05 Jul 2007, ST, Urban
Sales of Boots' No. 7 Protect & Perfect anti-ageing serum soar after a BBC programme
London - Britain's new cult favourite skincare line is Boots' No. 7.
When the homely brand first introduced its Protect & Perfect anti-ageing serum (right) two years ago in Britain, consumers hardly took notice.
That changed when the BBC broadcast a special report on beauty products in March. A dermatologist's analysis showed that the serum actually might work, the BBC reported.
Sales promptly exploded.
'After the programme, there was an initial sales uplift of 2,000 per cent,' Boots spokesman Lucy Folks said.
In a single weekend, the chain sold 160,000 bottles. The manufacturing plant has increased production from 20,000 bottles a week to 20,000 bottles a day.
At 8.30am on a recent Wednesday, the scene at Boots Sloane Square, a tourist-filled neighbourhood in central London, was all squealing women and nervous staff.
'This is about the eighth time I've come, and now I finally got it,' chirped one customer.
Because the serum is in such high demand, Boots is restricting shoppers to one bottle each.
Interest in the anti-ageing serum mushroomed after the BBC featured medical professor Lesley Regan testing various over-the-counter brands in search of the best beauty products. During the televised hunt, she took the Boots serum to Manchester University, where professor Chris Griffiths, head of the dermatology department, carried out experiments and found that Protect & Perfect was the most effective.
'At both basic science and clinical levels, Boots' No. 7 Protect & Perfect has been shown scientifically to repair photo-aged skin and improve fine wrinkles associated with photo-ageing,' he announced to the network.
Not all dermatologists are convinced, however, that this serum, or any other, repairs ageing skin.
'Most of the anti-ageing creams have vastly too little retinol to make a difference,' said Dr John J. Voorhees of the University of Michigan Medical School.
He and his colleagues recently published a study on the effects of retinol on ageing skin. They found that high levels of the vitamin A- derived substance trigger collagen production just under the skin, reducing fine lines and protecting the surface from injury and even ulcer formation.
The key to retinol's success, however, is a high enough concentration to allow it to be absorbed into the skin to promote a healthier appearance. If the retinol concentration is low, the product is unlikely to make a significant difference.
'If Boots and other creams have enough retinol in them, and if that retinol exits the cream into your skin, you might actually have an effect,' Voorhees said.
But he added: 'Consumers should not expect much to happen when they use retinol products. All creams are moisturisers, and moisturisers fill in the nooks and crannies and make the skin look better. So people will think their skin is better, but nothing is really happening.'
Sales of Boots' No. 7 Protect & Perfect anti-ageing serum soar after a BBC programme
London - Britain's new cult favourite skincare line is Boots' No. 7.
When the homely brand first introduced its Protect & Perfect anti-ageing serum (right) two years ago in Britain, consumers hardly took notice.
That changed when the BBC broadcast a special report on beauty products in March. A dermatologist's analysis showed that the serum actually might work, the BBC reported.
Sales promptly exploded.
'After the programme, there was an initial sales uplift of 2,000 per cent,' Boots spokesman Lucy Folks said.
In a single weekend, the chain sold 160,000 bottles. The manufacturing plant has increased production from 20,000 bottles a week to 20,000 bottles a day.
At 8.30am on a recent Wednesday, the scene at Boots Sloane Square, a tourist-filled neighbourhood in central London, was all squealing women and nervous staff.
'This is about the eighth time I've come, and now I finally got it,' chirped one customer.
Because the serum is in such high demand, Boots is restricting shoppers to one bottle each.
Interest in the anti-ageing serum mushroomed after the BBC featured medical professor Lesley Regan testing various over-the-counter brands in search of the best beauty products. During the televised hunt, she took the Boots serum to Manchester University, where professor Chris Griffiths, head of the dermatology department, carried out experiments and found that Protect & Perfect was the most effective.
'At both basic science and clinical levels, Boots' No. 7 Protect & Perfect has been shown scientifically to repair photo-aged skin and improve fine wrinkles associated with photo-ageing,' he announced to the network.
Not all dermatologists are convinced, however, that this serum, or any other, repairs ageing skin.
'Most of the anti-ageing creams have vastly too little retinol to make a difference,' said Dr John J. Voorhees of the University of Michigan Medical School.
He and his colleagues recently published a study on the effects of retinol on ageing skin. They found that high levels of the vitamin A- derived substance trigger collagen production just under the skin, reducing fine lines and protecting the surface from injury and even ulcer formation.
The key to retinol's success, however, is a high enough concentration to allow it to be absorbed into the skin to promote a healthier appearance. If the retinol concentration is low, the product is unlikely to make a significant difference.
'If Boots and other creams have enough retinol in them, and if that retinol exits the cream into your skin, you might actually have an effect,' Voorhees said.
But he added: 'Consumers should not expect much to happen when they use retinol products. All creams are moisturisers, and moisturisers fill in the nooks and crannies and make the skin look better. So people will think their skin is better, but nothing is really happening.'
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