No7 is a popular cosmetics brand that is manufactured by British retailer Boots. Famous for its anti-ageing products, the collection has been one of the success stories of British cosmetics in recent years, building a reputation for fighting wrinkles and smoothing skin.
While there's a certain amount of hype about miracle ageing cures, No7's products are some of the most effective skin protection serums and moisturisers around. This buyer's guide explains what's on offer and how to find No7 products at the lowest possible price.
Boots established their No7 range way back in 1935 as the brainchild of John Boot (the grandson of the chain's founder), who saw a need for an accessible range of women's health and beauty products for the mass market.
Over the years, the No7 brand became a byword for affordable quality, introducing moisturisers and coloured cosmetics that women of all ages could enjoy. However, it really burst into the nation's awareness in 2007, when the BBC Horizon team reported that No7 serums had incredible skin smoothing properties. In other words, it was a miracle cure for ageing.
After that, No7 was styled by Boots explicitly as an anti-ageing range. Before then, it had been much more general. Nowadays, while there are still excellent mascaras and makeups in the collection, the emphasis is on skincare, allowing everyone to battle the signs of ageing through high-quality cosmetic products.
The Boots No7 collection spans a wide range of different cosmetics products, with options for different parts of the body and various different skin types as well, making it really important to find the right products for you. To help you decide, here's a brief rundown of the most popular No7 creams.
First, let's have a look at their skincare products:
Early Defence – Intended to be used by women aged between 20 and 35 years of age, these creams are the first line of defence against premature ageing. They include night creams that help to repair skin damage sustained during the day and day creams that help to limit that damage, featuring nutrients like Vitamin A and UV blocking properties. Used together, these Night Defence creams are a great way to ward off the signs of ageing for as long as possible. They can also be complemented by Early Defence eye creams, which focuses specifically on the area around the eyes, a key site for early wrinkles.
Protect & Perfect – Designed for women aged between 30 and 45, these products build on the protection provided by Early Defence. Equipped with a blend of antioxidants and skin nutrients called “Double Defence” these creams target areas like the hands, reducing the impact of premature wrinkling. More advanced options, which cost around twice as much, include serums that incorporate Matrixyl 3000 Plus and hyaluronic acid, which helps to firm up your skin. As with Early Defence, there are also Protect & Perfect day and night creams, eye creams, facial products for sunny environments, and moisturisers designed to help recover from facial treatments.
Lift & Luminate – Designed to be used by women aged from 45 to 60, Lift & Luminate products extend the same properties as the other No7 brands, but with some added features. These products include “triple action” formulas which counteract wrinkled, firm up the skin and ensures an even skin tone, all excellent ways to combat the visible signs of ageing. The range also features handy extras like dark spot correctors, to ensure an even more perfect skin tone.
Restore & Renew – The No7 collection for women aged over 60, Restore & Renew goes even further in fighting poor skin and wrinkling. It includes serums that do everything Lift & Luminate creams can do, but also includes nutrients that older people can lack, such as calcium and ceramides. As with other No7 collections, it also features age-specific day and night creams, as well as products designed to make your eyes look younger.
Masks – The No7 range includes a selection of masks and exfoliators that can leave your skin feeling years younger in a matter of minutes. Options include kits to help you achieve a professional-quality glycolic peel, as well as masks that hydrate and purify the skin, helping to restore its natural firmness.
Cleansers and Toners – Features a range of cleansing lotions, melting gel cleansers, skin cleansing oils, blemish rescue kits, quick wipes, balms and makeup removers that help to clean your skin. These are great everyday items to have in your cosmetics collection, and also essential ways to prepare for other no7 treatments like masks.
Standard Moisturisers – The No7 also features a wide variety of high-quality moisturisers that are equally useful for women of all ages, and men if they need them. These include redness relief balms that are a great way to soothe irritation and rashes, as well as mild sunburn.
Along with their extremely popular anti-ageing products, No7 are also major players in the makeup sector, and their collection features some of Boots' best-selling makeup products. Here's a quick summary of what you might find at their hotukdeals listings:
Facial makeups – No7 options range from Stay Perfect Foundations, which are hypo-allergenic and provide up to 24 hours of protection, to radiance boosting primers which help to balance the colour of your skin before applying the finishing touches. The whole idea is to allow mature makeup wearers to even out their skin tone and perfect their look, allowing them to look as youthful as possible.
Mascaras – No7 produces Lash Impact mascaras that are fast drying and can be applied in a single coat, making them a handy option if you are pressed for time in the mornings. They come in waterproof versions as well, and it might be worth having both to cover every eventuality. You can also pick up eye shadow palettes to create the perfect shade, along with volumising mascaras, felt-tip style eyeliners, and accessories like eyebrow sculpting pencils.
Products for lips – No7 also takes care of your lips, thanks to products like their Sheer Temptation lipsticks, lip balms, lip crayons and lip pencils. Whatever style of lip gloss you want to apply, No7 can allow you to achieve the ideal look.
Makeup accessories – Accessories are just as important as having the right makeup or mascara, and No7 has plenty to offer. The choices include versatile portable mirrors, blending sponges, cosmetic applicators, eyelash curlers, tweezers, body and face brushes and concealer brushes. So if you have a gap in your collection or are trying something new, have a browse and find the equipment you need.
As well as makeup and skincare products, No7 caters for specific situations like holidays as well. When you head to the Mediterranean or the Caribbean, sunshine can play havoc with your skin, so it helps to have the right products on hand to protect your appearance from UV if at all possible.
