Skin care: Do creams really work?

Winter is not good to our skin. The wind chaps. The dry air wicks. The combination blows us into the arms of the billion-dollar cosmeceutical industry, which awaits with pricey over-the-counter potions and serums promising to undo the season's damage.

But these companies often promise much more than simple moisturizing. Their products can, according to their advertising, "help to boost oxygen microcirculation." They can reset "the skin's aging clock by converting resting stem cells." They contain ingredients that can "turn on digestive enzymes that will only go after scars and wrinkles" or "help to promote collagen production." In short, they can utterly transform your old, dry, thinning, wrinkled skin.

Tempting. But is it true?

Yes and no, say dermatologists and scientists. Mostly no, but really it's hard to say.

The creams do moisturize - even the cheapest ones will do that - and that does help make the skin appear more supple and healthy. As for the other claims, few studies have been published in medical journals to show the products work as advertised or are safe to use. And the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't require companies to prove that cosmetic products are safe or effective.

"Efficacy is very vague in terms of over-the-counter products," said Dr. Simon Yoo, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. "Without any oversight, it is difficult to say whether these do anything."

At the same time, the FDA has expressed concerns over some claims made by companies selling anti-aging creams. Marketers of cosmetics generally are not allowed to state that their product alters the structure or function of the body or treats or prevents disease - to make a "drug claim."

The FDA maintains a list of more than 80 companies - including such beauty giants as L'Oreal, Avon and Revlon - that the agency believes may be importing, manufacturing or shipping creams with drug claims.

The FDA also has sent a handful of warning letters to cosmetics companies, mostly small ones, for making drug claims, a spokeswoman for the agency said.

"It is a good example of how people can use 'science-y-ness' to try and sell a product," said Dr. Ben Goldacre, who wrote about moisturizers in his book "Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks and Big Pharma Flacks." "It is used decoratively as marketing in a way that is meaningless."

Companies rarely publish studies showing their products are effective, said dermatologist Dr. Vesna Petronic-Rosic of the University of Chicago Medical Center, though they generally look into the potential for skin irritation.

Some companies cite scientific evidence that anti-aging ingredients work, but they decline to provide those studies or to show that the product contains enough of the substances to have an effect.

Take, for example, "The Youth As We Know It Moisture Cream" from Bliss, which sells for $79 for 1.7 ounces at Sephora. The package says the cream contains the "10 most important anti-aging ingredients we've found in 10 years of giving 'great face.' "

The label also says it helps to "promote collagen production," "boost oxygen microcirculation" and "improve skin's firmness," among

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