"Capsule wardrobe" isn't a part of Carrie Bradshaw's vocabulary, but unlike her beloved Sex and the City character, Sarah Jessica Parker has always kept a minimalist, even "monogamous" approach to her skincare routine.
"Before I tried RoC products, I had always used the same product — for the last 20 years or more," Parker tells InStyle. (And yes, we've written about her long-term relationship with said moisturizer on our site.) "I was dubious and didn't want to start having to live my life in steps and learn something new. Not to mention, I have sensitive skin, like a lot of people."
However, there is an exception to every rule, and Parker has made one for RoC.
The actress has partnered with the dermatologist-favorite skincare brand to launch The RoC Look Forward Project, an initiative that aims to shift women's anxiety about aging to "joy about living." The digital hub is filled with resources on how to live a more optimistic daily life, including tips from experts like scientist Dr. Daisy Robinton, Dr. Deepika Chopra, PsyD, also known as the Optimism Doctor, and dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry.
There's also the RoC x SJP Limited Edition Kit. The set is a curation of Parker's three favorite products from the brand: Hydrate + Plump Capsules, Hydrate + Plump Eye Cream, and Hydrate + Plump Moisturizer SPF 30, and comes in a turquoise pouch. All profits of the $75 kit in the first month of sales will go to SeekHer, a non-profit women's mental health advocacy group.
"With fragrance, cosmetics, and skincare, I'm pretty monogamous. I'm also not a big shopper and I don't buy a lot of clothes. So I haven't spent a good deal of time undoing or adding," Parker says of how her routine has changed as she gets older. "It's almost scandalous that I've added this," she says, referring to her new three new RoC favorites in the kit.
While doing research for the Look Forward Project, Dr. Robinton and RoC conducted a quantitative survey of 600 women to learn more about their current thoughts on aging. They found that 90% of women feel anxious about getting older and most notably the physical signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles.
And these feelings weren't exclusive to women over 40. More than half of women 24-35 surveyed believe that society, culture, and social media, negatively impact their perceptions of getting older.
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So how does Parker stay optimistic about aging? She just doesn't think about it.
"I don't think about it. I mean, that's the God's honest truth," she shares. "I'm forced to think about it because of what I do for a living and because other people seem to want me to think about it or they're thinking about my age."
However, this doesn't mean the actress isn't self-aware. "It doesn't mean that I'm delusional or that I live in some false universe where I'm in amber and I'm not changing," Parker says. "I've asked a huge amount of myself physically on camera and off camera on stage. I've run and jumped and worked my body for 40-some years. I'm feeling it."
As for why women are so stressed about aging, Parker says it boils down to misogyny.
"I don't have anxiety about it, and it's not that I'm better than those that do, because I think the anxiety is legitimate and well-placed because there is such a huge amount of focus and attention on women and aging," she shares. "I'm confounded by the fact that we simply don't talk about men that way. It's bizarre to me that we are still so transparently sexist about these things."
However, she says to keep in mind that when women are talking to other women, they're typically not doing an age check. "When you turn to people in your life, whether they're older by a lot or a little or younger, you don't care how they've maintained their youth," she says. You for sure are not making any judgments about whether they have wrinkles or jowls or gray hair or blonde hair."
The RoC x SJP Limited Edition Kit is available now for $75 at rocskincare.com.