Following media success on the back of a BBC Horizon programme, Boots’ anti-ageing serum Protect and Perfect was put to a clinical trial run by the University of Manchester.
Positive trial results were reported in the British Journal of Dermatology in April 2009, but Skin.ny claims Boots has misled the public by making false claims about the study.
According to Skin.ny, Boots claimed that the ‘No7 Protect and Perfect was the first anti-wrinkle cream to be proven to be effective in clinical trials.’
Skin.ny claimed this is untrue. It said its Radical Restructure Complex underwent clinical testing that was also published in the British Journal of Dermatology in 2003.
In addition, according to Skin.ny the 2003 study shows the Radical Restructure Complex to be more effective than Boots’ Protect and Perfect serum.
“Skin.ny also gives faster, broader skincare results. Skin.ny achieves more in three months than Boots No7 does in six – Skin.ny delivers an additional 10 per cent in wrinkle reduction,” the company claimed.
Commenting on the Skin.ny claims, a Boots spokesperson said: "We are pleased to hear that Skin.ny also put their product through a clinical trial, the difference being that their data is only for 3 months rather than a long term trial over 12 months. To our knowledge we are the first company to complete an independent clinical trial over a 12-month period on a cosmetic anti-ageing product in the UK."
"This claim was researched by Boots UK and The University of Manchester and included the qualification that to our knowledge this is the first time long-term benefits, over a 12 month period have been reported," the spokesperon added.