Goodbye anti-ageing creams... hello ‘youth liberators’

BEAUTY creams are dropping the term ‘anti-ageing’ in a backlash led by celebrities including Dame Helen Mirren.

Instead, anyone seeking products to help them grow old gracefully should look for words such as ‘youth liberator’, ‘lift and luminate’ and ‘line interception’.

Last week the American fashion magazine Allure said it was banning ‘anti-ageing’, with editor Michelle Lee saying: ‘Whether we know it or not, we’re subtly reinforcing the message that ageing is a condition we need to battle. Changing the way we think about ageing starts with changing the way we talk about ageing.’

Dame Helen, 72, raised her concerns about the anti-ageing culture when approached by L’Oréal to promote its Age Perfect range, built around the ethos that ‘Age is no barrier to beauty’ rather than that age and wrinkles are to be defeated. The actress told the magazine: ‘I said, ‘‘This word anti-ageing – we know we’re getting older. You just want to look and feel as great as you can on a daily basis’’.’

But despite being an ambassador for L’Oréal, she recently suggested that moisturiser ‘probably does f*** all’. Manufacturers have come up with a string of new euphemisms for products claimed to help women maintain their youth. They include La Prairie’s Line Interception Power Duo, Boots’s No7 Lift & Luminate and YSL’s Forever Youth Liberator ranges.

Beauty expert Alice Hart-Davis said: ‘If you ask women directly, they don’t want to look miles younger. They just want to look good for their age.’