As much as my mum and I share a love of beauty, there are actually few brands we both use day-to-day. She’s into classic formulations and heritage brands, while I love trying new actives from fresh brands and exploring innovative K-beauty formulas. However, alongside Elizabeth Arden and L’Oréal, No7 is a brand we both agree on – especially since I’ve hit my 30s.
We both love their Radiance+ Vitamin C Daily Brightening Moisturiser, and the Cleansing Balm goes triple platinum in both of our bathrooms. So I was excited to try the brand’s new Prime Forever skincare range and share my thoughts with her (and you lot, of course), as it seems to tick all our skin concern boxes around preventative ageing and youth preservation – particularly for those of us starting to see the first signs of ageing. These signs tend to pop up and say hello when we reach life's third floor. "Our study of over 22,000 participants revealed that the thirties are a pivotal decade," said Dr Mike Bell, Head of Science Research at No7. "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."
How we test
I was given this range as top secret full-sized lab samples back in January, when the brand announced the launch to the press. I tested them all alongside my normal routine over nearly four months to see how each performed individually.
For context, I have combination skin that’s dry on the cheeks and around my hairline, and really oily on my chin and nose. I’ve started to notice signs of ageing myself, mainly around my mouth and eyes.
No7 Prime Forever review
No7 Prime Forever Transformative Gel-Oil-Milk Cleanser 150ml
Ok, we are starting with my least favourite but it does get better from here, promise. And to be honest this is not a bad cleanser at all. It’s gentle on the skin and has a really silky texture that transforms from a gel-oil hybrid to a really lovely milk and you can use it to cleanse away makeup and SPF as well. My biggest issue is that this bad boy stings my eyes. I do have sensitive peepers so this isn’t uncommon for me, but if you do to, then you need to avoid the eye area. I used a micellar water to remove mascara and eyeliner and then this on the rest of my face. I think because of the extra step I have to do I wouldn’t repurchase.
No7 Prime Forever Preservation Serum 30ml
Before we delve into the actives in this serum, can I say the texture is perfect. Not runny but not thick, it sits seamlessly under moisturiser and SPF and sinks in quickly. It’s packed with peptides – no, it’s really packed – the brand’s trademark Glaciology has exclusive peptides alongside rice peptides to support collagen and elastin, as well as an antioxidant complex to protect your skin against free radicals. If hydration is an issue this promises 100 hours of hydration, and while I find claims like this hard to quantify, I did find that I could happily use this as my one-and-done serum (instead of layering a hyaluronic acid and a vitamin C) and my skin still looked and felt good.
No7 Prime Forever Weightless Moisturiser 50ml
This isn’t marketed as a day or night cream so I used it mainly at night and the SPF as my day cream. It has a beautiful texture – a common theme with this range – and made my skin look and feel hydrated and bouncy. Again, it layers so well with the serum in the range and when I did test it under makeup there was no pilling in sight. In terms of longevity, after a month or so of using this, my skin felt more balanced and looked healthy and plump. I still had the lines around my eye and my jowls but as my skin was so hydrated they looked softened.
No7 Prime Forever SPF50 Primer 50ml
I was so pleasantly surprised with this SPF. It’s not thick or claggy and doesn’t sit on your skin, but blends in well. I was scared of a white cast but luckily when I worked it into my face and neck it melted in completely. It contains all of the actives of the rest of the range so as mentioned before, I liked using this as a day moisturiser and spf on top of the serum. They label it as a primer and I can see why; makeup smoothes on effortlessly on top. It didn’t necessarily help my makeup last longer though so just a word of warning this is more of a smooth base to apply makeup on top of rather than a first step to your long-lasting makeup.
Final thoughts
Overall, I really enjoyed testing this range. I think if you’re looking for a mid-price point range that effectively hydrates and protects, it answers both skin concerns. Is it the most advanced youth preserving range I have ever tried? No, but it is a youth preserving range that has something for everyone, absolutely. And ultimately, I did see a difference in my skin with continued use. My sample bottles were well-loved (apart from the cleanser) and my favourite thing is how well the products layered together. If you are looking for your first step into age prevention and for hydrated, healthy, plump-looking skin with minimal effort look no further.
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
