I don't think logic and rational thinking apply when it comes to wrinkle creams. I lust after Creme de la Mer, even though it costs $110 an ounce.

The best wrinkle cream there is is sunblock, and the best sunblock there is is Anthelios #60 creme pour visage (cream for the face). (Actually, I think it's now mostly listed as 50-plus.) Make sure you get non-tinted if you're a pasty white girl like me. (without the word teinté -- tinted.) Unfortunately, our charming FDA has prohibited its sale in this country for a number of years, but the active ingredient, Mexoryl, can be found in sunblocks you can buy in Canada. And I believe you can also get it on eBay now (after the FDA yanked them for a while) and at Zitomer pharmacy in Manhattan. I get mine in France. Get them early in your trip because pharmacies don't always have them in in the winter. Some of the cheaper pharmacies I've found are just off rue de Rivoli, in the 4th arrondissement (the Marais). Also, get the Vichy under-eye stick if you do go to France. The best, also with Mexoryl. -Amy Alkon, very white person

p.s. and go ahead, laugh at me walking around southern California with a sun umbrella. I won't be looking like an Hermes handbag when I'm 50.

Clarification: rue de Rivoli is in Paris. Sorry about that.

lancome is a sub of the loreal corp in gay paris. all the high end testing and new fangled technology the lancome users pay out the ass for is the exact same stuff loreal has, just by a different name and of course price point.

Amy, the FDA finally gave its blessing and Anthelios is now available in the US (yay!). Get it online at skincare sites like skincarerx, skinstore, or dermstore, or locally at CVS. The US version is Anthelios SX but since it's available only with SPF 15, I think I'll still buy my SPF 50+ at Zitomer's.

I picked up my Anthelios from CVS for me & my hubby (and one for mom) for Christmas.
$29 per tube, but had $4 off $20 from CVS + a $10 "deal" that came up on the receipt so came to
$22 / tube. Still expensive, but better than $29.
:-)
Gonna try it and see how it works.

I'd like to see that CR article on wrinkle creams.

Wow...I knew it had been approved, but I didn't know it was already available. But, at 15SPF, why bother? Wear titanium dioxide sunblock instead. I hear there's a good one at Whole Foods, where they've found some way to make the crystals (if they can be called crystals) lie down, so you won't have whiteface.

And $29 per tube? I don't know if it's the same 50 ml size I get, but I pay 9 euros (about $12, with the dollar being what it is now, which is more comparable to the euro as the 50-cent piece).

Also, the cream is the best, and I use it for the body, too. The milk and others just don't give you very much coverage.

I recently read an article in the NYTimes style section about how dermatologists say that Retinol is still the best product out there for wrinkles and other skin problems, but that most people either buy a product that doesn't have enough active ingredient or give up because it makes your skin look really, really bad for the first couple weeks, especially if you don't start with a small amount and work your way up gradually. What's the active ingredient in the anti-wrinkle products Consumer Reports tested? I'd look myself, but canceled my web subscription a couple weeks ago (d'oh!). I'd also like to know where Avon's Anew products land on that scale, since they're supposedly very effective and not as pricey as the department store stuff.
All that said, I use none of it and basically think it's all BS.
Drink water, use sunscreen, don't smoke.

Back when I sold cosmetics I always made a point of telling my customers that improving their diets would do far more to improve the condition of their skin than any cream.

The CVS tube is 100g / 3.4oz.
SPF 15 means reapply more often than SPF 50, but I'll take this stuff in SPF 15 over nothing, or over an SPF 50 product that doesn't protect against as well against UVA as this stuff.