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This summary covers The Economist’s June 13th, 2026 Science & technology column listed in the contents as Well Informed: Anti-ageing balms and published under the headline The chemicals that reduce wrinkles.

The crowded market for anti-ageing skin products borrows heavily from biochemistry, advertising ingredients such as retinoids, antioxidants, peptides and exfoliating acids. Much of the supporting evidence, however, comes from company-funded studies or consumer surveys. Only a smaller group of ingredients has convincing scientific backing, and even those can reduce some visible signs of ageing rather than stop the process.

Skin ages in two main ways. Time gradually changes its structure, while ultraviolet light, pollution and smoking damage collagen and elastin, the fibres that form the skin’s supporting framework. The result is wrinkling and sagging. Ultraviolet exposure is especially important: one researcher estimates that it causes about 80% of ageing in white skin, while melanin gives darker skin some protection.

Retinoids have the strongest evidence

Tretinoin, also called all-trans retinoic acid, is the best-supported ingredient for reducing wrinkles. Originally developed as an acne treatment, it was found in the 1980s to have a second effect: patients using it also developed fewer wrinkles. Skin biopsies and non-invasive imaging later showed why. Tretinoin thickens the epidermis, the skin’s outer layer, which smooths its appearance and softens fine lines. It also stimulates collagen production in the dermis below, partly rebuilding the damaged structural matrix.

Tretinoin generally requires a prescription and can irritate the skin. Over-the-counter products therefore use milder vitamin A derivatives such as retinol and retinal, which the skin converts into tretinoin after absorption. More expensive formulations may use derivatives that convert more readily or remain stable for longer. Because irritation is still possible, the article recommends beginning with a low concentration and increasing gradually; concentrations as low as 0.04% can be effective.

Other ingredients are less certain

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, also has credible evidence behind it. It helps the body produce collagen and may reduce both wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Its weakness is instability: poor formulation or long storage can cause it to break down, making even an expensive product ineffective.

Peptides are shorter chains of amino acids with several proposed roles. Some may promote production of structural proteins, slow their breakdown or relax facial muscles in a way that resembles Botox. Yet the evidence for their anti-wrinkle effects is weaker because cosmetics companies typically conduct or fund the studies used to support the claims.

Consumers can combine these ingredients, but results take time. Dermatologists advise following the same routine for several months before judging it. The larger lesson is that treatments can only partly reverse visible damage. Preventing that damage, especially by protecting skin from the sun, remains more effective than any corrective cream or serum.