The Fountain of Youth. We've all heard of it, the spring that a drink from which grants an eternally youthful body. It is a legend we all at one time or another wish existed. If it did one can only imagine how long it would be before it were completely drained.

We would all like to recapture our youth, if not eternally at least for a time. While The Fountain may be the stuff of legend, we've created a variety of products designed to accomplish much the same. Anti-aging products ranging from vitamins to wrinkle creams and a host of other concoctions sell at a brisk pace as not just women but men as well try to keep their youthful looks for many years to come.

One of the hallmarks of youth is soft, smooth, moisturized skin that is free of laugh lines and creases. Since wrinkles have come to be viewed as one of the "dead giveaways" of a person's age, manufacturers have developed many varieties of anti-aging moisturizers to launch an all-out attack on encroaching crow's feet.

Now most consumers are probably a bit suspicious, perhaps very suspicious of the claims made for the products on the shelves. Some of the "magic" ingredients are well known, others are not. In any event a good question to ask is how is the product going to react on my skin? There does not seem to be a simple solution to what is really the best product for the individual.

It's important to know about the ingredients in various anti-aging creams before purchasing. So, why are some wrinkle creams better than the others? The active ingredient in many wrinkle creams is retinol, which is a form of vitamin A. Retinol is effective in making wrinkles less noticeable, because the skin absorbs the vitamin A and uses it to make new surface cells. It also increases the amount of collagen in the skin, which improves elasticity.

Another ingredient that is popular in anti-aging moisturizers is alpha hydroxy acid, or AHAs. AHAs are the active ingredient in chemical peels, but the concentration in anti-aging cream is very low, resulting in only a slight peeling effect. The use of AHAs in wrinkle creams effects a glow to the skin by exposing the new cells underneath.

The mere presence of one or both of these active ingredients does not answer the question of which product is better. The degree of concentration of the active ingredients is much more likely to determine the effectiveness. A product with a higher concentration of retinol may be much more effective in producing a more youthful look than a product containing only a small amount of retinol.

Asking the question leads to gaining the facts you are after. Asking "Which wrinkle cream is best?" leads you to doing some investigating. The result may not be as good as the Fountain of Youth would provide but may still be the best choice available.