Brad Pitt Launching a Skincare Line Actually Makes a Lot of Sense

It's late August, with New York Fashion Week steadily on the horizon. But I just got a call that's about to change what I had scheduled.

"Brad Pitt is launching a new skincare line. The technology is extraordinary and we're sending a few journalists to Provence to learn more about it," a trusted publicist tells me from Ibiza. "Of course, Brad will be there."

Without hesitation, I apologetically scrapped the plans I already had, respectfully turned down any invites that popped up afterwards, and boarded a La Compagnie flight to Nice a few weeks later.

The details around Pitt's latest venture, Le Domaine Skincare, were kept under serious lock and key, right up until the point when we pulled into Château Miraval in Provence — an 1,800 acre organic vineyard he purchased with Angelina Jolie for $60 million back in 2012. As we approached the guest residences on the property, where the superstar would soon arrive, I had no idea what the skincare line would consist of or why he was even doing it in the first place.

I mean, let's face it: Celebrity skincare lines are a dime a dozen these days. Nearly everyone in Hollywood has some type of cream or serum on the market. And each founder claims to have the most sustainable brand, to fill a niche in an already oversaturated market, to now be an expert in dermatology — you get the point, but Brad had his work cut out for him.

However, Pitt, who has just joined us, wearing a custom purple Haans Nicholas Mott suit (the designer behind the famed skirt he wore to the Bullet Train premiere) and white T-shirt, makes it clear that his approach is different. First off, he's not the face of the brand or anything like that, he's simply a co-founder, and he knows where he fits in the equation.

"I'm not going to pretend I know anything about the science," he starts, to which I quietly respond in my head, "Okay, thank God." (We'll get to the science, explained by scientists, in a second).

"Just being a film guy, I get sent stuff. I've been getting sent every new brand for decades, and quite frankly, I couldn't tell the difference," he continues. "I've been using [Le Domaine] for the last year and truthfully wouldn't have brought this to market unless I saw a difference — something that was working."

The "something" Pitt's talking about is Le Domaine's secret sauces: GSM10® and ProGR3®, the two patented active anti-aging compounds found in the line. The former was developed by Dr. Pierre-Louis Teissedre, a professor at the University of Bordeaux Institute of Vine and Wine Science. The latter arose from Dr. Nicolas Lévy's 20 years of research on genetic diseases, namely progeria — a rare illness that causes children to age rapidly.

Here's why it made sense for Pitt, owner of Château Miraval, to partner with Marc Perrin, a fifth-generation winemaker and CEO of Miraval-Provence, and create a skincare line in conjunction with Drs. Teissedre and Lévy: The two compounds are created using the otherwise discarded vines and skins of the grapes produced to make Miraval wines.

"My colleagues and I tested multiple grape varieties to assess their potential beneficial effects, including their ability to reduce hypertension," Dr. Teissedre said in a statement. "We observed a reduction of up to 24% in terms of hypertension, which is an oxidative condition, just like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Our work demonstrated that adding certain extracts could have an effect on chronic conditions that involve oxidative stress." In other words, the same way you would use a vitamin C or E as an antioxidant in your skincare regimen to combat fine lines, uneven skin tone, and other signs of aging, is how GSM10®, developed from the vineyard grapes, is used in Le Domaine.

As for the ProGR3® compound: "We developed a combination of three molecules — one derived from resveratrol from grapevine tendrils, a second derived from apigenin from chamomile extract, and a third derived from catechin from green tea," Dr. Lévy explained in a statement. "By studying the cell models on skin fibroblasts, we were able to demonstrate not only the synergistic action of the three molecules in ProGR3® on the mechanisms responsible for progerin's toxicity, but also an effect on other biomakers of aging."

The lightweight, mostly refillable jars and bottles, which house the over 96% naturally derived formulas, are made primarily with recycled glass and post-consumer recycled plastic where needed. The caps are made from oak, cut from the scraps of Famille Perrin wine barrels.

"We know the state we're in environmentally," says Pitt. "It was this idea that there's no waste in nature — that's a concept that's always stuck with me and we really try to apply it here."

Lucky for us, Le Domaine's signature products are now (mostly) up for grabs. The Cleansing Emulsion ($80; no refills available), The Serum ($385; $350 for the refill), The Fluid Cream ($310; $260 for the refill, available in January 2023), and The Cream ($320; $270 for the refill) can be purchased on le-domaine.com.

