Britain's hottest man: The expert behind the £17 wrinkle cream that works

But the unassuming 56-year-old scientist has done just that, thanks to his discovery of the Holy Grail of the cosmetics industry - an anti-ageing cream that actually works.

The £17 cream he created for High Street store Boots has seen its sales jump by 2,000 per cent after being featured on BBC2's Horizon in March.

The science programme investigated the sometimes outrageous claims made for skin creams, and found there was just one product that justified its price tag.

That was No7's Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum, created by Mr Barton's team and sold only at Boots. In the wake of the programme, hordes of women eager to turn back the clock cleared the shelves at some shops.

But Mr Barton, a happily married father of three grown-up children, is unlikely to let his new-found fame go to his head.

Friends describe him as a very modest man who won't change despite being dubbed "the hottest male property" in the country.

He has been using the serum himself for years - but only convinced his wife Julia to try it six months ago.

"She was the typically sceptical wife," he said. "But I persuaded her."

Mr Barton, whose official title is skincare scientific adviser, began working on the serum seven years ago at the company's headquarters near his home in Nottingham.

In a cramped lab on a vast industrial site in Beeston, four miles from the city, he finally cracked it.

His eureka moment came when independent expert Professor Chris Griffiths, Foundation Professor of Dermatology at Manchester University, ran some tests on his product.

"When Dr Griffiths called me to say, yes, this does what you claim, I whooped with delight," he said. "I knew it did. But that extra endorsement was wonderful news."

The cream, which was tested on volunteers, appeared on Boots shelves three years ago.

It was always a steady seller, but it was not until after the TV programme that sales went through the roof.

Mr Barton said there was no "magic ingredient" in the product. "Let's be honest here - this is not a miracle cream," he added.

"It does what we tell you it will do - it makes you look the best you possibly can for the age you are."

The fact the product sells for £16.75 for 30ml makes it all the more attractive.

Mr Barton is currently working on anti-ageing body cream, due to be launched in October.