London: No 7 Protect & Perfect, a modestly priced product $34 (£17, €25) has been flying off the shelf of UK pharmacy Boots after an independent study carried out by experts at the University Manchester revealed that it was just as effective at reducing sun damage, a major cause of skin ageing, as products only available on prescription from a doctor.

The study compared Protect & Perfect with the performance of a retinoic-acid or Tretinoin, a vitamin A derivative available on prescription to treat acne and severe damage of the skin. Professor Chris Griffiths an eminent dermatologist said the study showed that the formulation repaired photo-aged skin and improve the fine lines and wrinkles associated with sun damage. Boots is now keeping a waiting list for this product after supplies ran out.

The company says that it delivers a younger looking skin after only four weeks of use. It contains silicone which it says enables skin firming and brightening. It also contains an A-list of ingredients including vitamin C, mulberry and gingseng which health experts says mops up free radicals which damage the cells. It also contains lipo-pentapeptide, created from amino-acids grown in laboratories. These are essential to the functioning of cells. It also contains a serum extracted from the white lupin which slows down production of collagenase, a substance which is linked to sun damage.