A skincare line is definitely a head scratcher. I've read people complimenting Angelina's complexion but never Brad's. When the writer said
You look like you have great skin anyway. I can’t imagine it takes much!He acknowledges that his complexion isn't great and I have seen past comments to that effect. The non-tabloid reaction to this new skincare line reflects almost universal skepticism.
BP: "No, not really, I don’t, but now… I mean I have my little, simple regimen."
“Completely out of touch with reality.” Board certified dermatologist Dr. Dray reviews Brad Pitt’s new skin care line. pic.twitter.com/5tuufzTUl9
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) September 27, 2022
đź’„ The Alpha beauty tech cohort wrote an open letter to Brad Pitt - the latest celebrity to enter the beauty industry. Addressed to Brad, it represents a build-up of frustration from within the industry.https://t.co/SqjUQiqO4F
— HUCKLETREE (@huckletree) September 30, 2022
The Le Domaine website says
The terroir is a unique approach to the sourcing of ingredients for Le Domaine. Key elements such as grapes and olive oil in the products have a 100% traceable origin. They are derived exclusively from the Perrin family’s lands and are also eco-extracted by natural means, by Le Domaine’s farmers.it is not from Miraval. It is all Perrin. Even the bottle's distinctive "Oak tree cap is upcycled from the wood left over from the Perrin's (sic) wine barrels." Brad is essentially just doing Marc Perrin a favor.
Brad is unquestionably passionate about his art, but in addition to his furniture with Pollaro, he is hawking tea, cashmere, and now skincare "partnerships." He is on his way to establishing a rep as a dilettante. Add to that his newly unveiled sculpture and overexposure may dent the value of more lucrative product endorsements like he had for Breitling, Brioni and DeLonghi.
brad pitt releasing a “genderless” skincare line is already questionable but putting “no conservatives” when they meant “no preservatives” is taking me out pic.twitter.com/ABRaxyHVrE
— matt (@mattxiv) September 21, 2022
It took a couple of hours but this has since been corrected. It does show that Brad never bothered to read through Le Domaine's website.
His answers to Vogue are evasive and vague. He doesn't seem to know much about the products nor what could differentiate Le Domaine from "the familiar story of grape-based antioxidants that has long been mined by more established brands" -- to use a quote from Vogue. He reverts to talking about Miraval. The Vogue editor (and probably others in the junket) was charmed but she couldn't ignore the obvious, "Brad Pitt has not read the beauty tutorial memo." Or any relevant memo.
His quote in Le Domaine's website was hardly more illuminating.
Le Domaine:
“The goal is to imitate the organic cycles of nature, its primeval beauty. There is no waste in nature. Anything left over or discarded becomes food for something else. This exemplary circular system is the inspiration for Le Domaine.”He could be talking about compost.
-- Brad Pitt
It's obvious that Brad was never truly involved in the development of Le Domaine. He was about as detached, i.e. clueless, as one can imagine a "co-founder" could be. He probably was asked to help promote it shortly before it was ready to launch and didn't bother doing his homework for the press junket. It's another instance of hubris thinking he could just wing it, but in his defense he had other things on his mind like the Tampere exhibit.
The Vogue article says "While he made a conscious decision not to front the brand as the “face” of Le Domaine" that's exactly what he did for the product launch and that, it appears, is the extent of his contribution. Miraval's contribution to the effort is as a publicity prop.
He says, "we wouldn’t have done it unless we felt there was something valid here, something original, something that worked." But when asked "Have you always had a good skincare routine?"
BP [Very long pause]. "No."
Almost any good product would have resulted in "a real difference visually in my skin." Further, the base research was not robust and was limited to determining "which of the 13 grape varieties the Perrin family grows on their estates in Provence had the most relevant antioxidant properties." There could be other, better varieties not grown by the Perrins that were not considered. Le Domaine is essentially a Perrin house product they could sell alongside their wines in their vineyard store.
Caption this: Brad, meet the product you co-founded.
