In Partnership With
In an exclusive interview for Merz, award winning actress, beauty and lifestyle icon Gwyneth Paltrow talks about a new formulation that fits right into her advocacy for pure beauty products and treatments.
Meeting celebrities, especially those you have admired for quite some time, is one of those milestone moments that can leave you dumbfounded. What do I say? Will she be nice? These are just some of the thoughts going through my head when I was told I would be interviewing Oscar, Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy award winner as well as domestic goddess and owner of lifestyle brand Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow, for her partnership with Merz Aesthetics®.
This all-natural, wholistic advocate who has revolutionised the way we live, eat and think is partnering, for the first time, with an aesthetics company for its pure anti-wrinkle injection. Merz Aesthetics® is one of the world’s largest medical aesthetics business, with a product portfolio of clinically proven injectables. It is also the makers of the popular non-invasive skin tightening device, Ultherapy®. Located in 32 countries with its global headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, it is part of Merz Group, a family-owned company founded in 1908 and based in Frankfurt, Germany.
I was given a short time to conduct the interview via Zoom. When it was my turn to be let in, the thought paramount in my head was what to say to avoid the initial awkward pleasantries. But of course, as soon as I saw her on my screen, ready to talk to me, I could not help but blurt out, like a great fan, “You are looking as gorgeous as always!”. To which she smiled and said, “It’s this light that’s hiding all my flaws.”
We were off to a good start. Here’s the interview.
ANTON SAN DIEGO: What made you decide to partner with them for their pure anti-wrinkle injection?
GWYNETH PALTROW: As a woman who is ageing in society now, we all need to give ourselves permission to decide how we want to age or what tricks and things we want to help ourselves with. For me, it is important that I always look as natural as possible. The cornerstones of my wellness are really exercise and nutrition, sleep and hydration and being around people that I love.
But I have a good friend who is a plastic surgeon, Dr Julius Few from Chicago, whom I regularly consult with regarding this matter. And I always ask him, “What are people doing? What’s new in aesthetics?” I ask a lot of questions because I have always been scared to do something too crazy. One day he told me about this product, so I tried it. I found it very natural yet effective. I also felt good learning that the formula itself is uniquely purified so it was a good thing to try; and I was really happy with the results.
ASD: How many years ago was this?
GP: I first tried it three years ago.
ASD: You have been open about not being a fan of anti-wrinkle injections. Why the change of heart?
GP: I have tried another anti-wrinkle injection around the time I was 40. I really did not like the results. I really felt like it did not make me look natural. When he introduced the Merz Aesthetics® product, the doctor told me, “It’s just one little drop here [points to the skin between her eyes] and it’s not going to freeze your face at all. It will just make you look a little refreshed. It’s only a little bit to deal with, the frown lines, so try it because the lines are bothering you. This little bit might make you feel great.”
It was true! It was completely natural and gave me just a little bit of feeling like I look refreshed, you know?
ASD: There are so many products out there in the market. Why do you veer towards clean and pure products and treatments? Why are they important?
GP: I need to say first that I never judge anybody who wants to try anything. I really believe that everybody needs to do what’s right for them, no matter how invasive or whatever. If it works for you, that’s great! For me, I have always been focused on building wellness inside out. This product is uniquely purified, which makes me feel good about it. It is nice to be able to find a balance. Because really, the truth is that I’ve always been very dedicated to my wellness exercise routine and all that, but I still have a martini in the evening or a glass of wine. Or I read all these fantastic books and then I still watch some tacky show on reality TV. This is balance—never punishing ourselves for anything that we choose to do and enjoying the spectrum [of choices].
