Roc Skincare Partners with Sarah Jessica Parker to Launch The Roc Look Forward Project

Roc Skincare, a leading clinically-proven skincare brand, has created the Roc #LookForwardProject, an initiative to celebrate the power of optimism and its scientifically-backed impact on long-term health and wellbeing. 

 

Actress, Roc user and optimist Sarah Jessica Parker serves as the voice of the campaign to inspire women to turn their focus from “anxiety about aging” to “joy about living.” The Roc Look Forward Project is anchored by the launch of an online resource hub featuring new research from the brand, along with practical insights and advice from a distinguished group of subject matter experts and thought leaders on the proven difference optimism makes in the aging process. 

 

“When I heard about Roc's Look Forward Project and its commitment to supporting women take on an optimistic outlook about the future, I felt compelled to help amplify this important conversation,” said Parker. “So much of our younger lives are spent trying to figure out who we are. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become much better equipped to problem-solve, to appreciate, to hear things that aren’t necessarily pleasant. The time spent living and the experience that comes with it adds up – and that's something to look forward to.”

As a brand that centers proof as its guiding principle, Roc partnered with Daisy Robinton, PhD, human biology and translational medicine, Harvard University, renowned for her research in aging and her work to improve women’s health and well-being, with a special interest in the connection between optimism and longevity. To reveal the underlying feelings women have about aging and to unpack how their perceptions of aging could be improved, the brand and Robinton initiated a quantitative study with over 600 women in the US and France. The results confirmed the prominent issue of age anxiety and a clear indication that women are interested in learning more about the power of optimism as a tool to support a longer, healthier life. 

 

The study found that 90% of women feel anxious about getting older, the No. 1 driver related to the way they look (e.g., lines, wrinkles). It also found that age anxiety impacts all age brackets; not just women over 40, and more than half of women between the ages of 24-35 believe that society, culture and social media drive this pessimism about getting older. The study also found that more women (60%) are worried about their aging appearance than about having enough money for retirement (43%) and 93% expressed interest in learning activities, exercises,or tools that can help them live a more optimistic life. 

 

“When our research revealed that more women are worried about their aging appearance than something as important as being set up financially for the later stages of life, this opened our eyes in a big way,” said Robinton. “If we center the conversation about aging on ‘looking forward’ instead of ‘looking older,’ we can change this sentiment and improve women’s experiences of aging throughout their lifespan. The research clearly demonstrates that optimism has a significant positive impact on health and longevity. Evidence shows that holding an optimistic outlook contributes to a boost in mental well-being, reduced anxiety, less chronic disease and is correlated to significantly longer lifespans to boot.” 

Alongside Robinton, Deepika Chopra, PsyD, also known as the “Optimism Doctor,” and founder of Things Are Looking Up, lends her unique perspective and provides practical advice to help women practice optimism in day-to-day life via The Roc Look Forward digital hub. Chopra completed her formal dissertation on the topic of optimism and its connection to wellbeing and is clinically trained with a double post-doctoral fellowship from both UCLA and Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Chopra is an expert in sensory-based visual imagery and is known for blending science-based techniques with holistic practices focusing on increasing optimism, resiliency and joy. She has a special interest in elevating empathy, helping to reduce anxiety and creating a mindful and empowered approach to living more optimally within the social-media-focused world consumers live in today. 

 

To round out the project’s roster of experts, Dr. Michelle Henry, board-certified NYC dermatologist, brings real-world insight to the attitudes she sees from patients about aging and how optimistic outlooks can make a difference in people’s skin. 

 

 “We are thrilled to have an unrivaled team of professionals supporting our mission to bring the power of optimism to women all over the world. Sarah Jessica Parker has a special connection with women of all ages that stems from her authentic positive attitude about life, and the expertise and unique perspectives of Dr. Robinton, Dr. Chopra, and Dr. Henry are integral to our goal of helping women shift their mindset about aging,” said Hillary Hutcheson, chief marketing officer, Roc Skincare.  “At Roc, we provide clinically-proven, dermatologist-recommended skincare products to help women of all ages feel confident and optimistic about both their skincare and their future.”

 

In addition to providing educational resources to help women adopt optimism into their daily routines, Roc is taking direct action to guide women in looking forward to their years ahead by making a brand promise to do the following:

 

• Continue its commitment to not retouch; including not retouching away any lines and wrinkles, in an effort to portray realistic depictions of skin at various stages of life;

• Require influencer partners to agree that they will not use skin altering filters or other editing techniques that promote unrealistic beauty standards that contribute to anxiety about aging in Roc content; and 

• Initiate a partnership with the SeekHer Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for women’s mental health and works to challenge societal norms, including those surrounding age anxiety and unrealistic beauty standards that have traditionally held women back from their optimal wellbeing.

To further cement the brand’s commitment to proof and purpose, Roc is offering a limited-edition skincare set curated by Sarah Jessica Parker on RoCSkincare.com and donating 100% of profits from this set during the next month to the SeekHer Foundation. The donation will directly support research and social impact work to shift the cultural narrative and address the root issues around perfectionism, unrealistic beauty ideals and societal pressures limiting women from truly thriving and feeling optimistic about the future. The donation from Roc Skincare brings attention to and advocates for support around meaningful women’s mental health conversations that go beyond skin deep.

 

For more information on this initiative and the power of optimism, go here.