Boots OTC anti-aging cosmetic shown to reduce wrinkles

A product sold over the counter (OTC) in chemists across Britain has been shown to reduce wrinkles and improve the appearance of skin damaged by everyday exposure to sunlight.

The product is sold at Boot's chemists around the country and is one of their own range of cosmetics sold under the brand name 'No 7'.

A study carried out by dermatologists at Manchester University involved a clinical trial on 60 volunteers - 11 men and 49 women aged 45 to 80 years - all of whom had the typical signs of sun-damaged skin, and it was found that the cosmetic, No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum, could improve some of these clinical features.

The study showed that 70% of individuals using the beauty product had significantly fewer wrinkles after 12 months of daily use compared to volunteers using a placebo.

The research team, headed by Professor of Dermatology, Chris Griffiths, say that the original No7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum stimulated the production of fibrillin-1, a protein that promotes elasticity in the skin.

The researchers wanted to discover whether the new serum promoted fibrillin-1 production but wanted to test whether this would result in a reduction in wrinkles, as has been demonstrated with prescription retinoids.

Professor Griffiths, who is based at the University's School of Translational Medicine at Salford Royal Foundation Hospital, says very few OTC cosmetic 'anti-ageing' products have been subjected to a rigorous, scientific trial to prove their effectiveness and although prescription retinoids can have a reparative effect on photo-aged skin, there is scant evidence that any of the plethora of cosmetic 'anti-ageing' products can produce similar effects.

The clinical trial which was funded by Boots, was carried out using standard scientific protocols and having established that the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum did increase fibrillin-1 production, the volunteers were recruited to test its efficacy.

The researchers say their findings demonstrate that a commercially-available cosmetic can produce significant improvement in the appearance of facial wrinkles following long-term use.

Professor Griffiths says it is rare for such benefits to be reported for an over-the-counter anti-ageing product and this study paves the way for larger studies with more statistical power.

The study is published online in the British Journal of Dermatology (Tuesday, April 28).