When it comes to transforming dry, tired skin, this stuff truly is magic.

Having used Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream religiously for the past few years, I completely understand why it’s won awards, become a makeup artist must-have and achieved international bestseller status (one pot sells every minute globally, according to the brand).

My own complexion leans dry, sensitive and acne-prone, especially during the winter. And while I’ve tried endless beauty products in my role as Page Six’s Style & Shopping Director, Magic Cream is one of the few moisturizers on the market that delivers deep, lasting hydration without breaking me out, whether I’m applying it at bedtime or as a primer beneath my makeup in the morning.

“When I first started working with my Magic Cream backstage, celebrities couldn’t get enough of it,” Tilbury tells Page Six Style. “I was making it for my own kit, and they would constantly steal my sample pots, asking ‘What are you using on me?’ ‘How are you creating this glow?’ Before I even released it, it was known as Charlotte’s ‘secret cream.’ Everyone said it performed like magic — and that’s how it got its name!”

According to the makeup artist-turned-brand founder, George and Amal Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Salma Hayek and Kate Moss are just a few famous clients who’ve been hooked on the stuff since its 2013 launch. (“Darling, who isn’t obsessed?” she quips.)

“I was working with celebrities and supermodels whose skin barriers were compromised from back-to-back fashion shows, makeup on and off all day, constant long-haul flights and no sleep, leaving their skin dehydrated and with no time to repair itself,” Tilbury tells us of the inspiration behind the cult-favorite cream.

“I spent years perfecting the optimal blend, combining a barrier-repairing peptide complex, brightening vitamins C and E and camellia oil that could give skin an immediate glow and radiance, while also improving the skin’s overall health over time.”

Now, more than a decade after its launch, Magic Cream is getting a modern update.

Charlotte Tilbury reformulates its iconic Magic Cream

Why mess with success? To hear Tilbury tell it, skincare science has come a long way in recent years.

“My Magic Cream has always been ahead of the curve — I wouldn’t touch my trusted formula until we made a breakthrough that was truly capable of supercharging it,” she says.

That breakthough is the brand’s proprietary Recoverstem Peptide, a blend of over 100 peptides extracted from the stem cells of the fast-regenerating Eternal Youth Jasmine Plant.

According the the company’s clinical trials, the “supercharged” product reverses 10 visible signs of aging, boosting hydration, glow, plumpness, firmness, elasticity and lift while reducing redness, uneven texture, fine lines and wrinkles.

Tilbury — and four out of every five people who tried the new Magic Cream — calls it “a facelift in a jar.” I like the sound of that!

My review

Spoiler alert: The new Magic Cream is every bit as good as (if not better than) the OG. The texture feels ever so slightly lighter, but the deep, healing hydration is still there. So is that luminous, lit-from-within glow it delivers just a few seconds after application; 28 seconds, per the brand, if you want to get precise.

While Tilbury originally formulated her hero product as a dual-action moisturizer and primer to help makeup glide on and look gorgeous, I find it works just as well as a night cream. There’s no better feeling than waking up to plump, perfectly dewy skin — especially as someone in her late 30s who’s looking to retain a youthful glow as long as humanly possible.

Is it worth it?

For those with dry skin and a willingness to pay a premium for great skincare, absolutely. My complexion’s never felt softer or more supple than when I’m using Magic Cream on a daily basis, and it’s one of the only moisturizers I’ve tested that packs enough of a punch in the hydration department, especially during the long, cold winter months when my skin is seriously parched.

Those with oily skin may find this product too heavy, however; the brand’s lighter-weight Magic Water Cream could be a better bet.

Finally — and there’s no way around this fact — Magic Cream is expensive. Because it’s so rich, however, a little goes a long way; one tub lasts me many months. If it’s your first time trying the product, I suggest picking up the smallest size (15 ml, priced at $32) to make sure it’s for you.

How I tested

While I’ve been “testing” the original Magic Cream for the past several years, I pivoted to the reformulated one several weeks prior to publishing this review, applying it daily each night and morning. Throughout my trial, I obsessively compared the new version of the product to the old one to gauge whether it’s an improvement.

Why Trust Page Six Style Shopping

This article was written by Elana Fishman, Page Six’s Style & Shopping Director. A passionate Swiftie and pop culture fanatic, Elana applies her celebrity fashion and beauty expertise to shoppable content for fellow fans as the host of video series including Currently Trending, Style Trial, Heart to Cart and Beauty Scoop — and by tracking down every Taylor Swift-worn style so you can shop it, too. Elana consults celebrity stylists on the latest street style and red carpet trends and predictions, researches which celebrity-backed brands and products are worth it and chats with the stars themselves for beauty and fashion recommendations. Prior to Page Six Style’s inception in 2018, Elana covered celebrity fashion at Vox Media, Lucky, Marie Claire and Teen Vogue.