Dame Joanna Lumley has swapped her ‘cheap as chips’ moisturiser for this high-tech firming cream – and we can see why

With access to the best aestheticians, dermatologists and facialists in the world, celebrity beauty routines rarely come cheap. From Pamela Anderson’s go-to lip balm to Sienna Miller’s favourite face cream, the expectation is that these are products shaped (and signed off) by the industry’s most in-demand experts.

Which is why Dame Joanna Lumley’s loyalty to Astral has always stood apart. The famously no-frills moisturiser – one she once described as ‘cheap as chips’ – is about as unfussy as it gets. A cult classic, Astral is a fragrance-free barrier cream powered by lanolin, designed to seal in moisture and protect the skin. It’s effective, certainly. But it’s not the full picture.

Like many of us, Lumley takes a high-low approach to her skincare routine. Alongside that bathroom-shelf staple sits something far more advanced: Lancôme’s Rénergie Collagen Lift-Xtend Cream – the product she now fronts as the brand’s latest ambassador, joining a line-up that includes Christy Turlington Burns and Julia Roberts.

“I use the things I know and trust like Lancôme,” she says. “I love the way the products make my skin feel, but also how I feel – it gives me confidence. I’ve been using Lancôme for more years than I can count, which is why it feels so natural to partner with them.”

Collagen sits at the centre of the formula – the protein that gives skin its firmness and elasticity, which begins to decline from our mid-twenties at a rate of around 1% each year. To counter that, the cream is powered by peptides (smaller proteins that stimulate collagen) to help production and support the skin’s underlying structure, leading to firmer, tighter-looking skin over time.

It also delivers an immediate effect, thanks to its innovative texture that’s inspired by thread-lifting treatments. Slightly elastic, it pulls into fine threads between the fingertips before melting into the skin, leaving a subtle tightening effect as it settles. After trialling it ourselves, we found skin looked a little plumper and noticeably dewier.

Of course, no topical product can replicate a procedure or non-surgical skin treatment. But it can offer a more accessible way to support the skin as it changes. In testing, the brand reports improvements in firmness and a visible lift, with 91% of women agreeing their skin feels firmer after three months of consistent use – impressive, huh?

While Astral will always have its place (especially when skin is sensitised or inflamed), consider Lancôme’s Rénergie Collagen Lift-Xtend Cream a skin-vestment that will gradually improve tone, firmness and texture.