Vitamin A skin creams really can reduce the wrinkles caused by ageing, scientists have shown.

Many beauty products contain retinol – vitamin A – or “pro-retinol” compounds from which the vitamin is derived. All are said to fight the signs of ageing. But evidence is lacking, because manufacturers are reluctant to subject their products to independent testing.

Recently Boots’ No 7 Protect and Perfect skin cream, which contains a pro-retinol compound, sold rapidly after the BBC TV programme Horizon found it to be more effective than more expensive creams.

The new study found that a lotion containing 0.4 per cent retinol had a significant rejuvenating effect on a group of volunteers with an average age of 87.

Retinol has to be used with care because it can cause redness and irritation, and sensitise the skin to sunlight. In pregnant women, excess vitamin A is associated with birth defects. The body converts retinol to tretinoin, or retinoic acid, an active form of vitamin A. Tretinoin is known to benefit the skin. However, it has side-effects even more severe than retinol and is available only on prescription.

The research, published in the Archives of Dermatology, focused on wrinkles caused by natural ageing, as opposed to the dramatic ageing effects of the sun. The study was led by Dr Reza Kafian, at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor.

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