Icon Skincare Is Bringing The Secrets Of Old Hollywood To Your Vanity

As long as there have been cameras, there’s been a desire to look camera-ready, and early film stars were no exception. Sure, they might not have had access to PDRN or a prescription for tretinoin, but the actors of the Golden Age of Hollywood did have their fair share of skin care secrets; tips, tricks, and products that clearly worked well enough to immortalize their silver screen images long after their times had passed. And a new skin care brand is bringing those secrets — specifically the products — into the 21st century.

Created by the team behind iS Clinical, Icon Skincare was inspired by the rediscovery of the work of Madam Renna, a Hollywood facialist whose formulas were beloved by legendary clients, including Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. Of course, skin care has come a long way since Madam Renna sculpted and moisturized those mid-century visages. So, while the products harness the power of some of Renna’s favorite enduring skin care ingredients — including royal jelly, which softens and nourishes, antioxidant-rich propolis, and moisturizing honey — the formulations are more advanced. Think a cleansing powder that pairs classic milk powder with brightening kojic acid, or a resurfacing serum that blends the aforementioned royal jelly, honey, and propolis with a multi-acid complex.

The complexity of the formulas isn’t just to meet the skin care buzzword expectations of the well-educated consumer of the 2020s. One of the brand’s central tenets is that by using fewer, more effective products — instead of undertaking a marathon 12-step routine in an effort to cover all your concerns — you can spend more time really enjoying and experiencing each step.

“Icon is a natural extension of our mission – to help people live their best lives in their best skin,” Bryan Johns, president and CEO at Innovative Skincare, said in a release from the brand. “We developed Icon to bring joy to the journey of discovering the inner Icon in everyone. We all have the ability to be iconic in our own right, which begins with confidence and focusing on what is right with us, rather than what is ‘wrong.’”

The collection officially launched on June 1 — what would have been Marilyn Monroe’s 100th birthday — with nine products, each falling into one of three categories: resurfacing, hydration, and brightening. Ahead, get to learn more about each.