Do anti ageing creams really work?

[gregssausageroll]

I gave in and bought an expensive pot from Lizzie Arden but not sure i'd do the same as I am not convinced. Do they really work or am I better staying with cheaper products?

[YNK]

Does anyone get a prescription for Retin A from their UK GP? I holiday in india and stock up there.
Oh, and scientifically it's the only thing that works (prescription strength)

[ameliagrey]

mindthegap and credge I don't know what you are reallly disagreeing over.

L'Oreal owns all of these


L'Oreal: 2005 revenues of $19.78 billion U.S. dollars. Only owns cosmetics, haircare and fragrance brands (29 in total).

Brands: Kérastase, L'Oréal Professionnel, L'Oréal Technique, Matrix, Mizani, Redken, L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York, SoftSheen-Carson, Biotherm, The Body Shop, Cacharel, Diesel Perfumes, Giorgio Armani Parfums and Cosmetics, Guy Laroche, Helena Rubinstein, Kiehl's, Lancôme, Paloma Picasso, Ralph Lauren, Shu Uemura, Victor et Rolf parfum, Dermablend, La Roche-Posay, SkinCeuticals, Vichy Laboratoires, Innéov, Ombrelle.

The other main company is Estee Lauder, then Proctor and Gamble.

so when you say L'Oreal does research yes they do- but for example, Lancome has a new anti- ageing range out and they have invested £££ into developing it.

If you are saying that they only put money into a pot of cream that sells in Tesco etc for £15 and not one in a dept store for £50, then that's rubbish- sorry.

What I have read is the opposite- what you find in the higher price bracket will in time filter down to supermarket stock.

[cedge]

Do a search on the makeupalley.com review site for 'homemade vitamin c serum'. Then do the same for your choice of 'middle priced' over the counter cream. See which has the highest rating.
You will also find that many of the ingredients that are beneficial to skin have been discovered/tested by independent scientists with no affiliation to any skin care company. Therefore, there is no need for smaller companies to pour billions into 'research' as it has already been done.
To state that a 'middle priced' cream will be more effective than a budget or expensive cream is IMO wrong. It all depends on the ingredients. And many of the effective ingredients are cheap - hence DIY skin care being a good option.

[MindtheGappp]

I find it amusing when people knock companies who spend billions in research using real chemists, biochemists etc., and prefer to knock up formulas in their kitchens that they found on the internet.

I will re-iterate that only companies that have vast research teams are the ones that are producing effective products. Those are companies with substantial presence in the middle-priced mass market sector. Neither the prestige nor the budget brands have enough money for proper, long-term, research, adding to the knowledge base of skin-science.

[cedge]

I dont watch the apprentice so i wouldnt know who Susan is.
You seem a little offended that i have stated an opinion on here.
From a personal standpoint, my skin has changed a lot since making my own creams and serums. It has also saved me plenty of money. I thought this may be helpful to others who are getting down about aging and are skint!
Sorry if it offended you ; )

[MindtheGappp]

You're not Susan from The Apprentice, are you?

[cedge]

Topsi - I think the top end creams have a better chance of working too, downside is they are very expensive.
Obagi is great too but you can mimick the 'regime' much more cheaply by buying retin a online and making vit c serum IMO.

[cedge]

Not as a formulator.
I used to own a company that distributed 'over the counter' creams and other cosmetics within the UK. I have also written articles on skin care.
By all means continue to use your beauty creams if you feel they help you. They just never did for me : )

[topsi]

I wouldn't buy from a department store/chemist etc. creams that are potent enough in vit A and C are only available through specialist clinics. These creams do work. The likes of Creme de la mere have been likened to the scrapings from the bottom of a fish bowl and have no scientific reason to be effective. Personally I would reccomend Obagi as being the only system to give visible results.

[MindtheGappp]

btw, vitamin C in formulations is there as an antioxidant for the formula (to stop it going rancid), not for clinical or consumer-noticeable benefits.

[MindtheGappp]

As a formulator?

[cedge]

Mindthegapp - i have worked in the beauty industry as it happens.
It is true that prescription only retin a (a derivative of vitamin a) will help you look younger, as will all types of retinoid in sufficient quantities. The problem is that over the counter creams do not use sufficient quantities in the majority of cases. Likewise, when including vitamin c in their formulations, they often use a vitamin c derivative which stays fresh longer than normal vitamin c. The issue with this is that again it is not as effective.
Over the counter creams also frequently include stuff we dont want on our skin e,g parabens and other preservatives.
So the best choice for me is to either get retin a on prescription or make my own creams or both.
Over the counter creams may work for some, but they never did for me and they cost me plenty of money in the process.

[fannybanjo]

The ONLY cream that is scientifically proven to reduce lines and wrinkles is Retinoid. I was prescribed Retin A as after having DD3 I was suffering with sore spots along my chin line and chin and it has definitely helped reduce fine lines and I haven't been using it very long. I also wear a SPF of 30 EVERY day. Plus not smoking, exercising, eating well and not drinking too much alcohol all help.

Can an over the counter cream truly anti-age you? - No.

[AlpinePony]

If they worked then the richest women in the world would never age.

My boyfriend lost his hair at a young age. He figures if Prince William, Wayne Rooney et al can't buy magic in a pot then neither can he.

[MindtheGappp]

You've never worked in the beauty industry, I gather.

[cedge]

Olay, L'oreal etc all have an interest in making sure any studies they do have positive results.
Seek out independant studies, find out what works then make it yourself.
It has worked for me - so far : )

[GobbyCah]

Of course they don't!

[MindtheGappp]

although they might market otherwise.

bottom line, though, is that l'oreal is a mass market, mid-price brand, so reasonably trustworthy (when not pissing off the ASA).

[MindtheGappp]

They don't usually put their innovations into premium brands. It is almost always their mass market brands. The premium brands are fairly insignificant to the company finance bods.

[MindtheGappp]

But l'oreal have all their brands as stand alone.

[OriginalPoster]

Sleep, water, SPF every day, multivit, omega 3, aspirin face mask, good diet, meditation, good sex life

And E45

Keeps me young

[ameliagrey]

mindthegap that is not actually true- the cosmetics industry has a few "giants" who own not only the dept store brands but the rest as well.

eg Lancome is I am sure a brand of L'Oreal , etc etc.

They invest millions in research and what is first sold as a premium beauty product eventually finds is way into the mid price range.

[ameliagrey]

p.s. collagen is found deep inside the skin. Skin cannot absorb collagen that is put on it in the form of creams.

[ameliagrey]

No- not really.

There are a few ways you can try to stop the rot though:

always use a sunscreen SPF 25 and aove 365 days a year. it's the UVA and UVB that age us.

use a moisturiser that holds water in your skin, and also plumps it up.

Use serums etc to give the impression of smoothness.

Use products with retinol- Vit A derivative- to reduce wrinkles. Retinol is licensed on prescription for skin problems so it does seem to work, but it can also irritate skin.

All the dermstologits I have heard talk about skin and ageing say the same thing- it's diet, ( no alcohol or very little), exercise, SPF protection and a simple moisturiser that keeps skin young (er).

[cedge]

Many people get bamboozled by all the hype surrounding the latest creams. Vitamin C and A have years of independant scientific studies behind them, showing they can increase collagen and make your skin appear younger.
But as i said before, i doubt many of the ready made creams achieve this.