The plant pill that can help to reduce wrinkles: £35-a-month product that zeroes in on crow's feet

  • Scientists said the plant based pill reduced the depth of crow's feet by 10%
  • The pills contained a mixture of soy isoflavones, vitamins and omega 3
  • Also contained a substance called lycopene which is found in tomatoes

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 13:27 EST, 29 September 2013 | UPDATED: 19:10 EST, 29 September 2013


A pill made from plants has been shown to reduce wrinkles by 10 per cent, scientists say.

It has also been found to prevent ‘crow’s feet’ by making the body produce more collagen, which keeps skin youthful.

Researchers say the product, which costs £35 for a month’s supply, is so successful it should be used as an alternative to Botox.

Solution? Scientists say the new pill reduced the depth of crow's feet by an impressive 10 per cent

Solution? Scientists say the new pill reduced the depth of crow's feet by an impressive 10 per cent

They studied the effectiveness of the Dove Spa Strength Within supplement in a trial involving 166 women with an average age of 61.

The women were divided into three groups. The first were given a low dose, the second a slightly higher dose and the third a dummy pill.

After 14 weeks, the scientists examined their skin and wrinkles by taking moulds of their crows’ feet and looking at very small samples of tissue. The depth of wrinkles among women given either of the real pills shrank by an average of 10 per cent.

Those given the higher dose were found to have produced more collagen.

The study, published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, was funded by Unilever, Dove’s parent company.

Dove Spa Strength Within, which is already on sale, contains soy isoflavones, chemicals found in plants, the antioxidant lycopene, vitamin C, vitamin E and omega-3 fish oils.

The pills contain a mixture of plant extracts and vitamins
Skin saver: Lycopene, a compound found in tomatoes, is known to help battle ageing

Skin saver: The pills contained a mix of plant extracts, vitamins and lycopene which is found in tomatoes

Professor John Casey, vice-president for biological sciences at Unilever, said that while the tests had been conducted on women, there was anecdotal evidence that the pill worked on men too. He said: ‘It shows there is a link between dietary ingredients and the quality and the ageing rate of skin. We find it works better on deeper wrinkles.’

When women get older and reach the menopause, levels of the hormone oestrogen fall and their skin produces less collagen, which is what makes it smooth and elastic. Most anti-wrinkle creams work on the top layer of the skin, the epidermis, and as such only have a minimal effect.

But the scientists behind this pill claim the ingredients prompt the body to make more oestrogen and therefore collagen.

This reduces the deeper wrinkles and also helps prevent new lines from forming. Previous studies by the same group of scientists have shown that after three months the pills reduced wrinkles by almost a third.

Research involving 110 women published in 2011 also showed that their crows’ feet shrunk by an average of 10 per cent, although for some it was 30 per cent.

At the time Professor Casey said there was no other product that worked in the same way.

He said: ‘We used ingredients which have been shown in the scientific literature and our own tests to combat the causes of skin ageing and kickstart old skin cells into behaving like young skin cells.

‘We spent five years testing the ingredients on hundreds of women and found this combination could reduce deep wrinkles within 14 weeks. There is nothing currently on the market which can do that.’

Comments (51)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

Report comment

Who cares about the pills ... how did she get her lips so smooth?

0
0
 Click to rate
Report comment

reply to me from Birmingham, I’m right behind you in the queue, that lipstick is gorgeous, who’s is it?

0
0
 Click to rate
Report comment

Yeah, I don’t buy into this..... Simply because DM never does any research. You know who has done research? Me! I started Dr awesome Suds because nothing ever seemed to work, or it did, but with the speed of a turtle walking through peanut butter! I have a fix for everything. Acne masks that work in 24hrs, anti wrinkle products that work in 10minutes with a 72% reduction in fine lines around the eyes. Why are you waiting for your skincare products to catch up with your life? Visit me on facebook, mention this and get some free body butter

1
1
 Click to rate
Report comment

End of expensive creams.....start of expensive pills!!!

0
15
 Click to rate
Report comment

Wrinkles by scientists don’t bother me, don’t know any scientists...

0
4
 Click to rate
Report comment

....ahhh, ... are these the same scientists that tell what you’re thinking by looking at a photo on facebook...?

0
1
 Click to rate
Report comment

So is there a pill in the pipeline for jowls and sagging neck yet? They age people more I think.

0
9
 Click to rate
Report comment

I’d rather not touch anything soy related anymore as a very large percentage of modern soy has been genetically modified and quite frankly I’d prefer to live with a few wrinkles than god knows what worse.

2
11
 Click to rate
Report comment

SPF every day from teens/twenties is the only way to have wrinkle free skin!

5
6
 Click to rate
Report comment

Her lipstick color I want!

5
9
 Click to rate

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now