When it comes to holy grail beauty products of the modern era, Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream tops the list. For years, Tilbury’s cream was a best kept secret the makeup artist used working backstage and on set with supermodels and celebrities who would ask for her ‘magic cream’ to plump, hydrate and bring mega-watt radiance to their skin.
Tilbury officially launched Magic Cream as one of her brand’s first products in 2013 at Selfridges department store in London. It instantly sold out, and from day one has remained on top of the skincare bestseller charts. The cream’s formula has remained unchanged, until now. A new, slightly tweaked and improved version of Magic Cream, designed to target today’s skin stressors, drops today.
We had the chance to chat exclusively with Tilbury about the new Magic Cream. Here she shares what you can expect from this supercharged version of the OG.
When you created Magic Cream, did you have any idea what a global beauty icon this product would be?
“Magic Cream was never created to follow trends; it was invented out of necessity. As a makeup artist, I was working backstage with celebrities and supermodels whose skin was under constant stress from long-haul flights, back-to-back shows, lack of sleep, makeup on and off all day. I needed something that could deliver immediate skin revival and create the perfect canvas for makeup. What began as a need-state for me as an artist quickly became a need-state for the world. When I finally launched Magic Cream, it became a sell-out sensation as everyone from makeup artists, to facialists and dermatologists fell in love with how it instantly transformed the look of skin and primed it for makeup. There wasn’t a moisturiser that performed like it! That is exactly why reformulating it was never taken lightly. Magic Cream isn’t just successful—it’s trusted, so any evolution had to honour everything people love about it, while keeping it ahead of the curve to solve a new generation of skin concerns.”
How have your reformulated Magic Cream to target a next generation of skin stressors?
“We’re living in generation dehydration and exhaustion, with blue light, stress, pollution, lack of sleep, changing water and overuse of harsh products becoming daily assaults on our skin. Our skin concerns have evolved; and after 10 years of research and development, so has the science.
Evolving my Magic Cream for this next generation feels incredibly special. I wouldn’t touch my trusted formula until we made a breakthrough truly capable of supercharging it. With my first-to-market Recoverstem™ Peptide, we have truly mastered our formula, retaining that immediate skin revival and iconic glow everyone loves while propelling it even further into the future.”
How long was the new formulation in development for and what is the most important thing you wanted to target with your new ‘magic?’
“We spent 10 years creating this new peptide which is hyper-intelligent blend of over 100 multi-action peptides, extracted from the stem cells of the Eternal Jasmine Youth Plant™, known for their remarkable ability to continuously renew. I wanted to create a formula that not only delivers immediate skin revival and instant glow but also supports the skin’s visible recovery over time. Through years of research and development, we have finally made a breakthrough that means the best is now even better.
Thanks to this superpower peptide, Magic Cream is clinically proven to reverse 10 visible signs of ageing, boosting hydration, glow, plumpness, firmness, elasticity, and lift while reducing redness, uneven texture, fine lines and wrinkles, and neck lines. And of course, I made sure we preserved everything people love about Magic Cream.”
Do you have any best kept Charlotte secrets for using Magic Cream?
“I always say you can’t have a beautiful painting without a beautiful canvas —skin prep is the key to makeup that looks flawless for longer. This is why I never do makeup without my Magic Cream. I always apply my Tilbury tap technique, sweeping upwards and outwards, then tap gently across the face to help wake up the complexion and enhance that plumped, lifted look.
And while some might think of Magic Cream as just a makeup primer, it is my miracle moisturiser and primer in one, so it is just as effective in your evening immediate skin revival routine. It cocoons the skin in hydration and supports its visible recovery while you sleep.”
Can every generation use Magic Cream?
“My new Magic Cream is suitable for all skin types at every stage of life— and we tested it that way. For younger skin, it’s about prevention and protection, maintaining hydration, supporting the skin barrier and creating a healthy-looking glow. You don’t need a complicated routine when you’re younger. Magic Cream can be your daily miracle moisturiser and makeup primer in one. For more mature skin, it becomes even more transformative, as it is clinically proven to reverse 10 visible signs of ageing—boosting hydration, glow, plumpness, firmness, elasticity and lift while reducing redness, uneven texture, fine lines and wrinkles, and neck lines.”
