Anti-ageing Skincare Keeps Getting Cheaper and Cheaper

But is there any substance in these cheap products which claims such wrinkle reduction or is it just about simple moisturisation of the skin and only a whiff of an active ingredient to make it sell?

Looking at the Wrinkle Stop product, the ingredient Syn®-Ake, or to give it its technical name, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl is by no means exclusive to this Aldi product.

In fact, it was originally made by Pentapharm and there are various creams which licence it and thus contain it (at undisclosed concentrations), all marketing similar wrinkle-freezing claims, quoting the same clinical data and all at very different prices. From Transformulas’ Wrinkle Block Line Restriction Crème previously available for £37.95 in Boots to Roadial’s Glamoxy Snake Serum 25ml selling for £127 in Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges!

With economic austerity in full swing, we are all looking to maintain an anti-ageing regime but not at a detriment to our bank balances so perhaps some of the skincare producers are now buying into the ‘pile it high, sell it cheap’ mentality when the latest buzz hits the media, rather than trying to compete with the exclusive, perhaps more potent brands available from the nice ladies in department store beauty counters or the professional strength, evidence-based ranges available from medical aesthetic clinics.

There is a school of thought that all you need is a good moisturiser so what’s the harm in a £4.99 tub of cream from Aldi if it does just that and not much more, plus the supermarket gets to run off to the bank when they have sold millions more than the company peddling the £100+ creams. Everyone is happy, the consumer’s expectations were low because it was cheap so they aren’t disappointed and the retailer made a tidy profit by literally selling it by the bucket load!

Of course, if you want a bespoke skincare regime for your skin type and age/sun-related damage, nothing beats a proper consultation with someone who knows what they’re talking about and can help you buy the right products. You might spend a little more to begin with but you’ll also save on buying more gimmick creams which now line your bathroom shelves and never really lived up to what the glossy magazines all said.