Beauty over 40: Naomi Watts, Brooke Shields and the celebrities pioneering skin and haircare brands for the mature woman

For women over 40, the skincare aisles have had a fabulous makeover. The old, doom-and-gloom messages that once screamed, “Get rid of your wrinkles!” are fading. This traditional approach used to position ageing as a battle, with wrinkles, fine lines and sagging skin Sthe villains to be vanquished. Advertisements were filled with lofty promises of eternal youth, spotlighting serums and creams that claimed to turn back the clock. The message was loud and clear: youthful skin was the ultimate goal, and any signs of ageing were flaws that needed fixing.

However, the new narrative embraces ageing as a natural process and celebrates beauty beyond youth. The inclusion of older models and celebrities in beauty campaigns isn’t entirely new, but it’s gained significant momentum in recent years. Back in 2010, Tom Ford’s Forever Love campaign made waves by featuring mature models, boldly challenging the cult of youth. In the middle of the decade, Joni Mitchell’s striking appearance in a Saint Laurent campaign at 71 and Jessica Lange’s role in Marc Jacobs Beauty at 65 cemented the presence of older women in high fashion and beauty. These campaigns have helped to shift perceptions, highlighting the fact that elegance and allure need not fade with age but can evolve.

Now, the market is experiencing a surge in brands specifically targeting women over 40, led by influential figures who truly understand this demographic. Inspired by her sister’s struggle to find effective products for ageing skin, Sarah Creal – a beauty industry veteran known for her pivotal roles in developing Tom Ford Beauty and Victoria Beckham Beauty – recently launched her own line, Sarah Creal Beauty. The brand is dedicated to high-performance make-up and skincare products that focus on wear, repair and hydration, offering solutions that cater to the specific needs of mature skin.

Creal’s not the only one. Having created a wellness platform during the pandemic, Brooke Shields in June launched Commence, a haircare line designed to address the concerns of women in their forties, fifties and beyond. The brand not only addresses the specific needs of ageing hair but also promotes a sense of optimism and empowerment around getting older.

Meanwhile, Naomi Watts in October 2022 introduced Stripes, a beauty brand designed for menopausal skin. Recognising the unique skincare challenges that menopause brings, Stripes focuses on sustaining your skin’s long-term health, and catering its distinct needs.

Despite the empowering shift in marketing towards ageing with grace, effective skincare in your forties still requires a more tailored approach. “Several concerns and challenges become more prominent. One of the main issues is the decrease in collagen and elastin production, leading to sagging skin and the formation of deeper wrinkles,” says Dr Joel Kopelman, a New York-based facial plastic surgeon and the founder of Kopelman Aesthetic Surgery. He also highlights how skin becomes less hydrated with age, making dryness and a loss of plumpness more noticeable. “Additionally, sun damage accumulated over the years can start to manifest more visibly as hyperpigmentation, age spots and uneven skin tone,” he adds.