PRESS RELEASE: Simple
Written: Monday 25th May, 2009
AGE FIGHT
NEWS COPY -- WITH CASE STUDY IF NEEDED
One in three women under the age of 25 is already using anti-aging products, according to shocking new research.
The stat, which emerged in a study of 2,000 females in the UK, shows the extent to which young women worry about their looks.
The report also found that of the third of under-25s who are using products such as anti-wrinkle creams or serums, almost half of them started when they turned 21.
Incredibly, 12 per cent started applying anti-ageing creams before their 16th birthday and 21 per cent started using them after reaching the grand old age of 18 years.
Researchers discovered that 31 per cent of the women starting using anti-aging products because they believe they are more effective the earlier you use them.
Another 28 per cent reached for them because they started to feel they looked old.
A spokesperson for Simple Health and Beauty Ltd, which carried out the research, said: ''It's worrying that women are starting to use anti-wrinkle products from such a young age.
''The majority of these products are not designed for women under the age of 40 years and some are formulated with harsh ingredients, such as retinol derivatives which are not suitable for sensitive skin - that's 70 per cent of the population.
''These ingredients may cause skin damage when used prematurely, which can lead to photo-sensitivity in later life.
''Among other symptoms, this means the skin experiences rashes and redness and cannot be exposed to daylight without a high sunscreen factor.''
The poll of 2,000 women between the ages of 18 and 25 years also revealed that 42 per cent already think they look older than they really are.
And 68 per cent are dreading the day when they find their first wrinkle or grey hair, with sunken eyes, loose skin on the neck and crow's feet feared most by young women.
More than 55 per cent of women feel pressured to stay looking young, with almost a quarter naming their friends as the biggest culprits.
Another 12 per cent said that celebrities are the people who pile on the pressure the most.
More than half (54 per cent) of the young women are so concerned about the ageing process that they would be prepared to spend whatever was needed to make sure they retained their youthful looks.
Some 47 per cent would even be prepared to have cosmetic surgery to shave some years off their appearance.
Top five signs of ageing women are most worried about:
1. Wrinkles
2. Grey Hair
3. Sunken eyes
4. Loose skin on neck
5. Crow's feet
CASE STUDY WITH PICS
Student Katie Parker, 21, of Clifton, Bristol has been using anti-wrinkle cream since she was 19.
She said: ''I started to use it at a young age because I thought it would have more effect if I started then than it would have done if I left it until I reached my late 40s.
''I spend around #15 a month on them now and I think they make a difference.
''I thought it would make my skin softer than normal moisturiser and give me a nice glow.
''I started off by stealing my mum's and then got my own.
''I really want to look as young as I can even though I'm not that old and I am worried even now about the signs of ageing.
''So I thought that If I could do something about it now then I would.''
Ends
Research conducted by global market research company www.onepoll.com
