TODAY Health - Beauty Brains: Buy the cheaper anti-aging product Courtesy of The Beauty Brains Well. Can you get hooked on lip balm? The cosmetic scientists behind the popular blog The Beauty Brains answer that question -- and more -- in their new book. By Randy Schueller The Beauty Brains Did you know that the back of every cosmetic package contains a handy tool that can save you money? That tool is the list of ingredients, and if you know just a little bit about beauty science, you can save a lot of money. By recognizing ingredients that are proven to work, you can find less expensive products that will work as well as, or even better than, more expensive alternatives. Consider two anti-aging products made by L'Oreal: "Vichy LiftActiv Retinol HA Total Anti-Wrinkle Daily Intervention" and Lancome "Absolue Precious Cells Advanced Regenerating and Reconstructing Cream." Both products contain the exact same sunscreen ingredients (Avobenzone, Octisalate, and Ocotcrylene), but Lancome costs $165 for 1.6 ounces while Vichy is only $47 for 1 ounce. Here's why you should consider buying the cheaper alternative. Vichy vs Lancome: What do they do? Both products contain sunscreens, and they claim significant anti-wrinkle results: Lancôme: "Within 4 weeks, wrinkles appear reduced, skin feels refined and polished. See significant deep wrinkle reduction in UV damaged skin..."1 Vichy: "Visible correction of all 3 wrinkle types: Permanent wrinkles are filled in 1 month; Reversible dehydration lines are smoothed out; Programmed wrinkles are neutralized."2 In other words, both products have a drug effect (protecting skin from wrinkle-causing UV rays) and a cosmetic effect (reducing the appearance of wrinkles.) How do they work? Anti-aging sunscreen products work two ways: They contain UV absorbers that prevent the sun from damaging skin and moisturizing agents that plump up wrinkles and tighten skin with a coating of film formers. Normally, it's difficult to compare active ingredients across different products but since (in the US) sunscreens are regulated as drugs by the FDA, they must disclose not only the active agents but also the concentration at which they are used. Therefore, it's easy to tell from the LOI that these two products contain identical active ingredients and so they should function essentially the same way. Other ingredients in the product can impact how the UV absorber works which is probably why the Vichy product is rated as an SPF 18 while Lancome is an SPF 15. It's also interesting to note that the Vichy product also contains retinol, another proven age fighting ingredient, while Lancome does not. So, ironically, in this case the cheaper product may actually work better! Are you missing anything? We're not saying these products are exactly the same. You may LOVE the way the Lancome product smells or it may feel less greasy to you or it may spread better. But if lower cost photo-aging protection is important to you, buy Vichy instead of Lancôme and save $118. If you find that Vichy doesn't work, you can always try the Lancome later to see if its "Reconstruction Complex" offers any additional benefit. You can find all the ingredients in both products listed here. Got a question for The Beauty Brains? Ask away on our Facebook page.