Lucy Boynton on Natural Perfume, Icy-Blonde Maintenance, and That Signature Haircut
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Chances are high that you've probably taken a picture of Lucy Boynton's icy blunt cut to your hairstylist in the last three years. Or maybe you came across one of her bold, artistic, or glittery red-carpet makeup looks and immediately hit pin. The actress is a bona fide beauty star, never one to shy away from a lashy, retro-inspired eye look or a well-placed hair accessory. Her latest off-screen role is with the fashion and beauty house Chloé, as the face of its new fall scent, Eau de Parfum Naturelle.
Like Boynton, this perfume breaks convention. It's made with 100 percent natural original fragrance and naturally derived alcohol; it's also vegan and housed in a bottle made in part from recycled materials. It's the latest in a string of new fragrance launches that aim to reinvent the way we spritz and smell through an eco-conscious and clean lens. The fresh, floral, and woody scent is easy to wear any day, with notes of cedar, rose, neroli, and mimosa.
In celebration of the new perfume, we catch up with Boynton to discuss how she keeps her blonde so bright, her red-carpet makeup philosophy, and why she loves this "uplifting" scent.
How has your beauty routine changed in the last year?
It's very much simplified. I mean simplified in the sense that you obviously, immediately remove the kind of decorative makeup elements of the beauty routine, and so it became much more about health and maintenance and improving my skin. But now, I think I'm trying to make it slightly more experimental or trying to make it more of an actual routine, so I've been looking into more products. Especially anything that's for moisture.
Who are your beauty idols and people you look to for inspiration?
I'm quite eclectic, and I think I'm always influenced by Jo Baker, the makeup artist I work with, in that sense. I used to be much more minimalist, and now, I think it's more influenced by, like, the movies I'm watching, or art, or fashion shows for those slightly more expressive looks. So especially when I'm watching something like the Tim Burton movies or something, I kind of want to steal that aesthetic and channel it into a beauty look.
You have such an adventurous spirit for red-carpet beauty. Tell me a little bit about how you and your makeup artist, Jo Baker, collaborate on looks?
The process is so fun with her. She's always been incredibly collaborative. She's such an artist, I mean, she has a background in it and went to art school. So that is our foundation. And makeup is just kind of her medium. And so it's really interesting to see her process and see the very eclectic channels that she draws inspiration from. It's always influenced by kind of where we are, what we're doing, where I'm going, and the way I want to feel—but also where we are in the world, or what she's seen.
We spent a really beautiful week in Venice together once at a film festival, and it was so fascinating getting to see her, like, stop in the street and taking pictures of the way the light falls on something, or certain textures of something. So it's really fun when she then channels that into a look and it becomes a more tangible thing. But it's always a really fun process and a form of experimentation and self-expression. So when I'm going to these big press days and slightly daunting events, it's really empowering to have that extra sense of ownership of myself.
Your brows and lashes are insane. How do you care for them?
My dad takes all the credit for them. I got a combination of his long lashes and my mom's really dark eyelashes and brows—I'm very lucky. I actually don't do anything to care for them, and I'm starting to get really paranoid that I should. I actually walked into a ceiling fan at the end of last year and half of them ripped out, but thankfully, they've very quickly grown back to my huge relief.
Your hair color and cut has become such a signature look. Tell me a little bit about how you got here with your hair?
It's all [hairstylist] Jenny Cho. She is the one who should take credit for it becoming a thing; she's the master of the blunt cut. I met her on a photo shoot in 2016, and we were just kind of sick of the long-hair trend. I think I was sick of my hair, and just on the spot, she decided to chop it off. I'd recently seen Paris, Texas—Jenny also referenced that, so she just kind of did it in the moment and didn't really think much about it. And then, I kind of carried it on for the next few years. It wasn't really new when I came out with it—I just haven't been around on many red carpets. It was really liberating doing that. It's so low maintenance that it's very freeing, and then you can kind of let it do what it does. Mark Selley at Nicky Clarke in London for the blonde-blonde. He's just brilliant. He also does all my hair color for my projects. I'm surrounded by very talented people and very lucky!
What's your blonde maintenance like?
I guess the short hair lends itself to preserving that kind of blonde as well. Mark is amazing. I mean, I probably shouldn't have hair left with the amount that I've had to dye it. I met him because for a film I was doing, I had to go from black hair to blonde hair in one day, and he managed to do it in a way that I actually still left with shiny hair.
I use Olaplex No.3—that has really saved my hair—and the Christophe Robin Baby Blonde blue hair mask has been great. A lot of those purple shampoos can end up leaving your scalp a bit lilac, which is also kind of fun but not always the desired look. The Christophe Robin one you can leave on for, like, ages and it doesn't do that; it just takes out all the kind of warmth. I really love that icy-blonde look.
What's your relationship with natural and clean beauty, since that's what this fragrance campaign is all about?
I've always leaned into organic and natural products, because my skin is so sensitive. So I've pretty much had no choice! But now, I'm trying to educate myself much more on the ingredients in everything. It's really inspiring seeing brands like Chloé really trying to hold themselves accountable in that sense, and ensuring that they expand not only from natural and organic ingredients, but to be more eco-conscious and conscious in sustainability.
Does that carry over into other aspects of your life, like your shopping, food, et cetera?
My mom's a journalist, and she's always written about beauty products. I think I've always been lucky to have that kind of side education as well, so we've always kind of leaned towards organic everything anyway. I'm not, like, strict with myself, I don't think, but I just always feel better and kind of naturally lean towards organic.
What drew you to this fragrance project, and what do you love about the scent?
I just love it. It's really light and fresh, but it lasts long, which I think is key in a great perfume. But it's really uplifting. I found myself reaching for it a lot. On days I just want to feel slightly more put together and elegant, I think it is that kind of final note to complete yourself before you walk out the door. I carry a little bottle of it in my bag as well and kind of refresh and reset throughout the day. I love it.
It can have such an impact on your sense of self but also on your mood, and I think this fragrance specifically—I think knowing that it's completely natural, organic, has something to do with it as well. The crispness of it is very uplifting.
For people who stopped wearing fragrance every single day, this scent seems like a great reintroduction back into that habit.
It is! Fragrance and scent is so intimate and personal. I think this one is such a great go-to, because it's very fun and light, but it also has the deeper notes that make it feel very adult and elegant. I think that kind of marriage is perfect.
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