EXCLUSIVE: Elizabeth Banks Is the Face of No7
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Elizabeth Banks has a big birthday coming; she turns 50 in February. It’s a few months away, but it’s on her mind.
“I’m approaching a milestone birthday soon, and I think I’ve had some skin care regrets in my life,” she said when asked about partnering with No7. She’s the U.K. beauty brand’s new face.
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“And I just wanted to make taking care of my skin and my overall health a real priority in middle age,” she went on, with a laugh. “I mean, I’ll just say it out loud, I’m middle-aged. I can’t believe it. But it’s here, it’s happening.”
Her skin care regrets?
“When I say that, what I mean is I just think I haven’t put my skin first,” she explained. “I mean, we all know it — too much sun, not enough hydration, not enough sleep. I think your best skin starts from within. So, sleep and diet, that really matters. I’m trying to take a holistic approach. And then you also need things like No7 to, you know, to take that sort of external approach. There’s the internal and the external. And I think that, for me, that’s what this moment is about. It’s sort of, ‘How do I incorporate products in a holistic routine?’”
The American actor and filmmaker is No7’s first celebrity partner in the U.S. The company — founded by Boots pharmacy in 1935 — is the leading skin care brand in the U.K. With the help of Banks, No7 plans to introduce new products and aims to boost overall brand awareness in the U.S.
“No7 is a British icon over in the U.K., but we’re still in the process of introducing the brand in America,” said Melanie Cappella, senior brand director at No7. “So this is an opportunity to leverage celebrity talent really seriously. Like, ‘Who’s going to be the face of the brand for so many people that are just meeting the brand for the first time?’ What we love about Elizabeth is that she just really captures the essence of the brand. She’s elegant but accessible. She doesn’t take herself too seriously, but yet she’s this amazing trailblazer as a director, producer — really a force to be reckoned with.”
In the U.S., No7 is available at Walgreens, Ulta Beauty, Target, Walmart and, most recently, Amazon.
“Amazon was our next phase, because we saw how busy consumers are, and how shopping online and getting it delivered at home is a really important way of getting products,” Cappella said. “Amazon was a great fit for us.”
“Future Renew” is the brand’s newest launch, a collection that contains peptide technology that took 15 years to develop. There’s a face serum ($39.99), eye serum ($29.99) and night cream ($39.99). In January, the brand will introduce a day cream.
“What I love about No7 is, one, they have science-backed formulas,” Banks said. “I’m totally a science nerd. And they’re proven to reverse visible signs of skin damage and aging….The other thing I really love about them, honestly, is it’s an approachable company. They’re accessible. There’s a true accessibility about them. You know, it feels like it’s for everyone. I feel like I’m getting an incredibly quality product but, frankly, at drugstore prices, and I just love that.”
Her go-to No7 products have been the Radiance+ 15% Vitamin C Serum and Pure Retinol Collection, she said. “In the daytime, I love the C serums, like I’m obsessed with the vitamin C, and then at night, I’m obsessed with the retinol. So I feel like I can create a routine that’s easy and that, frankly, takes care of the things that I don’t do as well as I could, which all of us struggle with, which is more water, more sleep, better diet, less travel, airplanes, sleeping in your makeup, too much sunshine. I think all of those things are issues that so many women can relate to.”
With the Hollywood strike, these days Banks is busy with back to school. She’s married to sportswriter and producer Max Handelman, with two sons, Felix and Magnus.
“My older son started a new school, so I’ve been getting to know that new school, the new parents, getting to know the new teachers,” she said of Felix. “I mean, it’s like having a whole other full-time job. So shout-out to all the moms and the teachers and the dads and the parents and the kids who are back to school right now. September, to me, this is the new year. I don’t think January first is the new year.”
She’s also getting ready for fall, she added. “The change in season isn’t quite happening out here in L.A., but man, oh man, am I building my fall wardrobe. I just picked up some blazers and some shoes. I’m really excited for when I can throw on a coat.”
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