The anti-wrinkle cream set to cause a stampede at Boots after scientists claim it DOES actually work

Miracle? Boots No 7's new serum has been proven by scientists to reduce the appearance of wrinkles

Two years ago, Boots produced a wrinkle cream so effective that stores sold out in a day.

On Thursday, when its latest product hits the shelves, the high street chemist sets out to show customers it has done it again.

Aimed at mature skin with more wrinkles than its sister lotion, No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum is said to be twice as good as normal moisturisers at plumping up the skin and smoothing away wrinkles.

And Boots is offering proof. A year-long study at Manchester University found that 70 per cent of those who used the £19.75 cream for a year had fewer, finer lines, the British Journal of Dermatology reported.

The study was one of the first to put an off-the-shelf beauty cream through the rigorous testing usually applied to new medicines. Professor Chris Griffiths, who conducted the research, said: 'If someone has wrinkles, they are going to respond as well to it if they are 45 or 80.'

Dr Nick Lowe, a consultant dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology, said the study appeared to confirm that the anti-wrinkle cream rejuvenated the skin.

The secret is thought to lie in a cocktail of vitamins, proteins and plant extracts which act together to boost production of fibrillin, a protein which makes ageing and sun-damaged skin more elastic.

It includes vitamin A and extract of lupin. And while the original Protect & Perfect Serum and the new cream share some ingredients, there are crucial differences. The original cream uses 'pentapeptides' - groups of five amino acids - to trigger the rejuvenation of skin.

Left, a volunteer's eye before applying Boots' Intense serum; right, the eye following a year's daily application of the cream

The Intense version, which has actually been on sale for 18 months under the name Refine and Rewind (but without the backing of the research), has pairs of peptides and extracts of alfalfa. Boots scientists say the combination gives it a stronger and quicker effect. 

Professor Griffiths, who was funded by the chemist but designed the experiments independently, said: 'You could say Boots was very confident or very foolhardy but they were willing to go with it which was impressive to us.'

Stewart Long, the firm's skincare scientific advisor, said that it was likely other anti-ageing creams contained similar ingredients - but only Boots had been brave enough to put it to the test.

Following last year's report on BBC's Horizons that the Boots serum actually did help regenerate the skin's elasticity, the cream sold out in minutes and queues formed with customers vying for pots. Sales soared to two every ten seconds

'Consumers purchasing cosmetic skincare products can choose from a variety of products, which have only limited published data regarding their efficacy.

'We feel we have answered our customers and the market proving that Boots No7 products really can help to improve skin's appearance.

'This study sets the bar for all beauty companies to test their products as rigorously as possible and make the results public.'

Two years ago, 20 weeks' supply of Boots Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum sold out in a day after BBC2's Horizon featured a study which revealed it could make the skin look younger.

But Professor Griffiths said: 'Most wrinkles are down to sun exposure and not to age. The best thing you can do to prevent wrinkles is to practise sensible sun advice and use sun screens.'

Boot's Intense serum was found to reduce wrinkles in 70 per cent of the testers