Anti aging skin care creams are an alternative to cosmetic or "plastic" surgery, which is painful and expensive. Independent groups have tested the effectiveness of these kinds of products and found that the results varied, which should not be surprising. Manchester University researchers concluded that "some ingredients have an effect".

In some cases, there are so many different ingredients in an anti-aging skin cream that it makes it hard to tell which one has the desired effect. But, if you keep a list of the "inactive" compounds commonly used by cosmetic companies, it makes it a little easier to tell what's working and what's not.

There are many inactive compounds. This is by no means an all inclusive list. But, these are some of the most common "in-actives" found in anti-aging products.

1. Petrolatum

2. Mineral oil

3. Paraffin wax or liquid paraffin

Most people include water on the list of inactive ingredients, but water is moisture and moisturizing is one of the goals. If it is moister, the face will look firmer and younger. The cells will "plump up" and so will the skin's layers. So, water actually could be considered a moisturizing ingredient.

Other ingredients that are more effective than water for moisturizing and plumping up the skin's cells include a protein complex called Functional Keratin, an antioxidant called coenzyme Q10, Shea butter, grape seed oil, olive oil and palm oil.

Shea butter and the plant oils are similar to the oils produced by the skin's sebaceous glands. They work to moisturize and lock the moisture in. Grape seed oil has a unique filming ability that prevents moisture loss and prevents makeup or dirt from clogging the pores.

Coenzyme Q10 is an important ingredient for an anti aging skin care product, because the amount present in the skin decreases with age, which leads to increasingly high numbers of free radical molecules. Free radical molecules can eventually damage cellular membranes and cellular DNA. They are the underlying cause of most wrinkles and nearly all age spots.

Functional Keratin is a unique protein complex developed using patented processes. The protein is extracted from sheep's wool and processed gently to insure that it is not "changed". The goal was to allow the skin's cells to absorb the protein and use it. The company achieved that goal.

Any antiaging skin cream should contain Functional Keratin, because it does more than any two, three or four ingredients put together. It works, because it is the protein that accounts for the majority of the cells in the skin's outer layers and one of its jobs is to pull moisture into the cells. As the cells become filled with moisture, they begin to look firmer. Soon, wrinkles will begin to stretch out.

Studies have found that most of the creams on the market don't work that well. If they do provide a reduction in wrinkles, it is so slight as to be unnoticeable.

But, according to Manchester University, an anti aging skin care cream can be effective, as long as it contains the right ingredients. Now, you know a little more about what ingredients to look for.