From Le Domaine
OUR GENESIS
LE DOMAINE STARTED WITH A SERIES OF ENCOUNTERS, ALL CENTERED AROUND A UNIQUE LAND, FARMED AND PROTECTED BY THE PERRIN FAMILY FOR FIVE GENERATIONS.
Le Domaine is a human tale, punctuated with chance meetings. Brad Pitt, owner of Château Miraval, fell in love with the unique beauty of Provence. In 2012, he began exploring the treasures of the vineyard. He worked with the Perrin family to restore Miraval, cultivating the estate’s grapevines and building a strong partnership. Spurred on by the same desire to preserve Earth and its ecosystem, to safeguard the riches of our world for future generations, Le Domaine and its distinctive approach to skin care were a natural step for them both.
THE TERROIR
The terroir is a unique approach to the sourcing of ingredients for Le Domaine. Key elements such as grapes and olive oil in the products have a 100% traceable origin. They are derived exclusively from the Perrin family’s lands and are also eco-extracted by natural means, by Le Domaine’s farmers.
This local approach to nature in cosmetics has a direct effect on the efficacy of the products, due in part to the unique freshness of ingredients that are picked directly from the terroir, but also their very specific properties: GSM10, the active compound with maximized antioxidative powers, is made from a combination of grape varieties carefully selected from the Perrins’ vineyards.
"Le Domaine’s terroir-based model also has an effect on the products’ ecological impact, focusing on local production and sourcing of know-hows. "
As of Feb. 23, just 5 months after launch, the products have been discount heavily with the signature products now offered at 34% below launch price.
From the Le Domaine press junket Sept. 13, 2022
No ring on left hand, bee ring on right. The interview in Miraval took place "last week" according to Baird-Murray's Sept. 21 instagram post. He was seen flying out of Tampere, Finland in the early afternoon of Sept. 18, Sunday for Marseille / Miraval. He had to have spent a few days setting up his pieces -- maybe Thursday to Saturday in Tampere. So the interview could have been Tuesday, Sept. 13 since he had billboard on Sept. 14. The tree ring was back on his left middle finger in Tampere.
Kathleen Baird Murray is the Contributing Beauty Editor @britishvogue. US Vogue gave the article a different title and at least one interesting edit.
Vogue, "BEAUTY The Curious Case of Brad Pitt, Château Miraval, and a Compelling New Luxury Skin Care Line", September 21, 2022
British Vogue, "BEAUTY “I Love What Gwyneth Has Done With Goop”: Brad Pitt Unveils His Genderless Skincare Line Exclusively To Vogue" 21 September 2022
BY KATHLEEN BAIRD-MURRAY
Vogue:
Brad Pitt has not read the beauty tutorial memo. We’re 25 minutes into a world’s first interview with the actor, producer, philanthropist, wine producer, and newly minted skin care brand founder at Château Miraval, the sprawling property and vineyard in the South of France that Pitt bought with Angelina Jolie in 2012, and after a few quick-fire questions we arrive at the inevitable part of any skin care founder interview: “What’s your regimen?” I ask, with a certain amount of trepidation. “Can we have a product demonstration?”
British Vogue:
Brad Pitt has not read the beauty tutorial memo. We’re 25 minutes into an exclusive interview with the actor, producer, philanthropist, wine producer, and newly-minted skincare brand founder at Château Miraval, the sprawling property and vineyard in the South of France that Pitt bought with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie in 2012, and after a few quick-fire questions we arrive at the inevitable part of any skincare founder interview: “What’s your regimen?” I ask, with a certain amount of trepidation. “Can we have a product demonstration?”
Pitt baulks, smiling. “I’m not doing that!”
“Maybe just talk about how your routine has evolved, then? Just don’t make it too QVC,” I suggest to the Academy Award-winner, hoping he might warm to the idea of applying face creams while being filmed.
“I wouldn’t know how to do that, unless it was a comedy,” Pitt says, laughing. “Actually, Sandy [Sandra Bullock] and I did once try to develop a whole idea of a husband and wife team, who were QVC’s most successful salespeople, but we’re getting a divorce, we hate each other, and we’re taking it out on air as we sell things… That’s as far as we got.”
