Will this cream turn your man into Brad Pitt?

Women in Roman times were known to rub the dregs of red wine on their faces as a cheap alternative to rouge.

And 2,000 years later, the cosmetics industry has come full circle – wine has become an increasingly popular ingredient in beauty products. It sounds unlikely, but there are rosé eye gels, white wine body creams, and pinot noir facial cleansers.

Brad Pitt is the last to enter the market. His Le Domaine skincare line, which debuted in September, is made with grapes from his vineyard in Provence, France (a 30ml bottle of serum costs an eye-watering £290).

Brad says he’s never had a skincare regimen before and only launched the range because he ‘saw a real difference in my skin’.

I do little more than occasionally toss some Nivea into the depths of winter, instead preferring to spend my extra money on a good bottle of Syrah rather than a small capsule of serum. But if the ageless Pitt swears by a little light cleansing and toning, who am I to argue?

Especially since there is growing evidence that wine has amazing anti-aging properties, as it contains resveratrol, a polyphenol found mainly in the skins of red grapes (and to a lesser extent white grapes) that acts much like an antioxidant.

Scientists don’t quite agree on how much of a miraculous ingredient resveratrol is, but most believe it has anti-inflammatory properties, which would explain why so many anti-aging creams have embraced it.

So which wine-based beauty products are premier cru – and deserve to end up in the man in the Christmas stocking of your life – and which are the equivalent of Albanian plonk?

PITT’S Pricey PIP’S

Le Domaine, cleansing emulsion GSM10 (£60 for 100ml, le-domaine.com/en-gb)

This is the cheapest of all the products in Brad Pitt’s new Le Domaine range. And to give him credit, the packaging is classy and the scent of subtle cedarwood and orange blossom is delightful — suitable for men and women.

All products contain something called GSM10, made from the seeds of Grenache and Syrah grapes, Pitt’s version of resveratrol.

The packaging claims that my skin will ‘regain its radiance and beauty’. Not sure but it does a great job of gently cleaning my face and leaving it feeling fresh. However, it is pricey. 4/5

CLASSIC VINTAGE

Caudalie Vinoperfect radiance serum (£48 for 30ml, caudalie.com)

Caudalie, a French company based in Bordeaux, can claim to have pioneered the wine-based beauty industry in the 1990s when it branched out from making wine to brewing a serum.

The company sells one of these Vinoperfect serums every 30 seconds worldwide. The magic ingredient is something Caudalie calls viniferine, derived from grape stems.

It has a lovely, fresh scent, almost like cucumber, but it almost leaves my skin feeling sticky. 3.5/5

SICK AND SWEET

Patchology Serve Chilled Rosé Eye Gel (£14 for 5 pairs, spacenk.com)

These drop-shaped gel patches are instantly refreshing for tired eyes – but that’s mainly because you keep them in the fridge, not because they contain a small amount of resveratrol. They smell strongly of fizzy strawberry candies instead of rosé and don’t feel very mature. Unfortunately, they didn’t get rid of the bags under my eyes either. 2.5/5

FIRMING FAVORITE

Pilegrims Vitamin Boost facial cleanser (£19.55 for 100ml, pilegrims.com)

This is made from the stems, skins and pips of wine grown on the Westwell wine estate in Kent and made just down the road from the vineyard itself. It smells softly of rosehip and tea tree oil and my skin feels really firmer after using it. 5/5

COMPLETELY WHITE

Irene Forte, White Wine Body Cream Hydrating (£66.75 for 200ml, libertylondon.com)

Irene Forte is the daughter of hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, for whose hotel chain she is the ‘wellness consultant’. Made in Italy, this moisturizing cream contains organic Sicilian white wine. It has a nice silky texture without being greasy. A solid product that made my skin feel less dry. 3.5/5

A PERFECT POLISH

Dr. Craft Exfoliating body polish with grape resveratrol and avocado seed (£18 for 200ml, drcraft.co.uk)

Dr Craft is a cosmetics brand founded by chemists at the University of Leeds, who have previously made several lotions using food scraps, such as mandarin peels. The latest range uses red pinot noir grapes along with avocado kernels that have been pulverized to act as an excellent exfoliator.

This body polish is gently scented with tangerine and neroli and leaves my skin feeling very smooth. 5/5