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Since I was a teenager, my approach to skincare has been more akin to a sergeant major going into battle than a woman about to enjoy a few minutes of self-care. You see, as someone who has been navigating acne for the last two decades, my routine has been a blueprint to stave off hormonal flare-ups, minimise active breakouts, and keep oiliness under control. My bathroom cabinet has long been a rotation of salicylic acids, gel cleansers and spot stickers—basically anything designed to keep spots at bay. And for a while, that was working. But recently, something has shifted.
Over the last few years, I’ve noticed subtle but undeniable changes in my skin. Where it was once excessively shiny, it now feels dry, the texture is less predictable, and there’s a new softness where my skin was once firm and bouncy. At 36, there aren’t yet any lines or wrinkles (at least not yet), but there’s definitely a change in my skin’s resilience and ability to bounce back. For the first time, I’m thinking less about correction and more about preservation. Rather than anti-ageing in the traditional sense (a term that I’ve always felt a bit icky about), I’m looking for ways to future-proof my skin right now. Yes, right now it’s all about skin longevity, which means choosing products that will help it to stay healthy, strong, and balanced over time.
So when No7 Prime Forever skincare range landed on my desk, I was intrigued. Created to preserve skin in its prime and reduce skin ageing activity, I decided to put the entire line through its paces to see whether it would deliver what I was looking for from my new routine.
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(Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
What does No7 Prime Forever do?
Following huge amounts of research into how our skin ages and how it’s best preserved, Prime Forever aims to proactively future-proof the skin by preventing new and existing damage from appearing on the skin’s surface and protecting against extrinsic damage. The key is that this is a range designed specifically for people in their 30s.
“Our study of over 22,000 participants revealed that the 30s are a pivotal decade; skincare priorities shift from ‘healthy skin’ to concerns around early ageing. This is corroborated by our clinical data, showing visible ageing accelerates by up to 50% in our 30s,” explains Dr Mike Bell, Head of Science Research, No7.
In essence, damage to your skin might have actually occurred years before it reveals itself on the skin’s surface. And while I expect many beauty brands to follow suit, skin preservation right now is an emerging category in skincare, and No7 is really spearheading the way. Prime Forever is all about proactive, long-term skincare, rather than waiting to treat skin damage once it becomes visible.
What are the key ingredients in No7 Prime Forever?
(Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
The Prime Forever range takes a three-pronged approach to preserving skin with antioxidants, peptides and UVA protection, providing the core protective elements. First up, the broad-spectrum antioxidant complex, which contains vitamin C, vitamin E and lipochroman (a potent antioxidant molecule that protects against skin ageing) as well as camellia leaf and myrtle leaf, which are both naturally rich in protective antioxidants. Test results showed that this unique blend actually boosts the skin’s antioxidant capacity within 30 minutes, with the Prime Forever Serum proven to reduce oxidative stress by seven times.
Renowned for their incredible peptide-rich formulations, the range also features No7’s world-first super peptide blend, which uses rice peptides to target invisible damage beneath the skin and protect against age-accelerating enzymes.
Last, but by absolutely no means least, the Prime Forever features an SPF50 primer—a five-star UVA-rated daily protection which will protect skin from UV exposure and preserve its appearance. Speak to any skin expert, and they will tell you that SPF is the one product that can reliably protect your skin from sun-related damage and signs of ageing, and No7 scientists actually partnered with a photobiologist to model the long-term benefits of using UVB and UVA protection. It showed that using the primer daily from the age of 30 until 80 could reduce UV exposure from 50 years to 6 years, which means it could dramatically reduce how quickly your skin ages.
What are the No7 Prime Forever products and do they work?
(Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
While I often state that everyone’s skin is different and products that work for me might not work for you, there is something to be said for the amount of research and science behind the Prime Forever range. No7 actually used state-of-the-art Xenium machinery and molecular profiling techniques to really understand exactly what factors drive early damage and ageing to the skin, and it was these insights that made it clear that oxidative stress, UV damage and skin-degrading enzymes have the biggest impact on the skin and premature signs of ageing.