While he made a conscious decision not to front the brand as the “face” of Le Domaine (there will be no campaign portraits, no Brad on TikTok, and very few interviews after this one), Pitt has been as hands-on as it gets with its concept and development, which is based around the familiar story of grape-based antioxidants that has long been mined by more established brands. But Le Domaine has approached the science in its own way, appointing one of the world’s leading wine and human health specialists, University of Bordeaux Professor of Oenology Pierre-Louis Teissedre, to determine which of the 13 grape varieties the Perrin family grows on their estates in Provence had the most relevant antioxidant properties.
That research began over 15 years ago, and may have resulted in the next big thing in skincare: GSM10, an exclusive molecule in Le Domaine’s Serum, Cream, Fluid Cream and Cleansing Emulsion that combines potent properties from the seeds of Grenache grapes with the seeds and skin of Syrah and Mourvedre grapes. It serves as a powerful antidote to oxidative stress, which can break down collagen and contribute to the myriad physical signs of ageing. Professor Nicolas LĂ©vy, a leading scientist in progeria – an extremely rare genetic disorder that speeds up ageing in small children – provided additional insights for the project. Having identified the way progeria affects the natural ageing process, he developed ProGr3 – Le Domaine’s other patented active ingredient – which is derived from grapevine tendril resveratrol, and aims to keep skin cells healthier, longer.
Finally, there’s the magical nature of Miraval’s soil itself – the terroir, as it’s called by oenologists when discussing the growing conditions unique to specific grapevines. In this case: terrace upon terrace of olive trees; miles and miles of otherworldly lichen-encrusted woodland; and air so thick with lavender that at one point I seriously wonder if it’s being artificially pumped in. No pesticides are used at Miraval, where all farming is done biodynamically. The clay and limestone-rich soil is ploughed and the vines aren’t irrigated, which encourages their roots to reach deep down into the ground for moisture. The deeper the roots grow, the better their interaction with the soil, which creates that much sought-after complexity in Miraval’s grapes, as well as in the olive oil that’s produced on the property, the combination of which makes up the base of the 96% natural, vegan and sustainable line.
“Through the ages, Château Miraval has always been this hub of creativity, it has so many places within it where you want to sit and think and expand and explore, and make beautiful things,” he says from one such vantage point in the well-appointed outdoor living area, which overlooks a football pitch he created for his family. That’s not necessarily reason enough to get into what is already a very saturated skincare market, Pitt concedes. But Le Domaine’s efficacy just might be. “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.” Sitting just a few feet away from his clear, sun-kissed complexion, it’s hard to argue with that logic.
How did the Le Domaine project come about?
Brad Pitt: We had been talking about it for so long I don’t remember now how it originally started. I remember reading about the health properties of grape skins as something we wanted to investigate. But the initial idea, right from the beginning, comes back to this place. It’s just steeped in creativity and it’s so fertile. We make olive oil, truffles and honey here. Reinforced concrete began here. Reinforced concrete! That’s insane! In the 1840s Joseph-Louis Lambot invented ferro-cement, a precursor to reinforced concrete, and made a concrete boat that was eventually pulled out of the pond here and now resides in a museum in Brignoles. We had some pillars – test pillars – up in the courtyard. He went on to make the first two buildings in reinforced concrete, and now of course everything is built that way. It’s pretty extraordinary.
And was skincare meant to be a part of this creativity? Had you been secretly thinking all this time, “I must have a skincare brand?”
No, and truthfully we wouldn’t have done it unless we felt there was something valid here, something original, something that worked. I get sent stuff all the time and… ugh. 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.
Have you always had a good skincare routine?
[Very long pause]. No.
I was so sure you were going to say yes, because one imagines you would be well looked-after…
Well, when I’m looked after, I do [have a good skincare routine]. I just want to keep it simple, you know what I mean? That said, I’m actually thorough now. I’ve been whipped into shape by my dear make-up artist friend – we started together 30 years ago – Jean Black. She is pretty special. So whenever we’re on a film she keeps me healthy, and then she’s like, “try this”, and, “try that”.
