Robin McGraw: The Inspiration for Her Skin-care Line & How Family Keeps This Entrepreneur Grounded by Belinda Lichty Clarke

Robin McGraw is a mom, skin-care maven, author, media personality, philanthropist and devoted wife to Phillip (Dr. Phil). We chatted with Robin about Robin McGraw Revelation, the skin-care line she launched in 2016.

Q. What was your inspiration?

"My mother, Georgia, is the love-light that first sparked the creation of my skin-care brand, Robin McGraw Revelation. My mother’s smile continues to guide me every day. She was a wonderful woman who had the biggest heart, and always put others first. The irony is that she did not do the same for herself. I knew from the experience of being her daughter that I will care for myself, and I encourage all women to put themselves first. This is not selfishness. It is keeping ourselves whole and nourished in body, mind and spirit."

Q. How has your family helped you in your journey?

"I am blessed in every way, especially by the love of my husband, Phillip, and the joy we both get from our sons, Jay and Jordan. My family really keeps me grounded and I’m so lucky to have a great support system. Phillip is extremely kind and supportive, but at the end of the day he is also a man, and very down to earth. He’s not fancy! He always keeps it real with me."

Q. What was your process for creating the line?

"The way that the family of products has grown kind of reflects the way our own family has grown and grown up. I started out creating very basic products, let’s call it a 'survival kit' for women who might be mothers to young kids. A purifying cleanser, a polishing scrub, a key moisturizer and a few things to perk up tired eyes, heaven knows we all need that! I have vivid memories from when Jay and Jordan were little.

"There were many, many mornings when my breakfast was a cup of coffee and a bag of gummi bears as I rushed off to carpool, or raced off to a PTA meeting, or one of a million things that moms do every day. Now that my boys are grown, the products are more about long-term benefits, and creating a long-term strategy for healthy, gorgeous skin.

"Phillip lets me try out all the products on him! Can you believe that? He really loves our refreshing sheet masks after a hard day of tennis!"

Q. Let's talk more about the skin-care line. What are some of the distinctive features/ingredients in the products?

"First let me say that we never test on animals. Just on my darling husband, Phillip! I work with top scientists to develop these formulas. At the heart of the formula development is that we want to create products that are 'age-defying.' I like this term a little more than 'anti-aging,' which sounds negative. Age-defying is more along the lines that we defy people to define us by age. We are not denying our age, either – but we are defying other people’s set expectations. What does 40 look and feel like? How about 50? How about 60?

"As for our ingredients, a lot of the heavy lifting is done by peptides, co-enzymes, amino acids and other super-advanced compounds. We also use an array of exquisite natural ingredients. We use clays and other minerals, for example, for purifying the skin. And many of our products contain botanical extracts from flowers, seeds, roots, leaves and bark that have been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine to keep skin healthy and beautiful. My current favorite is White Peony, which brightens the skin."

Q. What are your top tips for taking care of your skin and how does the line inform that?

"My top tips are very practical. I realize that women are busy – we are the original multi-taskers, especially moms! It may sound obvious, but I remind women everywhere to wash off their makeup at night. I get it, I’ve been there, sometimes we’re so exhausted we just lie down to rest our eyes, and suddenly, it’s morning! 

"Getting into a routine doesn’t have to be daunting, starting with a simple cleanse morning and night can be easy as one, two, three! The reason is that our exfoliants contain actives that enter the skin via Dynamic Infusion Technology™ (a delivery-system that uses three separate weights or sizes of molecules to send the ingredients into the skin) and are most effective while the skin is in its nightly rest cycle. Exfoliating at night means that just a light face wash in the morning will reveal fresh, glowing skin. This is because the ingredients in the previous night’s exfoliation have loosened the bonds between dead skin cells while you were sleeping. It sounds like magic, but it’s simple science! Because those cells are loosened up, they just rinse right off with a little Foaming Joy – our purifying skin cleanser.

"The other big piece of advice, of course, is about sunscreen. I can’t stress this enough! Apply a SPF 50 plus every day, after moisturizer, as your last skin care step. The FDA also says that no sun protection product is truly waterproof. Apply sunscreen generously, especially if you’re swimming, or breaking a healthy sweat on the tennis court, etc. This includes days when it’s cloudy and even when you’re indoors!"

Q. Any other words of wisdom?

"I always say, what’s age got to do with it? I do have to give props to Miss Tina Turner, who recorded the song, 'What’s Love Got to Do with It?' when she was in her mid-40s, and she just owned it all, danced everyone else off the stage! Not just because of those million-dollar legs, either. She was more than a glorious survivor – she was a force of nature, unstoppable and full of joy. That’s what I think of every woman, and every person, really.

"We are incredible and capable! And that sense of personal power, energy and joy is what I wish for in every woman who washes her face in the morning, so that she can look in the mirror and loves what she sees.

"Is she perfect? No. Is her life perfect? Probably not. But her life belongs to her, and it looks darn good from here."

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