Here’s a claim: I think No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced serum could well be the most extraordinary beauty product launched this century.Having caused a positive frenzy for almost a decade, clinical studies published this week now show this anti-ageing marvel not only works — but also has cumulative benefits.In other words, it’s an investment in your complexion for the future. If you hadn’t guessed already, I’m a huge fan.
And no, I’m not being paid by Boots to write this.Scroll down for video. New research reveals the benefits of No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced serum (pictured) are visible and increase with time and consistent useI love the fact it’s a fuss-free, unassuming product. It feels light on your skin — isn’t as drying as some serums — and has a sensible price: £24.95.But, best of all, it actually works.
Used regularly (this is no one-hit wonder) soft lines and wrinkles will look less pronounced. The change is subtle, but it is definitely there.When the latest formulation of the serum — aimed specifically at over-35s — was first launched a year ago, 85 per cent of 2,600 volunteers said their fine lines were reduced and their skin looked younger after four weeks. Not surprisingly, it flew off the shelves. ShareNow Boots have released the results of a 12-month clinical trial on 80 volunteers. One group applied the serum to one side of their face and not the other. Their crow’s feet and under-eye wrinkles were then graded by a dermatologist each month.The improvement seen in wrinkles under their eyes trebled (with use) between two months and 12 months and the improvement in crow’s feet doubled in this time.What’s more, experts who advise on TV advertising have given approval for a new marketing claim: ‘The UK’s first serum clinically proven to deliver anti-wrinkle results that get even better over time.’Many women will never forget the moment they first clutched a tube of original Boots No 7 Protect & Perfect serum.
Boots No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Advanced Serum uses a combination of powerful ingredients to deliver anti-aging results. It uses a combination of the most powerful form of Matrixyl and a revolutionary peptide which works together to restore the youthful appearance and texture of the skin. No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum has been tested like no other cosmetic anti aging product in an independent 12 month trial. The findings clearly show that it has genuine, long term anti aging benefits. 70% of the volunteers using the product showed a marked improvement in the appearance of photo-aged skin after 12 months of use.
I remember very well, as it was the subject of my first-ever column for this newspaper back in April 2007.The excitement all started with a BBC2 Horizon investigation into beauty products in which Professor Chris Griffiths, foundation professor of dermatology at Manchester University, concluded this inexpensive serum was as just as good as much pricier products. A BBC2 Horizon investigation revealed that the serum was just as good as much pricier but similar products (picture posed by model)What’s more, it genuinely appeared to work — researchers could see it repaired the skin’s structure and human testers raved about the improvement to their complexions.What followed was unprecedented. There was a stampede to Boots, with queues snaking around the block to get hold of it.We heard, with growing astonishment, about the 200 names being added to the (rumoured 50,000-strong) waiting list every hour and the incredible increase in factory output. In these latest serums, a new and highly concentrated extra peptide, acetyl-dipeptide, has been added which is said to combat sagging skin (picture posed by model)Protect & Perfect Advanced Intense also has hyaluronic acid, which fills in wrinkles and firms skin.None of these are particularly revolutionary, but I respect this. So many creams contain such insane and unproven ingredients that you might as well say they’re a mix of unicorn horn and fairy wings.Yes, plenty of other anti-ageing skin products contain Matrixyl — it’s certainly not exclusive to No7. But Boots say their formulation is more effective as it enables the skin to absorb it most effectively.
And this serum is for everyone. There’s no gimmick, no fancy packaging and crystals on the tube to justify a price tag of hundreds of pounds. You get what you pay for, and yes, it has gone up to £24.95 but that’s still a fraction of the cost of many other moisturisers.Women who had never before considered anti-ageing products, and who swore by soap and water, invested back in 2007 — and have done so ever since.You see, you can justify buying a moisturiser if you’re in Boots getting cotton wool and children’s sun cream.
Women don’t feel extravagant and self-indulgent. They’re buying a practical product, which really works.I meet many readers and almost all of them has a Protect & Perfect story.My own is that it converted my elderly uncle to using moisturiser for the first time, after he bought it in 2007 with my aunt. It has also introduced a generation of women to serums. These were previously virtually unheard of and very much seen as beauty products for those with more money than sense.‘Serums are another vehicle for delivering active ingredients and are more effective than a cream,’ says Dr Allan.
‘They penetrate more deeply and should be used after cleansing and before moisturising.’Only two out of hundreds of women I have asked for their memories of the product last year had anything negative to say about the serums. And that was simply because they had skin so sensitive, nothing could touch it.The success of Protect & Perfect is, in some ways, proof that the consumer isn’t as gullible as manufacturers might like to think.We don’t need swathes of celebrities, elaborate gold boxes or huge advertising campaigns. Women want products that work and that won’t break the bank —and that’s what Boots has achieved with this product.