You look like you have great skin anyway. I can’t imagine it takes much!
No, not really, I don’t, but now… I mean I have my little, simple regimen.
So, what do you do? Gua sha?
I don’t even know what that is.
Facials?
Rarely. I get antsy.
Did you ever imagine yourself as a beauty baron?
[Laughs]. I’m not sure what a beauty baron is…
It’s like if you were to achieve EstĂ©e Lauder-level success.
If Le Domaine is successful, do we get baron status? Yeah, no, I didn’t [imagine that]. Landing here – at Château Miraval – opened up a lot of ideas that I wouldn’t have normally considered. And a big part of it is sustainability, this idea of zero waste is something that is really important to this area and important to me. But listen, when we first got here, I mean, I never thought about having a winery either! I just wanted a beautiful base in this area and it happened to have a winery. And it happened to be hemorrhaging tonnes of money. So we had to go to work. And then we went out on a search and found Marc [Perrin] and his family.
A clever idea. You majored in journalism, I’ve read..
I did, I didn’t graduate, but I did.
Do you wish you had followed that career path?
[Laughs]. I think I’m pretty happy with where things landed! I wouldn’t have objected to that, but I’m feeling alright about my day job.
How do you feel about film star-fronted business enterprises in general?
When I started out it seemed shameful to do a commercial, for some reason. You were called a sell-out. I really think the hip-hop guys changed all of that. They made it okay – even cool – to spread your wings a bit, to try some other things. And now it’s really exciting that you can, you know, explore other corners [of your creativity] like the old Renaissance artists in a way. And I love what Gwyneth’s done [with Goop]. She is still a really dear friend, and she has built this empire. 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.
What pressures have you felt personally around ageing in the film business?
I don’t want to be running from ageing. It’s a concept we can’t escape, and I would like to see our culture embracing it a bit more, talking about it in those terms. 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. I grew up with a country mentality, kind of you know, Dial Soap once a day and then move on. 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. So just age healthy, age in a healthy manner.
Speaking of, I watched Benjamin Button last night. Was it strange to see yourself looking older in that role?
No, no, it wasn’t at all, I was kind of fascinated by it, really. And by the way? All those prosthetics, six hours of prosthetics? Tore up my skin. They destroyed my skin!
How and why is it important to you that Le Domaine’s approach is genderless?
Again, I don’t know if it’s just that I believe in being all-inclusive as much as possible? Or maybe it’s about us guys needing help from others in understanding how we can treat our skin better? I mean, I probably got more from my female partners in the past. We kept the smell very neutral, very fresh, and very, very subtle. I mean, I’m the kind of person who will change hotel rooms if I can smell the cologne of the last person who stayed there! It’s too much! It’s too strong! Keep it subtle. Let people come to you. Don’t force it on others. That’s my feeling (laughs). For smells, I mean. I stand by that for smells!
Do you have any special memories of Miraval?
This past spring was special. We had a good five or six weeks out here. The stories you hear about Provence in the spring, why people come here. Well, it’s real. And I can’t quite describe it, other than the freshness in the air, the light, the… I don’t know, it’s just a real feeling of peace and harmony and the nights are so soothing. In summer you get the symphony of frogs, they lull you to sleep. I have a lot of artist friends from different disciplines, and they were here this spring, we were having a laugh. One was working on his music [at Studio Miraval], one was painting, one was designing a clothing line, and so on and so forth. They’d go off to their respective corners to work on their respective things, and then we’d come back here to cross-pollinate over a meal, or a game of petanques, in the spot we’re sitting in now. Making an artist community has always been the idea here, and it’s really nice to see that happen.
What’s the future looking like for you?
The older I get the more I think about quality of life, and time expenditure, and I sure would like to point it more in this direction. I think after lockdown it seemed to be on a lot of people’s minds, like, how are we spending our time, why are we grinding so much, what are we dedicating our lives to? And I think that family and friends at the end of the day is all that matters.
Miraval Provence.com ca. 2017-2019
Other photos BradPittPlanB fan account