After spending a few hours learning all there is to know about about the line, a surprisingly chill Pitt tells us, "Please feel free to walk the grounds, the swimming pond, go see the music studio. Just make it as homey as you can and do whatever you want."

And that we did — well, after a gorgeous lunch that consisted of salade niçoise followed by fresh fruit and lemon sorbet for dessert. Oh, and many glasses of Miraval's signature rosé.

As I gazed at the picturesque and pristine gardens, ponds, and rustic stone walls, I felt an immediate sense of peace and just overall appreciation for Mother Earth. The idea of "terroir," defined as "a French approach to winemaking that involves deep respect for the soil, climate, terrain, and tradition" became very literal in that moment. Then I started thinking to myself, "Okay, what the hell do I need to do to get rich ASAP so I can also go live on a giant vineyard in the South of France and chill?"

I didn't fully figure it out in that moment, but in the meantime, we went into the newly revamped music studios, where Pitt says many of the greats have recorded some of their most legendary bodies of work.

"Roger Waters [of Pink Floyd] recorded 'The Wall' and Sade did her first two albums [here], who has just visited us again," he casually mentions. "Let's see, The Cure. I mean, Sting did his first two solo albums."

Much like the landscape, the studio itself is stunning beyond words. A mix of digital and analog equipment from the '50s and '60s create a sound so pure it's hard to describe.

"[There's] a really exciting push of energy there," says Pitt. "And we got some really exciting people, artists that I really respect coming through in the future."

With so many creative interests on his plate, I still wanted to know a little bit more about the actor's fascination with beauty — so I asked him about it on the side.

In terms of Le Domaine itself, aside from the efficacy, his main concern with the line is that he didn't want it to be "too smelly."

"I'll get into hotel rooms and I will change rooms if I can smell the cologne of the person on the floor," he laughs. "We wanted just subtle. Just keep it subtle."

Beyond his newly launched brand, Pitt admits he historically was a more of a go-with-the-flow kinda guy when it came to beauty throughout his career. For example, when asked about his signature scent, he hilariously responded by saying: "Yeah, it's called B.O." And even now, when it comes to testing out what's new or trending on the market, he'd rather keep things simple — hence the three to four step regimen of Le Domaine.

"I have a makeup artist friend of 30 years. We kind of started together and she'll always bring in new things, like a mask with red lights and stuff; plastic masks — and I just can't do it. I'll try, but I can't commit," he says. "It's too much work."

However, he does give props to his famous exes — with whom he's apparently on a last-name basis — for their feats into the beauty landscape.

"Aniston's been on it, right? She's [sent] me stuff," Pitt shares, although he admits that he hasn't actually tried LolaVie just yet. "She's all over it. I trust her with it. And Paltrow — all over it. I'll call her up if I need a tip."

Once we wrap our tour of the expansive property, it's time to head back to Nice for the evening. Pitt takes off his sunglasses, turns to the group, and thanks us for the visit. He says to come back again whenever we're in Provence. I may have to take him up on it.

After testing out the products for a week and change since returning home, I can't say I've seen any major changes to my skin just yet. But what I will say is that the products are, in fact, quite nice.

The Cleansing Emulsion offers a light lather and removes makeup very efficiently. It's also quite nourishing and doesn't dry out my skin like many cleansers do. My skin feels renewed and refreshed after use, without the tight, squeaky clean feeling I despise.

The Cream gives my skin a boost of moisture, as it features organic Miraval olive oil and shea butter. However the whipped formula isn't heavy, so my skin is adequately quenched without feeling like it's suffocating. The Fluid Cream mimics the same formula, with a touch of niacinamide, but offers a lighter finish.

The Serum, which contains a 50% higher concentrate of GSM10® and ProGR3® than The Cream, is lightweight, easily absorbs into skin, and doesn't pill when layered with other products.

In a world that's overrun with gimmicky, redundant beauty products, a celeb like Brad Pitt could easily just slap his face on a bottle and sell it. But after spending some time with the star on his property, it's obvious that he's someone who's both intentional about his creative pursuits and understands when it's best for him to be behind-the-scenes. Le Domaine, an exquisitely crafted line from the formula to packaging, is a direct result of just that.