10 Years Of Hearing That Anti-Aging Crap Doesn't Work

Uh oh! Looks like it’s time for another discussion of what liars all the skin-cream manufacturers are, and what suckers we are to believe their lies.

By this time, perhaps you’ve heard of the cottage industry that is articles debunking anti-wrinkle creams. If not, allow us to draw your attention to the following!

Debating the Claims Behind Wrinkle Creams [NY Times]
Do Anti-Aging Skin Creams Work? [LA Times]
Anti-wrinkle Cream Miracles Debunked By Scientists [Conversation]
Hope in a Jar: Do Skin Creams Work? [WebMD]

Anti-aging Skin Products: The Science Behind the Hype [A Woman’s Health]
Anti-Wrinkle Creams Do They Work? [Dr. Dave and Dee]
Anti-Aging Creams: Real Wrinkle Cure or Just Hope in a Jar? [ABC]
Expensive Anti-Aging Cream No Better Than Cheap Moisturizer [Associated Content]
Do Wrinkle Creams Really Work? [AskDeb]
Fountain Of Truth [Chicago Tribune]
Do Anti Wrinkle Creams Really Work? [Hub]
Do Wrinkle Creams Really Work? We Answer This Burning Question [eZine]
The Truth About Wrinkle Creams [eHow]
Do Anti-Aging Creams Really Work? [Suite101]

Skin Beauty… Do Anti-Aging Creams Really Turn Back the Clock? [ChinatownConnection]
Wrinkle Creams Put To The Test [Ladies Home Journal]
Anti-Wrinkle Creams: Do They Work? [WomenFitness]
Do Wrinkle Creams Really Work? [GrabtheBasics]
Will an Anti-Aging Cream really Work? [Wrinkle Cream Critic]
Do Anti-Wrinkle Creams Work? [The Star]
Anti Wrinkle Creams, Do They Really Work? [SkinCare Beauty Zone]
Do Wrinkle Creams Really Work? [Omega-3]
Do Wrinkle Creams Work? [WiseGeek]
Here Comes The Science… [BBC]
Wrinkle Creams Scams Exposed! [Soul Shine]
Do Wrinkle Creams Really Deliver? [WellSphere]
Do Any Wrinkle Creams Really Work? [GrabtheBasics]
Anti-Ageing Creams: What Really Works? [Independent]

But save yourself the time, here’s the gist. Do wrinkle creams work? Kind of sort of nope. Most “miraculous” creams don’t do everything they say and the labels are full of pseudoscientific gibberish. Any cheap moisturizer would do basically the same thing. But we buy them anyway. And clearly, this isn’t going to change: companies are going to roll out amazing “anti-aging advances,” people are going to buy them, and articles are going to appear telling us we’re idiots. Insert remark about human nature and Ponce de Leon here, if you like — not to mention our cultural fear of aging. But at the end of the day, if having a ritual of putting on something nice and good-smelling in a pretty bottle makes you feel good, there are far worse things. And you’re in good company.