French pharmacist Jean-Charles Lissarrague had the original vision for RoC skin care during the’50’s. Lissarrague got together a team of dermatology specialists to help research anti-ageing skin technologies. This research provided the foundation for what are now some of the most effective anti-ageing skin care products on the market.

Lissarrague’s original idea was to understand more about the natural processes that form our skin’s ageing process and a pivotal part of this was understanding the role of Vitamin A, which is probably the most important mineral for our skin’s health. More specifically, it was the development of a stable form of a fat-soluble form of vitamin-A – retinol – that proved key to RoC success in developing skin care products that are effective in reducing wrinkles.

RoC did not invent Retinol – an animal fat-soluble form of vitamin A discovered earlier this century – but instead were able to develop a form that remained stable during the lifetime of a skin care cream.

A journal published by the Archive of Dermatology played a pivotal role in supporting the claim that ‘topical retinol improves fine wrinkles associated with the natural ageing.’ This gave credibility to what RoC claimed to have achieved and this has in part formed the basis of the success with their retinol anti-ageing skin care product lines.

Anti-ageing products containing retinol did not appear on the shelves of Boots and other health and beauty care stores until the early 90’s when RoC had its patents on Retinol approved.

Since its conception, but more so since its break-through with the incorporation of Retinol in its skin creams and serums in the early 90’s, the RoC product range has now established itself as one of the most recognizable and successful skin care brands in the world and has the now infamous claim that “skin appeared 10 years younger based on the diminished appearance of wrinkles after 12 weeks of use in clinical testing of either RETINOL CORREXION Deep Wrinkle Night Cream or Deep Wrinkle Serum”.

The brand now falls under the control of the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson. The brand is growing in its success as a major player in the skin care industry and its name has now become synonymous with anti-ageing and wrinkle treatments.

Suzi studies skin care technologies and likes to write about RoC skincare. Do you want to find out more about RoC retinol.