Sarah Michelle Gellar Fronts Horror Film-Inspired Campaign to Make Retinol Less Frightening (Exclusive)

Sarah Michelle Gellar hears an ominous sound. 

Curious, nay, concerned, she follows the chilling noise.

It’s a classic set up for some of the most popular horror movie scenes. But, thanks to Philosophy, this plot has an interesting skincare twist. 

When Gellar does let out a scream, she quickly realizes there’s nothing to be afraid of. 

“Oh! This isn’t a scary movie,” she says. “It’s just retinol.”

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum, 47, has partnered with the brand for the launch of its new Ultimate Miracle Worker Face & Neck Cream to address fears people have about incorporating retinol into their routines.

The new campaign, fronted by Gellar, includes a short horror film directed by Joe Pernice and filmed by renowned horror Director of Photography Jason Krangel.

With this new cream, Gellar says the MVP skincare ingredient, “doesn’t have to be rated R.”

The star, who’s appeared in such nail-biters as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2 and The Grudge, had no trepidation about collaborating on the campaign.

“When they came with the idea for it, it just sounded like so much fun,” she says. “Obviously, I think people know Halloween is one of my favorite holidays.”

Her love for the brand also made her want to partner up. “When I was in my teens, all I ever wanted was every bath product from Philosophy,” she says. “My daughter is now in that phase [where] she's obsessed with Philosophy and she's like, ‘Mom, you have to learn about this.’ I'm like, ‘Oh girl, I've known about that for 20 years.’ It's always interesting when a brand that you trusted for a long time develops other products.”

Gellar describes herself as “late” to the retinol game. “I was just always very basic in my routine. I always sort of live by: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. So, I started on retinol maybe a couple years ago.”

She continues, “It's so interesting to watch this generation, they’re so much more obsessed with skincare and their skin is going to be way better than ours! My generation, a lot of us are playing catch up.”

Retinol is a type of retinoid, which is derived from vitamin A. All retinoids accelerate cell turnover to retexturize the skin. (Benefits include diminished lines and reduced acne). Because of its lower concentration of retinoic acid, retinol doesn’t require a prescription, and is a popular choice for line-smoothing moisturizers such as Philosophy’s new cream. 

However, retinol gets a bad rep for sensitizing skin. “I think there's this idea that retinol is so intense and peels off your skin. That's of one of the myths that they're trying to break, is that you can [use] retinol and still get the results that you need without burning off your face,” Gellar says.

Therefore, the brand blended their pure retinol complex with nourishing and hydrating ingredients like ceramides, peptides, glycerin, shea butter and squalene to create a formula that could be used daily without irritation.

While Gellar might only recently be using the MVP skincare product, she she’s had some skincare rituals for years.

“One thing I have always been good about is getting my makeup off. My kids know, the second I walk in the door, there's two things that I cannot wait to do aside from hug them, obviously, which is put on sweats and wash my face.”

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“I think that came from growing up in New York where you didn't always feel the cleanest. The second I get in, I like to wash my face. Even when I'm filming, I like to wash my face at lunch. Some makeup artists feel horrified by that because it's like you’ve got to reapply, but I would rather be able to give my skin a moment to breathe and put some moisture back in it.” 

The star has also long concentrated on her neck and dec. “That's something that my makeup artist of 110 years taught me. So, from moisturizer to sunblock, whatever I used I always took it all the way down.”

Retinol doesn’t give Gellar jitters, but there is something she’s slowly warming up to: lasers. “I’m just learning to utilize them. I think that I've always been afraid of anything that would change my face. I don't want to be one of those pictures where they're like, ‘What did that woman do to her face?’ So, I'm starting to experiment with them a little more, and it's amazing what you can do.”

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In addition to the new campaign, throughout the month of October, Philosophy is giving away 1,000 Rated R Fandango promotional codes redeemable for a movie ticket (up to $17 incl. fees) along with a free full-sized sample of its new Ultimate Miracle Worker Face & Neck Cream.