said that we could not find any.
| Medical director | Lee Chi-Hak, MD |
|---|---|
| Address | 4F Bombom Building, 125 Dongdeok-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu, South Korea · Exit 1, Kyungpook National University Hospital Station |
| Phone | +82-53-428-2700 |
| Hours | Weekdays 11:00–19:00 (lunch 13:00–14:00) / Saturday 10:00–16:00 (no lunch break) / Closed Sundays and public holidays |
| Columns | All clinical columns |
| Reference library | All booster and device references |
References
- GOURI (liquid PCL) — Ponzo M et al., PRS Global Open 2025;13(11), PMID 41210393 (30-patient pilot, six months) plus three cases = 33 subjects; no human histology. Sessions from the manufacturer's official FAQ (one, optionally 1–2 more at 4–6 weeks).
- Rejuran (PN) — J Korean Med Sci 2014;29(Suppl 3):S201–S209. Korean phase 3, 72 enrolled / 70 analysed, randomised double-blind split-face, active control (hyaluronic acid), 95.7% vs 94.3%, difference 1.4 points, non-inferiority margin −15% met. Protocol: three sessions two weeks apart.
- Rituo (hADM) — Lee YI et al., Int J Mol Sci 2026;27(5):2193, NCT07155278. Randomised split-face double-blind, 20 subjects, 20 weeks, hyaluronic acid control, three monthly sessions, run November 2024 to May 2025. Regulated as human tissue. In a 2026 survey of 1,034 adults, 69.8% would refuse cadaver-derived tissue in aesthetic procedures.
- Juvelook (PDLLA) — published Korean female cohort report (assessments at one week, one month, six months; subject count not stated in the abstract; no control arm). Nodule case: Seo SB, Wan J, Yi KH, J Cosmet Dermatol 2025;24(1):e16575 (42-year-old woman, firm non-inflammatory nodule three weeks after under-eye injection).
- Sculptra (PLLA) — FDA premarket approval summaries P030050/S002 (2009, 20/116 = 17.2%) and P030050/S039 (2023, 1/97 = 1.0%); reconstitution 5 mL to 9 mL. Mean particle size 52 µm and the “of low quality” rating: Signori R et al., Polymers (Basel) 2024;16(18):2564, PMID 39339028 (5 of 11 studies at high risk of bias).
- Radiesse (CaHA) — randomised trial, 152 subjects, 1:2 dilution, 22G cannula, day 0 / week 6 / week 12.
- Microsphere PCL (Ellansé) — human histology 13 subjects (+26.7% ± 9.3% at one year; +48.1% ± 5.8% at four years in three subjects, P < 0.001); post-market 323,726 syringes with adverse events 0.048% and nodules 0.016%; zero nodules across 1,111 treatments in 780 patients over three years (Lin SL, Christen MO, J Cosmet Dermatol 2020;19(8):1907).
- Cross-linked hyaluronic acid and procollagen — human biopsy, 11 subjects, P < .05.
- We found no study comparing these products within a single trial.
Everything in this column is general information and does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment. Effects and side effects vary with individual skin condition, age and underlying illness, and the same result is not guaranteed for everyone. Any decision to proceed should be made in an in-person consultation with a physician.
← Clinical columns · Reference library · Miso Clinic home
한국어 · English