Thu 8 Apr 2010
Do Anti-Aging Products Really Work?
SKIN PRODUCTS
Testing included 79 participants, 67 of them women, between the ages of 40 and 65.
Almost all the serums claimed to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles within six weeks or less, but the effectiveness of even the best products was limited and varied from subject-to-subject. Every serum tested produced a visual change in wrinkle length or depth for at least some test subjects, and did nothing for others. And when there were any wrinkle reductions, they were at best slight, and fell short of the miracles implied on the product labels. Improvements were minor. We don’t know whether using the serums for longer than six weeks produces better results.
Two serums were rated as slightly more effective than the others: DermaSilk 5 Minute Face Lift ($40 per ounce) and Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle ($20 per ounce). Interestingly, these two serums with the best results received fewer positive comments from the testers than the others. Consumer Reports Health also found that the one serum with all-natural ingredients (no parabens or phthalates), Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Intensive Repairing, was the least effective at reducing wrinkles, despite its steep price at $56 per ounce.
Consumers are better off spending money on sunscreen or moisturizer, than anti-wrinkle facial serums.
THE TAKEAWAY
All of these products really are hit and miss. What works for some may really not work for others. And really it is a process of trial and error. What we found though is, in most cases, what made people happiest was — acceptance of aging.
Read more on CBS News
