Brad Pitt Discusses His Genderless Skincare Line with Vogue
We know that Brad Pitt is a renaissance man: Oscar-winning actor and producer, philanthropist, wine producer. But as for his next venture, I don't think most people had skincare founder on their Brad Pitt bingo card.
Back in 2012, Pitt and then-wife Angelina Jolie bought Château Miraval, a vineyard in the South of France, where he met the Perrin family, renowned vintners who partnered with Pitt on their Château Mirval Côtes de Provence Rosé. Now, it's the Perrin family that Pitt has partnered with once again for his skincare line, Le Domaine, "a science-meets-nature" line of skin care, according to Vogue.
In an exclusive interview with Vogue about Le Domaine, Pitt revealed that while he helped create the brand, he's not going to be the face of the brand. The crux of the line is grape-based antioxidants, which is what makes the Perrin family ideal partners for this venture. In fact, Pierre-Louis Teissedre — one of the world's foremost wine and human health specialists — studied the 13 grape varieties grown by the Perrin family to determine which had the most relevant antioxidant properties.
According to Vogue, that research started more than 15 years ago, and resulted in the discovery of GSM10, a molecule that's exclusive to Le Domaine's products, which also use Grenache grape seeds along with the seeds and skin of Syrah and Mourvedre grapes. When it comes to oxidative stress on the skin, it can break down collagen and contribute to a slew of other skin maladies, which is why using a potent antioxidant is so vital. There's also another active ingredient that's exclusive to the brand: ProGr3, a patented derivation of resveratrol, developed by a scientist, which can keep skin cells healthier, longer.
The other thing that makes Le Domaine so special? The soil. As reported by Vogue, the soil is home to scores of olive trees, lichen-encrusted woodland, and so much lavender that the air is perfumed. No pesticides are used, all farming is done biodynamically, and the soil (which is ploughed) is rich in clay and limestone. The vines aren't irrigated, which encourages the roots to grow deeper. The deeper the roots, it turns out, the better interaction they have with the soil, which is part of what makes Miraval's grapes so complex. "I know there are new products nearly every day that people are trying to launch," Pitt told Vogue. "But if I hadn't seen a real difference visually in my skin, we wouldn't have bothered."
Here are some excerpts from Pitt's interview with Vogue:
Vogue: How did the Le Domaine project come about?
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.
Vogue: 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?"
Pitt: 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.
Vogue: Have you always had a good skincare routine?
Pitt: [Very long pause]. No.
Vogue: I was so sure you were going to say yes, because one imagines you would be well looked after...
Pitt: 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."
Vogue: What's the future looking like for you?
Pitt: 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.
Le Domaine is available now at Le Domaine Skincare.
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