Meet The Founder

She’s so Cult: Frances Prenna Jones

The brainchild of cardiologist turned A-List ‘face fixer’ {Dr. Frances Prenna Jones}, we couldn’t be more thrilled to usher this luxe, streamlined range of high-performance skin care to our beauty ‘Hall of Fame’. 

Based on its creator’s core belief that great skin starts with a good, consistent and simplified routine, Dr. Prenna Jones’ eponymous capsule collection is inspired by the needs and interactions with the (oft high-profile!) clientele she treats at her exclusive Mayfair clinic (the eternally radiant likes of Davina McCall and Louise Redknapp are disciples). 

Crafted to comply to Prenna Jones’ exacting standards at her factory in Dorset, we caught up with the virtually unparalleled complexion connoisseur…

{Cult Beauty} When it comes to skin care ingredients, there’s a lot of confusion surrounding compatibility. Are there any ingredients we definitely shouldn’t use together (and any that we definitely should!)?

{Frances Prenna Jones} Brilliant question. I have spent years working on my range so that all of the ingredients work together – not just synergistically but cumulatively.

The only word of caution I would give is that if you are not a regular user of my {Formula} before you introduce my {Night Work} into your regimen, use them on alternate nights ({Formula} one night and {Night Work} the other) then after two weeks you can use them together. Although the AHAs and retinol are slow release and rarely cause excess exfoliation, if you’re not used to using these actives its wise to build up your cells’ tolerance. 

{CB} And when it comes to ‘layering’, with so many toners/essences/serums/creams and oils out there, getting the ‘right’ order can be bewildering. Do you have suggestions for layering skin care effectively?

{FPJ} Again brilliant question. The whole ethos of my range is that layering is not necessary and merely adds unnecessary steps to our regimen. This is why I don’t have serums in my range! However the general rule is the more water-based product should always go on first before any cream

{CB} ‘Anti-ageing’ as a phrase is growing dated, with more and more women embracing their years and aiming instead to look good as opposed to looking young. Do you think this shift is here to stay and how can those with more mature complexions keep things looking luminous?

{FPJ} This is such a tricky one to answer in a few words, as this is the core of everything I do. Firstly, anyone can have the best bone structure in the world but if the skin or ‘canvas’ (as I often refer to the skin) looks… well… rubbish, then we still look rubbish. As human beings we are programmed to perceive attractive, healthy skin as being smooth and light-reflective – so canvas will always win out against structure, irrespective of whether you’re 18 or 80!

Secondly, most of us don’t want to look different we just want people to tell us we look well – looking well is seen as more satisfying then any other compliment. It implies we have taken care of ourselves and we value ourselves, it also implies we have the capacity and knowledge to be able to take care of ourselves. Great skin is a status symbol across all cultures, genders and ages.

Great skin – no matter what our age – begins with a solid regimen and most importantly, a routine we feel we can stick to. Regularity is key. This is how my {Formula} came about – so many of my patients were baffled and kept telling me: “I need one thing, one thing that I can do every day to know I have the basics covered”. After that, once patients have established a regular regime and have started to see the results, they can add in other products for additional benefits.

{CB} For those new to your range, is there a ‘hero product’ guaranteed to kick-start an addiction?

{FPJ} YES again, the whole ethos behind my range and how it came about is that my patients wanted a one-stop product that would do everything… that is my {Formula}.

All of my other products have been formulated with this in mind and work best when {Formula} is at the core of your regimen. That is not to say my other products don’t work well when used with other products! 

{CB} Do you have techniques or application tips to maximise your products’ efficacy?

{FPJ} Absolutely. With any cream it is best warmed to body temperature first (this is not the case for my {Fix} gel as I sometimes advise keeping it in the fridge for additional cooling effects as it is brilliant at healing and soothing damaged and traumatised skin and especially if (heaven forbid!) we have a sun burn!)

To warm a cream to body temperature pump a large chickpea-sized amount into the palm of one hand and rub the palms together until it starts to almost liquefy. Then starting along the jawline, then the forehead, then the cheeks, then the nose, apply in an upward tapping motion; the tapping motion helps to stimulate the circulation in your skin and aids absorption. For ‘most creams’ you can apply the final amount around your eyes, before following (if necessary and desired) with an eye cream. 

My {Day Work} and {Night Work} have been formulated to be safe to use around the eye area, but to work synergistically and cumulatively with my {Eye Day} and {Eye Night}. 

For those wanting to treat chest and neck, take the same amount of cream as for the face and warm in the same way as for the face then apply upwards starting on the chest towards neck and jaw line as the thickest skin is on the chest and the skin on the neck is much thinner and very similar to the skin under our eyes.

it is a common mistake to start on the neck as it an area that concerns most of us greatly, but more is not always more. I recommend only a very thin layer of actives in this area and if necessary (if your skin is prone to water loss) follow with a rich moisturising cream 

[CB} With growing concern around the ageing effects of our screens (yikes), is there advice for those exposed to HEV day in, day out (aside from a total tech detox!)?

{FPJ} The type of light emitted by our screens is thought to have a number of effects. One is similar to that of UV rays (although the HEV penetrates deeper), and the second, is that blue light affects our circadian rhythms – interrupting the amount of all-important REM sleep, which we need to repair and regenerate. And thirdly, HEV raises our cortisol levels which impacts on hormones and has a profound effect on subliminal inflammation within our bodies – one of the key contributors to ageing!

This is why, when formulating my {Day Work}, there is not just a physical sunscreen but, I looked at all the ten+ ways in which we age and then incorporated over 45 ingredients to tackle each and everyone of them! My {Refresh 24/7} (coming soon to Cult Beauty!) has specific anti-pollutant protectors in it and can be spritzed throughout the day for a moisture and antioxidant boost (it’s ideal for deflecting pollution).

It is important to maximise skin-regeneration during REM sleep, which is why my {Night Work} has so many actives that boost our natural regenerative process. In terms of simple things we can do, it may sound obvious but, turn down the light on your screens and try to stop constantly checking your phone (we’re all guilty!). 

Improve sleep and the quality of sleep. Melatonin supplements help improve REM sleep – calcium and vitamin C taken at night are great for stabilising sleep patterns – and avoid other stressors that cause swings in our cortisol levels such a sugar. Intermittent fasting really helps to regulate our insulin which in turn, helps to balance the cortisol levels, as does taking a non-dairy probiotic twice a day.

{CB} And when it comes to pearls of beauty wisdom, do you have an overarching tip to help maintain skin’s health and vibrancy?  

{FPJ} I believe the best tip is to be regular and consistent in taking care of, not just your skin but your body, and to recognise that we are not all perfect all of the time – don’t berate yourself when you (inevitably!) fall off the wagon (when you eat ice cream or go out in the sun without sunscreen!). MY care is that it is about looking well, feeling well and living well and they all work together synergistically. Taking care of ourselves should not be seen as a chore but a pleasure and that if we look well we feel better about ourselves and the way our day goes!

DISCOVER DR FRANCES PRENNA JONES >>



Verity Douglas

Verity Douglas

Content Editor

Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...