TRYING to hold back the ravages of time is an expensive business. People around the world spend a staggering $290 billion a year on over-the-counter beauty products. Cosmetics companies invest a fortune – around 2 per cent of their sales – on researching and developing new products.
These ample budgets mean cosmetic houses are able to employ some very capable scientists who perform high-quality research. In areas such as the biology of the outermost layer of skin they are world leaders. Yet despite all this activity, we know next to nothing about whether the anti-wrinkle creams they produce actually work. Do they…
