Savannah James Launches Skincare Brand Reframe (Exclusive)

Savannah James sits arm’s length away in a very crowded restaurant in New York City, and she isn’t wearing a drop of makeup. “I’ve primarily been using these products on my skin,” she says, pointing to a trio of bottles in front of her.

For two years, the podcast host, mentor and mom to three children with LeBron James, has been working on Reframe, which launches in May with the Pigment Processor (a daily brightening serum, $115), Compression Complex (a facial sculpting moisturizer, $95) and Circadian Cream (and overnight collagen moisturizer, $135) she’s motioning to.

With it, she officially adds the title beauty entrepreneur to her already long list of accomplishments. For that to happen, she had to prioritize it over all else. 

“This is my baby,” she says. “I didn’t want it to be lackluster. I wanted it to be a real product with real research and real results.” So, for a time, “It was this. This first.”

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James turned her obsession with beauty into a quest for knowledge, surrounding herself with experts to create a brand that met her standards. Her and the team’s “outside the box” approach led them to a first-of-its-kind partnership with Howard University’s College of Dermatology. 

“It needed to be accredited from an educational institution,” she says of the brand. Through rigorous testing across the Fitzpatrick Scale, they were able to ensure the products are effective and inclusive.

So, as she walks PEOPLE through the collection, naturally, she speaks of them with the delight a proud parent has for a child.

“This is needed,” she says, holding the serum. Though she’s admittedly still learning everything there is to know about skin, she’s been taught, “inflamed pigment is inflamed pigment, whether it’s on deeply melanated skin or very fair skin.”

She continues, “So this product has really key ingredients that are able to pinpoint that inflamed pigment only. Like radar. I thought that that was amazing.” The ingredient she’s referring to is Cetyl Tranexamate Mesylate 3%, which, according to a release, is “a highly penetrable formulation of tranexamic acid, designed to target only inflamed melanin and help reduce both redness and dark spots.” Sign us up.

The day cream, she explains, “gives you an instant snatch” and hydrates, but also reduces free-radical damage over time. Meanwhile, her night cream contains “technology and next-gen ingredients that put your skin to sleep, then helps it rebuild and regenerate.”

James’ excitement is as palpable as her glow. And to think, she’s just getting started. Ahead, James chats with PEOPLE about her love of skin care, how Reframe came to be and what’s next, plus what it was really like on the Met Gala steps.

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PEOPLE: When did you start to take skin care seriously?

Savannah James: It was probably very early, I would say middle school, because my mom — she’s a Noxzema girl — and I would see her put it on her face, and it’s flawless. And then, to be honest with you, even to this day, I’m a VIB Rouge Insider at Sephora. I find pleasure in meandering the aisles and seeing all the new things. I don’t use too many, but I like learning about them.

So you were an OG Sephora teen?

James: It was probably very early, I would say middle school, because my mom — she’s a Noxzema girl — and I would see her put it on her face, and it’s flawless. And then, to be honest with you, even to this day, I’m a VIB Rouge Insider at Sephora. I find pleasure in meandering the aisles and seeing all the new things. I don’t use too many, but I like learning about them.

What was the impetus for Reframe? When did you say to yourself, “There is white space here?”

James: I really love clinical skin care. But it’s not always cute, and it’s not always really innovative. So I think that for us, we wanted to reframe what clinical skin care looks like for the real world. I think the consumer now is really smart and knowledgeable on all of the things and ingredients and the way that they want their skin to behave. So I think that that was the white space for me. Also, with the packaging and how it looks, I think we all want something that’s beautiful and that we want to look at every day. Something that’s fun and new. This is where we landed.

PEOPLE: So you wanted to reframe the clinical skin care space, brilliant.

James: Yes: what it looks like, what it feels like, how it’s presented. And, it’s been a really great journey of learning with Howard University and the clinical studies that we’ve done there. Going back to what I said about just being an avid consumer: I didn’t necessarily see something that reflected me as a consumer. And, I think that with me feeling like that, there were obviously other people who may have felt like that as well. So I wanted to put my money where my mouth is and do something outside of the box. And with Reframe, we were across the Fitzpatrick scale with clinical trials and making sure that everyone is reflected.

I’ve read that you don’t love to be in the spotlight, but this puts you there, doesn’t it? How does that feel?

James: I think that I understand that [it does], but I think, purposefully, I didn’t want to be the face of the brand and I didn’t want to be in any of the campaigns, because I wanted to be taken seriously. I don’t want it to be looked at like, ‘oh, she had time, so she did something with skin care.’ I’ve really, really invested a lot of time and research into making sure that these are products that can compete with any clinical skin care or luxury skincare brand that exists on the market, because it’s something that I would love to go into a store and find or see online and use myself.

Speaking of stepping into the spotlight, you had a huge Met Gala moment earlier this month. What was it like standing on those iconic steps?

James: It was so nerve-wracking. I had a million things going through my head. I just did not want to fall down the stairs! But it was an amazing experience. Unfortunately, LeBron wasn’t able to make it, but I think I held it down for us. I think the theme that I was able to experience was really important, so to see everyone and how they presented, and the exhibit, it was beautiful. 

How did you stay calm?

James: To be honest with you, I’m a square breather. [Editor’s note: Square breathing is a breathing technique.] So by the time I got there, I was definitely still nervous, but I was able to keep it cool with my square breathing. After the fact when people were like, “Oh, I was watching it live and I saw you come on stage,” I thought, if I would’ve thought about any of that, I probably would’ve thrown up! But I think I did okay.

Who was your favorite performance?

James: I can’t pick between Stevie Wonder and Usher! I’ve gone to see Usher in concert, which was amazing, so seeing Stevie Wonder was really a pinch-me moment.

You serve up so much fashion inspo courtside and on social media. Tell us about your style.

James: I would say that with beauty and fashion, both are very experimental. I think you don’t have to stay pigeonholed in a box. You can be wild and expansive with how you think about beauty and fashion, or you can be a little bit more toned down. I find I live kind of on both sides. I think I’m a simple girl by nature, so I tend to lean more towards the easy side of things. But I do really enjoy the fact that there are so many layers to it and you can tap into it at whatever point. 

What beauty era would you say you’re in now in your own life?

James: I’m in the less-is-more era. That’s not to say that I don’t dip my toe in doing the absolute most, but as it pertains to just what I find works for me right now, is definitely less is more.

What does self-care look like to you now?

James: I think it’s really important to have a really healthy balance of work, play, rest — all of the things. And I credit myself that I make it. I have weekly appointments that I make that are for me. If I feel overwhelmed or like I’m starting to get a little bit burnt out, I’ll take a minute to myself. One of the things that I love to say is that I can’t work from a glass that’s half empty. I have to refuel myself, whatever that looks like, whether it’s driving in my car or going in my bathroom and chilling out for a second, listening to a playlist. Things as simple as that help me to exhale.

In closing, what’s next for Reframe?

James: Expansion. We are already working on some really cool things. So I think that starting out with the three products is really just getting our foot in the door and I think that once we have a name for ourselves, you’ll be able to trust us and see what else we’re bringing. The sky is the limit.