Stem cells are, apparently, all the rage in the world of cosmetics. Slather them on your face to keep your face young and ageless or to simply make yourself more beautiful on your eyes, cheeks, or lips. New products like Lancme’s Absolue Precious Cells claim to “help restore the potential of skin stem cells and bring back the skin of youth”. But there are many more products on the market than just this single creme, according to the Times Online.

But is this even true? Will slapping on stem cell creams keep your skin as youthful as a brand new embryo or is it just a bunch of hype? The truth is that while most of these stem cell creams aren’t likely to do much more than make the surface of your skin appear smoother (rather than giving you new skin regenerated by the stem cells in the cream), they aren’t likely to harm you either.

As for me, I will agree with the conventional wisdom–the best way to keep skin young and healthy is just keep it out of the sun–and I’ll pass on the stem cell concoctions for now.

Summer Johnson, PhD