The Manchester Patch Test Assay is a rapid in-vivo test created at The University of Manchester to predict a product’s ability to restore fibrillin (a key component of elastic fibres) and collagen (the skin’s main structural protein) in photoaged skin. It shows us exactly which anti-ageing products can repair the skin at a structural level and improve signs of ageing.

This was (and still is) revolutionary for skin ageing. Testing skincare has traditionally been a slow and invasive process and the Manchester Patch Assay changed this by allowing the team to measure product efficacy without the long testing process.