A new face cream known as a ‘facelift in a jar’ has just gone onto sale in the UK. The Athena 7 Minute Lift cream already available in the US is now in UK shops and claims to be the first cosmetic cream offering an injection free, non-invasive, painless alternative to Botox. The UK launch is six months behind the US thanks to six months of wrangling over licenses.

The cream itself isn’t cheap – £50 for 15ml however it is much works out cheaper than Botox which is around £350 for one treatment. Each application of the cream only lasts 24 hours however a single 15ml bottle should contain 90 applications, so each jar is around 3 months supply.

The 7 Minute Lift cream is said to have taken five years to develop and works by ‘freezing’ the skin, filling in fine lines and wrinkles. Used on a regular basis, it’s anti-ageing effects are said to be permanent.

According to some independent tests by the American Medical Association, the cream does work and may reduce facial wrinkles by up to 84%.

The most active ingredient in the 7 Minute Lift cream is acetyl hexapeptide-3 and this helps to ‘freeze’ the skin. The product as a whole helps to remove free radicals from the skin and this in turn helps to lift and tighten the skin appearance; pores will also appear reduced making the skin look smoother.

The product also contains several essential oils to plump and smooth the skin, helping it look younger and fresher. Ascorbic acid is also present, aiding collagen growth (essential for plump skin) and retinyl palmitat (to increase cell turnover).