If you know about Charlotte Tilbury and her makeup line, you probably know that it all started with Magic Cream. This was the little jar she mixed backstage between fashion shows with the words “Charlotte’s Secret Cream” written on it. Models raved about how it saved their skin from all the makeup they had to put on and take off all the time.
“I made it to fix the skin barrier, before skin barriers were a thing,” she tells The Irish Times. “We did 40 fashion shows a season with celebrities and models. They used baby wipes, darling.” Their skin was so red and angry. There was a lot of makeup going on and off. I made it for that reason: it fixes, hydrates, and gives skin a dewy glow. It makes the skin look fuller and smoother right away. I called it Magic Cream because it works like magic.
Not everyone was sure about the product when it first came out. People told me, “It’s a little thick cream.” People don’t really want this. She says, “And I thought, I don’t care.” “They didn’t get what I meant by glow either. “Why are you talking about glow?” they would ask. I had some people who didn’t agree with me, but I knew what I was doing.
People know about Magic Cream now. It’s something that happens all over the world. The brand says that one pot is sold every two minutes around the world. Since then, it has created an entire “Magic” family, which includes Magic Serum, Magic Night Cream, and other versions.
A few months ago, the company said it was going to change the formula for Magic Cream. Why change something that people love? It’s a dangerous thing to do.
Givenchy’s Prisme Libre Loose Powder is a hero product for the house. In 2024, the formula was changed to make the finish better and take out the talc, which many brands have stopped using because they were worried about asbestos contamination. The packaging stayed mostly the same, but the product’s performance changed, and the backlash was quick.
People often don’t want to change things, even when the science is better and the changes are objectively better, because they love the original.
Tilbury says, “The reasons I made Magic Cream back then are more common now.” “We’re living in a time of exhaustion.” We’re not getting as much sleep as we used to. We’re around more pollution and blue light. Our skin barriers are really taking a beating. I have always said that I will never touch a famous product, especially one with such a large customer base like Magic Cream, unless I can make it better and make sure people will love it even more while also taking care of what our skin needs. That’s what I’ve done.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream: The glow that makes it famous stays
Tilbury is one of the few founders who can sell a product like this. But it seems like she also cares about the science. This isn’t just a new look with new packaging and a few trendy ingredients. The jar looks almost the same on purpose so that loyal customers don’t get confused. What’s different is what’s inside.
She says that the new formula’s “breakthrough ingredient” is “recoverstem peptide,” which is a mix of more than 100 peptides that help the skin heal and get rid of visible signs of aging.
“Peptides are the building blocks of proteins. They send signals to the skin, telling it what to do and what to make more of,” she says. Tilbury says that this complex is meant to help with repair and resilience. NAD, growth factors, and Pro-Collagen 1 are also in the new formula.
I’ve used it for a few weeks now, and there are two important things to remember. First of all, I couldn’t tell it apart from the original, so I checked the packaging again. Second, the glow from the signature stays. It calms you down and is rich without being too heavy.
That being said, this is a reformulation, not a new product (and the price stays the same, about €66 for 30ml). If you didn’t like the old Magic Cream, the new one probably won’t change your mind.
What will the upgrade to Magic Cream mean for the other “Magic” products? Tilbury smiles. “You’ll have to wait and see, sweetheart.”
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Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Hair Bandage Balm costs €39.20 at millies.ie.
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