The Prime Forever range was therefore formulated to target exactly those issues and show impressive results in their ability to reduce oxidative stress, protect the skin from UV rays and effectively slow down signs of ageing. The enormous study of over 22,000 people also revealed that our thirties are the key decade to really start investing in our skin’s future—meaning that I personally am still in the pivotal age range to really start preserving my skin now.
My honest review of the No7 Prime Forever range
I’ve been using the entire No7 Prime Forever range for the last few weeks and, in short, I think I’ll be hard-pressed to go back to my old skincare routine now. Of course, it’s all about the long game with this lineup, but in terms of instant gratification, every product feels luxurious to use, has the right blend of ingredients to tackle the dehydration and loss of elasticity that I’m already noticing at 36, but still have a lightweight and refreshing texture that my combination (and still sometimes spot-prone) skin appreciates. For me, the serum and primer are the real stars of the show (and No7, I would love a dedicated eye cream), but I really think that anyone in their 30s and beyond will enjoy the fresh, dewy skin that this gives short-term, while feeling slightly smug that you’re doing a whole lot of good for your future skin too.
(Image credit: Mica Ricketts)
Containing No7’s patent-pending Antioxidant Peptide Blend, this serum is probably the highlight of the range for me. It has a beautifully lightweight texture that I was slightly worried wouldn’t be hydrating enough (especially for nighttime use), but it’s impressively quenching and leaves skin feeling really refreshed. The broad-spectrum antioxidant blend protects skin from a whole range of free radicals and antioxidant stress caused by things like sun, pollution, stress and lack of sleep, and as someone whose skin is exposed to all of the above, I love knowing that I’m giving my skin a real helping hand in strengthening its defences. Plus, from an aesthetic perspective, my skin looks undoubtedly smoother and more glassy when I use this.
No7
Prime Forever SPF50 Primer
I wear SPF on my face every single day without fail, so I wasn’t sure how sold I’d be on this product as I’m quite loyal to the sunscreens that I use and am already confident that my skin is always protected from UV damage. However, this is a really brilliant product. Firstly, I love that I’m getting scientifically-tested sun protection here—especially when some brands have come under fire in recent years for not delivering the UVA protection that they’ve stated on the bottle—but this also holds its own as a really efficacious primer. It really smooths and evens out the skin, so any makeup that I apply on top, whether that’s a lightweight skin tint or a full-coverage foundation, just glides on so much more easily than when I’m not wearing this. The bonus, of course, is that my skin is being kept safe from the main cause of skin ageing at the same time.
No7
Prime Forever Weightless Moisturiser
This is a beautiful, bouncy, gel-cream moisturiser that really does feel as weightless as it says on the pot. I tend to just use this at night (the serum and primer are hydrating enough for my skin currently during the day), but I imagine in the next few years I’d start using it during the day too for an extra layer of hydration. Apparently, this provides up to 100 hours of moisture, and while I can’t vouch for that, I can attest to the fact that when I wake up in the morning, my skin still feels dewy and hydrated. It’s quenching, plumping, and smells incredible too and, most importantly, hasn’t triggered any breakouts, which often happens to me when I switch moisturisers.
No7
Prime Forever Transformative Ge-Oil-Milk Cleanser
I love the feeling of a balm or oil cleanser, but my spot-prone skin often kicks off if I don’t use a gel cleanser, so this gel-to-milk formula is the best of both worlds for me. It has a lovely, rich, almost milky, gel texture that I like to massage directly onto dry skin before emulsifying it with a little bit of water so that it transforms into a silky oil and really breaks down any dirt, grime or makeup on the surface of my skin. I tend to remove it with a damp cloth and am always impressed at how refreshed and bright my skin looks afterwards. It’s great for both morning and night, and I think all skin types would enjoy using it as the first step in their routine.
No7
Prime Forever Silicone Eye Patches
If I could skip any product in the lineup, it would probably be this one. As someone who is perpetually sleep-deprived, I do love an under-eye patch, and the fact that these silicone ones are actually reusable is really clever. You simply pop them under your eyes to help with the absorption of your serum or moisturiser there, and the patches help to boost the hydration and depuff. I’ve been keeping mine in the fridge to add cooling benefits, and they do feel really nice when used, but I can’t say that they make a huge difference to the efficacy of the product beneath. A lovely extra step when I remember to use them.
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