Part of a brand that professes to blend modern technology with classic Italian elegance, Borghese Intensive Firming Crème asserts itself as “an intensive restorative treatment that helps aged or damaged skin regain its youthful looking tone and vitality.” When used properly, it claims to boost cellular energy and proteins, protect and rebuild skin’s natural collagen matrix, even dull and dark skin tones, and defend against free radicals and future environmental damage.

Price: $75.50/1.7 oz bottle

As the name would suggest, all Borghese products, including the Borghese Intensive Firming Crème can be found at upscale department stores. As a company, Borghese also donates to various charities and refrains from testing on animals. The Borghese Intensive Firming Crème in particular is stated to use Vitamins A, C, and E. Vitamin A is known to normalize skin, increase collagen and elasticity, and produce cosmetic results superior to those of retinol. Dr Sheldon Pinnell of Duke University published a study in 1992 showing L ascorbic acid, a form of vitamin c, to reduce UVB damage on the backs of hairless pigs. It has been shown to reduce epidermal water loss, thicken the dermis, reduce inflammation, and at just 5% to have a positive effect on hyperpigmentation, as well as to increase the effectiveness of dermatologist performed procedures such as peels and microdermabrasion. Vitamin E has been shown to require a minimum of 750 IU per 1 gram of solution. It is ideal to stabilize fats and oils, prevent rancidity, moisturize, and act as an anti-inflammatory. All three vitamins have been shown to act as potent antioxidants.

While the Borghese website is relatively informative, the one thing it does not provide is a complete list of ingredients for any of its products, making it virtually impossible to properly evaluate the efficacy of any claims they may or may not make regarding a particular product. The only ingredients they do post are Vitamins A, C, and E, and though those three vitamins do have valuable properties, they are not enough to substantiate claims made by Borghese on their own. There is no money back or satisfaction guarantee, nor are there any customer testimonials posted on the official website or on websites of third party sellers.

Maybe in the early 1900’s or even as late as the 1990’s, there were fewer choices, and therefore companies did not have to prove their products’ efficacy. But today’s society is a competitive, capitalistic society, and we have been provided a plethora of choices in the skin care and anti wrinkle industry. It is no longer enough to just say your product is high quality, you have to prove it. Borghese fails to comply in that area. For an effective wrinkle cure, it would be better to look elsewhere.