MANILA, Philippines?Your wrinkles gone in-gasp!-six hours?

It's easy to dismiss Nekara Anti-Wrinkle Face Cream's claim as baloney. After all, while other brands already in the market promise results in seven days, or as long as 8-12 weeks, no other product sold locally has made as bold an assertion to be believable to the jaded consumer. Surely, the proof of the pie is in the eating?

The latest product from Fuller Life Direct Selling, the same company that merged Sara Lee Direct Selling and Tupperware Brands Corp. last year, Nekara promises to instantly fill wrinkles with its patented formula combining hyaluronic acid and three kinds of peptides.

According to Dr. Stephan C.M. Otte, director of research and development of the Tupperware Brands, the combination of these active ingredients have been tested to deliver desired results.

Dermal filler

Hyaluronic acid or HLA is commonly used in many cosmetic products. It's naturally found in the body's connective tissue and functions as cushion and lubricant, lending fullness and volume to the skin. It's credited for retaining skin's moisture. In short, it's a dermal filler. Peptides are tiny protein fragments that are essential in cell renewal and collagen production.

Sold in the United States under the brand name BeautiControl Tight Firm & Fill, Nekara is being introduced outside North America for the first time in the Philippines. Its claim is that a user "can perceive a visible difference in just one hour and proven results in six."

In a study presented by Otte at the launch this week, he said 100 percent of the test subjects experienced visibly tighter and firmer skin after only four weeks. Ninety-four percent of same subjects felt increased skin elasticity and resilience, radiance and luminosity over the same period, and a 100 percent declared the same after eight weeks. These are astonishing figures by any standard, and Otte says they have been "pleasantly surprised" at the turnout of the testings. He, however, couldn't say how many subjects were tested, only that they were conducted in the United States and France in a period of three months.

To bolster the claims, equestrienne Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, the face of Nekara, says HLA are given in oral form to her horses, which ensures they're in tiptop condition. If it's good for her mount, she adds, surely it can also be good for her skin.

Fuller Life, which also distributes brands like Colour Collection, Playtex, Hanes, Wonderbra, among others, will roll out Nekara through its direct sellers on Oct. 16. The 30-gram jar will retail for P1,100, and will come free with a pair of freshwater pearl earrings.