Actor, producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur, sculptor and soon, beauty mogul, Hollywood star Brad Pitt is adding titles to his resume faster than you can say Fight Club.
Pitt, 58, has become the latest celebrity to jump into the beauty business with the launch of his genderless skincare line, Le Domaine. Unveiled via an interview with Vogue published on Wednesday, the brand has been 15 years in the making, and will tout its science-meet-nature credentials, the actor says.
Le Domaine has roots in Chateau Miraval, the vineyard in the South of France that Pitt bought with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie in 2012. Developed with the Perrin family, his partners in the vineyard, ingredients are formulated from grape-based antioxidants, which, according to Vogue, "has long been mined by more established brands".
All products contain a very high concentration of GSM10 and ProGR3, two exclusive patented active compounds that slow down the signs of skin ageing, Le Domaine's website says.
Three products are available upon launch — a moisturising and anti-ageing serum ($385), a moisturising and anti-ageing cream ($320) and a cleansing emulsion ($80). A "fluid cream" will be available from January.
All products are vegan, gender neutral and suitable for all skin types. The packaging is entirely recyclable and also refillable, with striking wooden caps recycled from old wine casks — a nod to its vineyard heritage.
"We wouldn’t have done it unless we felt there was something valid here, something original, something that worked," Pitt tells Vogue. "I get sent stuff all the time and… it’s just all the same for me. But this last year we have been testing Le Domaine and I was really surprised by the results, and that for me, made it worth going forward."
Pitt also cites beauty and wellness mogul Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he was briefly engaged to in the 1990s, as one of the first to introduce him to skincare.
"I love what Gwyneth’s done [with Goop]. She is still a really dear friend, and she has built this empire," he says. "She has always had that in her as a curator, and it’s been a lovely creative outlet for her. In fact, come to think about it, she was probably the first one who got me to even wash my face twice a day… maybe."
While the actor has made a conscious decision to not front the brand in campaigns, he tells the magazine he was very hands-on with the concept and development.
“I know there are new products nearly every day that people are trying to launch, but if I hadn’t seen a real difference visually in my skin, we wouldn’t have bothered," he says.
But, despite his products' promised efficacy and anti-ageing properties, Pitt says it's a "concept we can't escape".
"I don’t want to be running from ageing. And I would like to see our culture embracing it a bit more, talking about it in those terms," he says. "Something we discussed [in founding Le Domaine] was this headline of 'anti-ageing'. It’s ridiculous. It’s a fairytale.
"But what is real is treating your skin in a healthy manner. And it’s something I’ve learnt to do for my business, but it kinda makes you feel better. And I think that we’re learning that if we love ourselves, if we treat ourselves a little better, then there are long lasting benefits to that."
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