“Faux-Tox was the most successful product we had ever sold,” says Daniela Rinaldi, the perfumery and concessions controller for Harvey Nichols. “I knew it would be popular, as people are always looking for the elixir of youth, and there were lots of surgery horror stories at the time. For us, products that give the results of surgery without going under the knife, such as Faux-Tox, were the obvious next step.”

And the idea caught on. There are now at least a dozen creams that promise the muscle-relaxing, wrinkle-eradicating results that were once achievable only through Botox. The majority are based on hexapeptides, naturally occurring amino acids that reduce the production of the enzyme needed for muscle contraction. The theory is that wrinkles form when the muscles in our faces contract repeatedly, so if these muscles contract less frequently, we will have fewer wrinkles.

Scott Gurfein, president of Freeze 24/7, which makes one of the latest Botox-alike creams and Space NK’s current bestseller, disagrees: “Peptides give skin the ability to retain moisture. Many Botox creams work by simply locking moisture beneath the skin’s surface, making it appear plumper.” Instead, the active ingredient in Freeze 24/7 is Gaba (gamma-amino butyric acid), a muscle-relaxant that is produced naturally in the body. “We looked at how Gaba works when taken orally, then found a way of enabling the Gaba in our cream to be absorbed into the skin. From there, it sends a message to relax down to the muscle,” he explains.

The booming antisurgery product market does not stop at Botox creams, however. Visit your nearest department store and you will also find microdermabrasion kits, skin-resurfacing peels, collagen- boosting creams and lifting serums competing for shelf space. But how have such serious products become so popular? “Noninvasive treatments have become more commonplace and more affordable,” says Jo Jackson, the training manager for La Prairie. “The knock-on effect is that there is a core of customers who don’t want surgery, but who are looking for intensive products that give the results of surgical procedures.”

The microdermabrasion kit is arguably one of the most successful antisurgery products — so successful that even the mass beauty market (namely L’Oréal) has cottoned onto its allure. It is an at-home version of salon microdermabrasion, an intensive exfoliating treatment that involves blasting the skin with aluminium crystals from an oxygen tube. Many of the at-home products also rely on aluminium crystals, but these are not an essential component. La Prairie’s Cellular Microdermabrasion, for example, owes its polishing action to high-grade diamond and quartz crystals. The only difficulty, it seems, is establishing the difference between an exfoliator and a microdermabrasion product. According to Jackson, the latter is a “superior skin resurfacer that sloughs off dead skin cells, polishes away fine lines and gets rid of irregularities in skin tone”. Interpret “superior” as you will.

Home peels have a similar polishing effect. These are based on the action of glycolic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) derived from sugar cane that helps to dissolve layers of dead skin cells, thereby reducing the appearance of wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. It sounds pretty straightforward, but peels should be undertaken with care. “If they are used incorrectly, you can end up thinning the skin,” says Sonia Almeda, pharmacist for Natura Bisse. “It is important not to combine acids with scrubs, and to apply at least an SPF30 afterwards.” However, the convenience factor is undeniable. While a salon peel requires three weeks off work as your skin goes through a snake-like shedding process, a home treatment need not disrupt your routine. The same can be said of collagen-boosting and lifting face creams. If you apply moisturiser anyway, why not choose one that helps to plump or contour the skin too?

It seems that the cosmetics giants will be trying to keep us from the surgeon’s clinic for some time yet. The fact that Chanel is launching a trio of products in September designed to mimic the effects of Botox, collagen and peels is proof enough. In the meantime, there are plenty of existing antisurgery options. But before you commit, read on to find out how well they really work.

BOTOX CREAMS

1. BLISS NO-MOTION LOTION £30; 0808 100 4151

CLAIMS TO Help relax facial tension, lessen fine lines and prevent wrinkles.

HOW IT WORKS Contains a hexapeptide (acetyl hexapeptide-3) to reduce the effect of the neurotransmitters that tell the muscles to contract.

TESTER’S VERDICT “After a week’s use, my forehead seemed smoother, but it didn’t make any difference to the lines around my mouth.” 3/5