Suncare is a big part of the No7 concept, which is why their day creams place a lot of emphasis on nutrients and including UV protection. But you can't rely on a day cream to provide enough protection against really intense sunlight. If that's the case, other products will be needed too.
Check out the Protect & Perfect collection, where you'll find Facial Suncare serums that provide Factor 50+ protection against ultraviolet rays. If you are working on a tan, do so gradually and safely by applying some Naturally Sun Kissed Gradual Tan, and always try to limit your exposure to direct sunlight.
These days, guys are just as likely to feel anxious about ageing as women, sometimes even more so, and No7 know that. Responding to guys' anxiety, they have created a range of effective skin products for men that are definitely worth looking into if your wrinkles are becoming a worry.
Moisturisers and Serums – No7 offers specialist men's day and night creams, featuring nutrient blends, UV protection and moisturising compounds. For everyday application, there are also special balms that quickly tone up skin, which are a handy thing to carry around in your case.
Washing products – Guys can also fight ageing as they bath or shower with No7's hair and body wash and energising face washes, just the thing to refresh your face after a gym session or a tough day at the office.
Shaving products – Shaving can leave your skin lacking in moisture and at risk of decay, so it's vital to re-moisturise it as much as possible. No7 offer Recovery Balms that do just that, adding soothing aloe vera and revitalising Vitamin B5 to the mix as well.
As you can probably tell by now, the Boots No7 range is vast, with items for different age groups, genders and situations. So how can you pick the perfect serum or mascara for your needs?
Firstly, with makeups and mascaras, think about whether you need a No7 product or something more generic from the Boots range. If wrinkles and sun care are major issues, it's worth making the extra investment for cosmetics that are specifically targeted at ageing. But if you just want an everyday product to touch up your lashes, the extra cost isn't necessarily worthwhile.
When picking a day cream, always pay attention to the age categories, but remember that they aren't totally set in stone. For instance, if you are suffering from excessive drying and wrinkles at a relatively early age, choosing a product designed for older people won't hurt you, and may do a lot of good.
Not everyone needs a day and night cream, too. For many people, a tube of serum will see them through on a daily basis, letting them firm up their skin so that it feels more comfortable. Often, ageing is a matter of “feel” rather than appearance, so go for products that actually provide more comfort and pleasure – which won't always be the most expensive.
Cosmetics have historically had a bad press for environmentalists, thanks mainly to animal testing. So how do No7 products measure up on this score?
Actually, this is one of Boots' main selling points. They have long made a point of abandoning animal testing, using advanced tests conducted on human volunteers instead. So you can perfect your facial skin tone, safe in the knowledge that your No7 serum hasn't inflicted needless pain on innocent creatures.
They also don't contain any animal products aside from lanolin, which is derived from sheep's wool and can be harvested without harming the animal at all. So there's another plus for environmentally-minded cosmetics buyers.
Cosmetics and skincare products have become a huge part of the UK's gift-giving scene in recent years, with No7 at the forefront. The brand offers a huge array of great ideas for anyone who needs to delight beauty-conscious friends or relatives. Here are just a few ideas to ponder:
Book an appointment for a makeup consultation – You can book appointments with beauty specialists via the No7 website, where customers will have their skin tested and consultants will recommend the perfect shades of makeup or moisturisers. They can even formulate Skin Reviver Plans to help combat ageing. Even better, it's all free, so you might want to combine it with some Boots vouchers to create a fantastic beauty-related gift.
Travel Kits – These are the perfect gift sets for beauty fans who are jetting off to the sun. Featuring an everyday serum, a night cream and a day cream, you can buy them from the Protect and Perfect range.
Men's Anti-Ageing Bundles – Ideal for guys with an eye on the tone of their skin, these gift sets feature everything they need to fight back the effects of ageing. Includes day and night moisturisers, as well as an advanced eye cream and serum.
Naturally, you can assemble your own gift selections and have them sent to the recipient of your choice. However, these gift set selections are always cheaper on an item-by-item basis (often dramatically so when you search for deals). This doesn't just make them a cost-effective gift idea. It also makes them a good option for bargain hunters in general.
If you want to explore what Boots' anti-ageing products can do for you, you should be able to build a cosmetics collection very cheaply by shopping smart.
Firstly, work out which No7 products are on your wishlist. Now, search for them on boots.com. When you call up each individual item, there will be an options list at the left-hand side. Scroll down and you should see a toggle marked “promotion”. If you click the toggles here, you'll be able to see whether the items you want are covered by the company's current deals.
If they aren't don't worry. Just head over to the hotukdeals No7 listings and search for the items you want. You'll find plenty of offers from Boots, as well as online eBay sellers. There will also be voucher deals that might not show up on the No7 website, but will always be found by hotukdeals' bargain spotters.
Check for gift sets and multi-packs as well. If you know you'll be needing six month's supply of serum, buying in bulk makes perfect sense. And take advantage of deals on your favourite items when they arise. After all, you'll probably use them before they expire, and rock bottom prices don't come around every day.
Look your best and roll back the effects of ageing by purchasing a stock of No7 products from Boots. One of the UK's leading cosmetics brands, No7's product range features everything from mascaras to men's shaving products, with products for different age ranges and holidays as well. All of their best sellers can be found at huge discounts by checking out the No7 hotukdeals listings.
