Roc launches new retinol anti-ageing range

The Retin-Ox range contains retinol, a form of vitamin A often associated with anti-ageing products, and is aimed primarily at women aged 40 plus who want to improve the appearance of the skin.

The line includes day, night, eye and serum products, as well as Roc's MultiCorrexion Body Modelling cream.

Retinol stimulates collagen production in the skin, so its application results in a reduction of the appearance of wrinkles and skin pigmentation, the company claims.

Roc also claims that its discovery of the vitamin A was the biggest cosmetic breakthrough of the 1990s.

"It was a huge coup to stabilise Retinol", says Natalie Issachar, Roc's head of research & development.

"Other anti-ageing ingredients have hit the beauty headlines since then but we believe nothing can beat Retinol."

Roc will market the range through a real-life trial, where women in the UK will be offered a chance to apply the product every day during a period of 12 weeks.

The company claims that after 4 weeks of application, skin will start to feel more radiant, smoother and firmer.

At the 8 week point the skin's elasticity is increased, and at 12 weeks crow's feet and frown lines are visibly reduced, and deep wrinkles are diminished.

"With Retinol we have a proven and effective ingredient that attacks wrinkles by giving the skin back some of its collagen which we lose naturally as we get older.

We are confident that women who take the 12 Week Challenge will be delighted with the results," Issachar said.

A study carried out in May confirmed that vitamin A can indeed improve the wrinkles associated with age ing.

The research team that carried out the study , based at the University of Michigan Medical division, tested the vitamin on the upper arms of women with an average age of 87.

After a period of 24 weeks, they found that the retinol increased the production of glycosaminoglycan and procollagen - both integral structural components of the skin.

"Topical retinol improves fine wrinkles associated with natural aging," the authors stated in their report.

Several other companies have latched on to the beauty benefits of vitamin A recently and have used it as an ingredient in anti-aging products.

Last week Max Green Alchemy announced the inclusion of the ingredient in its organic facial oils, while Laboratoires Sérobiologiques (LS) used vitamin A extracts in the LS Eye Line, specifically targeted at the delicate skin around the eyes.