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Two categories of cosmetic products, cosmetics and quasi-drugs, have been established by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan. Japanese pharmaceutical law has defined that products categorized as cosmetics do not exhibit any effects on human skin. In fact, cosmetic products are not permitted to claim any efficacy. On the other hand, products in the quasi-drug category can claim several efficacies such as anti-inflammatory effects, whitening/lightning effects, hair growth effects and so on. Unfortunately, the Japanese MHLW has not yet approved the efficacy of anti-aging/anti-wrinkle effects as a claim point. However, the population is aging, and the demand for anti-aging/anti-wrinkle products is increasing year by year. Japanese cosmetic companies have proposed to the MHLW that anti-aging/anti-wrinkle agents be approved as a claim concept of a quasi-drug. However, unified evaluation methods for anti-aging/anti-wrinkle effects have not been established. Currently, each company evaluates the efficacy of products/materials using their own original methods. Thus, to request approval of the MHLW, the establishment of a unified evaluation method is needed. Consequently, the Japan Cosmetic Industry Association (JCIA) has established a task force to develop guidelines for evaluating anti-wrinkle effects in 1998. In conclusion, the JCIA would like to adopt visual and image analysis scales to evaluate the anti-wrinkle effects objectively. Generally, wrinkles are roughly classified into three groups as fine wrinkles, linear deep wrinkles and crow´´s feet. However, academic societies of dermatology or cosmetics have not yet established a definition of wrinkles in Japan. Thus, in advance of setting up an evaluation method, the definition of wrinkles for evaluation must be decided. Wrinkles are defined by the task force of the JCIA as follows; furrows that people can
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