As a beauty editor, I can confirm that nothing gets the skincare community more excited than a No7 launch (we’re also big fans of the No7 foundations (opens in new tab), mind you). When the BBC’s Horizon proved No7 Protect & Perfect to be one of the most efficacious skincare products on the market, overnight queues for Boots spread across the country, resulting in five months’ worth of stock being sold in a single day. Every since, No7’s new launches (like these day creams (opens in new tab) last year) have been taken very seriously.
So with the news that today marks the launch of No7 Future Renew (opens in new tab) skincare, it’s safe to say there’s been a fair bit of hype. Truthfully, it doesn’t matter too much what No7 launch nowadays, it’s going to get a lot of attention regardless. Because of this, I do tend to take No7 launches (in the same way I take all beauty launches (opens in new tab)) with a pinch of salt—the brand always has a huge amount to live up to. However, when it comes to Future Renew, things do genuinely look very promising.
Made up of four simple skincare products—a serum, an eye cream, an SPF-containing day cream and a nourishing night cream—Future Renew has been 15 years in the making in collaboration with the University of Manchester. The brand claims they have used “cutting edge R&D including advanced robotics, mathematical modelling, cosmetic science, bioinformatics and machine learning” to formulate the new line. This sounds very high tech but, I’ll be honest, is typically the sort of marketing drivel that puts me off trying a product. Despite this, however, Future Renew actually gets me really excited, and I do truly believe the science behind it might be game-changing—here’s why.
(Image credit: No7)
What does No7 Future Renew do?
In short, Future Renew promises to reverse the signs of skin damage—and it’s proven to do it. Up until now, it’s been more or less thought that without the help of a retinoic acid, the signs of skin damage (such as, fine lines, wrinkles, lack of luminosity, dryness, uneven skin tone and loss of firmness) have been more or less impossible to reverse. But Future Renew promises to do it without a retinoid, meaning it’s highly tolerable for all skin types, while also being highly potent.
What is the key ingredient in No7 Future Renew?
The power of Future Renew is down to peptides. For years, the skincare industry has been awaiting major breakthroughs in peptide technology, and it appears as though No7 is leading the way. In fact, No7 Future Renew harnesses something the brand is calling a ‘super peptide’ blend. But what exactly are peptides and what does this super peptide do?
Well, at a basic level, peptides act as signallers, sending messages to your skin cells to act on something—make more collagen or boost elastin production. The idea is that peptides encourage the skin to repair itself after damage has negatively affected it in terms of reduced collagen and elastin formation.
But in the case of Future Renew, the peptide blend used goes far beyond the sorts of things we’ve seen before. The peptides work to ‘bio-hack’ the skin’s repair process to renew over 50 key proteins in the skin. “With 87 years of innovation and scientific firsts, No7 prides itself on ensuring its products provide customers with exceptional results,” said No7’s Head of Science Research Dr Mike Bell. “The new peptide blend effectively tricks the skin into thinking that it has been damaged to signal renewal of key proteins such as collagen and fibrillin to boost skin’s natural self-repair mechanisms, targeting signs of cumulative damage both on and under the surface. The result is a brand-new peptide blend which we believe will be a game changer for our consumers.”
What does this mean for our skin, in layman’s terms? Healthier looking, more even, more glowing, smoother looking skin. Oh, and like I said, it can be tolerated by even the most sensitive of skin types.
Does No7 Future Renew actually work?
Well, I’ve only been using the range for the past week, so I’m not prepared to give a personal answer to this question just yet. However, the science put into proving No7’s claims is quite impressive.
The research, which was supported by the University of Manchester, harnessed first-of-its-kind techniques within the cosmetics industry. Five peer reviewed papers formed the backdrop of this latest innovation. Research was also presented at the American Academy of Dermatology’s annual conference which revealed the new peptide blend is proven to enhance the expression of over 50 key skin proteins, including collagen and fibrillin to support skin function and natural self-repair.
And experts are on board, too. Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist, says, “I’m incredibly excited that No7 have discovered a new super-peptide blend that harnesses the skin’s natural repair process. No7 Future Renew is a breakthrough range that can help reverse visible signs of skin damage.”
Oh, and it’s undergone the most extensive and diverse testing programme in No7’s history. The brand carried out 37 studies on over 4,200 people, including two clinical trials and 23 user trials. What’s more? More than half (51%) of the total testing group had skin of colour.
What are the No7 Future Renew products and do they work?
As I mentioned, I’ve only been using the products for a week or so, so please bear in mind that my thoughts here are initial. You see, although this new peptide technology is very exciting, it’s not to say that the products themselves, complete with filler ingredients and everything else that make up a cosmetics product, can harness the same results the technology shows in vitro.
Having said that, so far, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using the entire No7 Future Renew range. Here are my initial thoughts…
No7 Future Renew Eye Serum
Along with the super peptide blend, this eye serum contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C and rice proteins—quite the concoction. It’s pleasant to use—not too thick, not too thin. It is worth noting though that it contains silicones, which aren’t for everybody. The brand claims it can reverse visible signs of skin damage in 8 weeks, so I’ll be sure to update you.
This stuff claims to reverse the visible signs of skin damage in just four weeks, including appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, uneven tone and texture, dry skin, and less elastic and firm feeling skin. To help with all of these things, it also contains niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, mulberry and hydrolysed rice proteins. Personally, so far, this is one of my least favourite products in the line-up. The reason being it feel very silicone-y. Dimethicone is the second-most abundant ingredient on the INCI list, after water—and you can tell. This doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just not necessarily for me. Having said that, I’ve still been using it every day, don’t hate the results (just the pilling) and it does feel good under make-up.
No7 Future Renew SPF40 Day Cream
Not just your standard SPF-containing moisturiser, this stuff is supposedly proven to protect against UV and reverse visible signs of skin damage, such as the feeling of dryness and loss of elasticity. Personally, I love it. It does require a bit of working into the skin, but once it’s settled it leaves skin looking plump and juicy. As with the other products in the range, along with the peptide blend it contains an antioxidant blend, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and rice proteins.
No7 Future Renew Night Cream
Unlike the day cream, this stuff doesn’t contain SPF or vitamin C (neither of which are required overnight). Instead, it’s a little richer and contains shea butter for ultimate nourishment. I have found myself skipping the serum application at night (I don’t like sleeping with thick silicone-containing products on my oily skin) and just slather on a layer of this. After just one week, I must admit my skin is look exceptional. If I was only going to buy one product from the range, I’d make it this.