US demand for Boots skincare range soars

The New York store completely sold out of all 500 tubes before 12pm on the first day of sales, as products were shipped from the UK to cater for unprecedented demand for the serum across the US - with most US stores being sold out for weeks. The mass-market anti-wrinkle serum first hit the headlines in the UK earlier this year, following a 2000 per cent increase in sales after the serum was the subject of a TV science documentary, the BBC's Horizon programme - leading to many stores drawing up waiting lists following an influx of orders for the product. Retail outlets in both countries are buckling under pressure to supply the much sought after serum, with consumer demand outweighing the quick supply turnaround. Originating in the UK, the original name of the product, Protect & Perfect, has been adapted for the US and other European markets. Claire Geekie, Brand Marketing Manager for Protect & Perfect told CosmeticsDesignEurope,​ "Because of formulation changes we decided to rename the product Restore & Renew for markets outside the UK - based on the slightly different structure of the two peptides used in the serum," ​​"Likewise, we felt that European consumers struggled with the pronunciation of 'Perfect', so we adapted it accordingly"​ she said.​ Sold at a mass-market price of $21.99 (£16.99) the serum fought off competitors such as premium brand product La Praire, priced at £229, in a research programme conducted at the University of Manchester by Lesley Regan, a professor of Obsterics and gynaecology at St Mary's hospital in London. Regan studied the difference between many creams that claim to reverse signs of ageing from sun damage, such as wrinkles. In order to do this Regan compared the effects of the No7 serum on collagen production against the effects of retinoic-acid or tretinoin, both prescription drugs. Results showed that the serum was just as effective, despite claims that no over-the-counter formula could match the results of the drugs. The Boots No7 brand is the leading skin care and colour cosmetic range in the UK, with the British beauty retailer expanding its presence across the world, with the cosmetics range hitting the US, Dubai and all over Europe.