Cult 51: World’s most expensive anti-ageing cream goes on sale at Fortnum & Mason

Cult 51, the latest addition to the litany of unusual lotions and potions, is an anti-ageing cream which claims to have the most expensive ingredients ever.

Cult 51 will cost £125 ($196) for a 1.6 fl oz (50 ml) jar, equivalent to £94,000 ($148,000) a tonne, when it goes on sale online and at upmarket London store Fortnum and Mason tomorrow, July 6.

Model Kelly Brook and singer Myleene Klass are already fans of the night cream made by British chemist Richard Mears after being given samples, but if you’re hoping to get your hands on it, join the queue because there’s already 5,000 women on the waiting list.

In trials so far, Cult 51 has been found to reverse the signs of ageing by up to five years in just six weeks.

It is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines by up to 52% in 28 days.

It increases the skin’s absorption of oxygen by up to 45% and in trials reduced the appearance of age spots by up a quarter in 12 weeks.

Richard Mears said it is the first skincare product on the market that can claim to have “3D effects” as it stimulates the skin to produce its own collagen while increasing cell production and oxygen flow in the skin.

He said: “Most anti-ageing creams do only one or two things, so consumers end up buying several products, such as those aimed at day time use, nights, the eyes and skin brightening, to get the full benefits.

“Brands want to sell many products to their customers and maximize sales. However, there is an accepted wisdom within skin care that the skin can only absorb so much active and that too many products actually smother it, preventing it from functioning naturally.”

Richard Mears, who has developed skin products for many luxury cosmetic brands in the past 25 years, said Cult 51’s main ingredient is ATP, a naturally found cell-producing compound which diminishes with age.

He said Cult 51 will increase ATP levels by up to 65% and strengthen the skin’s capillary walls, boosting blood circulation.

It also reacts to humidity, working harder in an air-conditioned environment and cuts the amount of melanin in the skin – which leads to age spots.

The developers said the raw materials used in the cream are the most expensive ever.

Ingredients for a mass market skin care lotion would cost between £800 and £1,500 per metric tonne, while those in a professional cream could cost up £20,000 per metric tonne.

However, the materials used in Cult 51 would add up to £94,000 per metric tonne.

It’s the first product to deliver total skin care suitable for face, eyes, décolletage and hands.

Among trial volunteers, one woman said using Cult 51 for two weeks cleared up a problem over sensitive skin, while another who had acne scarring found pockmarks had virtually disappeared after eight weeks.

The product is available online via the website www.cult51.com.

The most recent product to rival Cult 51 was 111 SKIN Celestial Black Diamond Cream: a potent anti-ageing concoction using rare diamond dust particles that has been developed by NASA scientists and tested on astronauts in outer space.

The galactic cream, which is sold exclusively at none other than luxury department store Harrods, doesn’t come cheap. Beauty aficionados desperate to turn back the clock must pay a staggering £599 for 50 ml.