Wrinkle creams: which brands are the safest and which actually work? Among the worst is an L'Oréal product

A test compared 10 anti-wrinkle creams, drawing up the ranking in terms of effectiveness and presence of controversial substances

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There are several on the market anti-aging creams that promise to keep skin young by avoiding, or rather slowing down, the appearance of wrinkles. But do they really keep their promise? And which are the best in terms of composition? The new test by 60 millions de consommateur that compared 10 anti-wrinkle creams helps us in the choice.

It is not easy to find a perfect anti-wrinkle cream that on the one hand is really effective against the aging process of the skin and on the other is also “clean” in terms of composition, that is, it does not contain dubious ingredients.

To help us in the choice there is one of the latest tests of the French magazine 60 millions de consommateur that has analyzed and compared 10 anti-wrinkle day creams.

These were tested under normal conditions of use for 28 days and the effectiveness on the so-called "crow's feet" was then evaluated using a device. While for consistency, color, smell, ease of use and general satisfaction, each cream has been tested by at least 20 women between 40 and 70 years old.

Finally, to assess the risks of cosmetic products for health and the environment, reference was made to the Cosmeto'Score. This evaluation system was developed by engineers of the National Consumer Institute (the publisher of 60 Millions de Consommateur) and takes into account all the ingredients by weighing the risks according to their more or less relevant presence in the product and according to use. what do you do with it (daily or not, rinsed or not, etc.)

The results

Anti-wrinkle formulations are generally "heavy" and often rich in ingredients. This test confirms this by noting that, on average, each product contains 38 ingredients.

Only a cream gets a very good rating in terms of health and environmental risks. This is the Marilou organic face cream with shea butter and rice bran classified with A in the Cosméto'Score.

According to the Cosmeto'Score, which scores from A to E, the ratings of the other wrinkle creams tested have generally been disappointing. But it is not always necessary to worry, the experts of the French magazine point out, as this evaluation technique penalizes for a number of parameters including the number of ingredients and more.

In the creams, it is well specified, no ingredients in themselves dangerous have been found. All ingredients used comply with cosmetics regulations, the magazine specifies. But there are still some ingredients on which attention has been focused and which have penalized some products.

As stated in 60 Millions de Consommateurs, the Cosmeto'Score applies the precautionary principle:

"Cosmeto'Score is interested in the risks: Is this ingredient, used repeatedly in small quantities, free from health or environmental effects? Is the ingredient authorized because the absence of risk is confirmed or because a risk is suspected but not yet formally proven? "

Therefore, as has already happened in other tests, controversial substances such as octocrylene (a sun filter), potential allergens or other ingredients that can damage aquatic fauna are penalized. In fact, even if the creams do not rinse, their residues remain on the face which, in any case, will be washed sooner or later and this is how they can end up in the water.

No nanomaterials appear on the ingredient lists of the wrinkle creams tested, however some ingredients may be in nano form. And it is precisely the case of titanium dioxide, found in products such as Nocibé and Vichy cream, which have been penalized for this, as foreseen by the Cosmeto'Score. To know in what form the ingredient is present, in fact, it is necessary to carry out an expensive analysis or to rely on the producers. The Cosmeto'Score therefore penalizes a priori all ingredients that could be in nano form.

The worst cream for Cosmeto'Score, as there are allergens and irritants but also pollutants, it is the Hundred di Lidl which in the general classification, however, considering all the parameters, is third from last (among other things it has a greener in terms of anti-wrinkle effectiveness). In the last place there is instead L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser X 3.

Penultimate in the standings is the Shiseido Benefiance Smoothing Cream which, according to what 60 millions de consommateur writes, is the one in which there are more problematic substances for the environment: polymers (it contains 6) and silicones (3). It is also the one it has overall the composition with more ingredients (52!).

Although Marilou cream is the only one with Cosmeto'Score A, it is not first in the ranking. With a score of 11,5 / 20, the best product in the test for effectiveness it was found to be the anti-wrinkle day cream Nocibe Age Focus as, as we read in the magazine:

“That cream it is the only one that combines a relative effectiveness on the roughness of crow's feet, the satisfaction of the panel of users and an acceptable Cosmeto'Score, despite its 41 ingredients… And all at a relatively low price ”.

In fact, beyond the presence of controversial substances, an important point reported by the test is that often the real effects on wrinkles of these creams are not exactly miraculous.