No7

No7 is a British skincare and makeup brand created by the pharmacy chain Boots in the United Kingdom in 1935 [5]. It began as a small line of eleven skincare products, conceived to bring what the company calls "luxurious and glamorous beauty" within reach of ordinary shoppers at a time when such products were aimed mainly at the wealthy. The brand is headquartered in Nottingham and remains active, with products sold in more than 20,000 stores and online across 29 markets [5].

No7 is best known for its anti-ageing skincare, and for one product in particular — the Protect & Perfect serum, whose 2007 sell-out following a BBC documentary turned a drugstore line into a national talking point.

No7 launched in 1935 as a selection of eleven skincare products and added colour cosmetics two years later, in 1937 [5]. According to the company, it set out to democratise beauty: to offer "every woman luxurious and glamorous beauty at a price they could afford" at a time when such products "were just for the privileged few." Sales were supported by specially trained in-store beauty consultants, a service model Boots built around the brand.

By its own account No7 has been "creating beauty history" since 1935, reaching its ninetieth year in 2025 [1]. Wikipedia records that the brand has been redesigned eight times over its history, and that in 2007 Boots expanded the range to include body products, foundation, creams and men's skincare [5].

The brand's defining moment came in 2007 with Protect & Perfect, described by the beauty title Get the Gloss as "the first, over the counter, anti-ageing skincare product that had been independently, clinically tested and proven to work" [6]. After a BBC Horizon documentary tested the serum and confirmed its anti-ageing effect, demand surged: queues formed outside Boots stores, bids appeared on eBay, waiting lists were drawn up, and within two weeks the chain had sold a year's supply [6]. The serum's active ingredient was Matrixyl 3000, a peptide blend that the same source describes as helping to restore skin proteins that break down with age.

A reformulated Advanced version followed in 2014 with, according to Get the Gloss, thirty times more Matrixyl 3000 than the original; the company reported clinical results of over 60% greater effectiveness on crow's feet and over 100% on under-eye wrinkles compared with the previous formula [6].

No7 was developed and long owned by Boots. Sources differ on how to name its corporate parent today, reflecting different levels of the same group. The No7 brand site lists the registered parent as The Boots Company PLC, based in Nottingham [1]. Wikipedia records that in 2021 Walgreens Boots Alliance, then the brand's owner, launched No7 as a separate business, the No7 Beauty Company [5]. Both are accurate at different tiers of the corporate structure. The wider group's stable of beauty brands also includes Liz Earle, Soap & Glory, Sleek MakeUP, Botanics and Aromatherapy Associates.

No7 positions itself as accessible, science-backed beauty, framed around what it calls "the power of women supporting women" and the idea that people have "the right to beauty their way, every day." Its stated mission is to "give every woman the support, confidence and momentum to live life on their own terms," and its marketing line is "Believe in Possible." Priced for the drugstore market, the brand spans skincare and makeup, with recent ranges including Future Renew, Prime Forever, Lift & Luminate and the Pro Artist makeup line.

The company partners with Macmillan Cancer Support, training advisors — described in brand material as more than 900 "No7 Boots Macmillan Beauty Advisors" — to give tailored beauty advice to people in cancer treatment. Its skincare education programme, Skin School, was created in collaboration with the British Beauty Council [3].

Through its corporate arm, the company has set environmental and social targets for 2030: to halve its overall environmental impact and at least double the societal value it creates, both measured against 2022 [4]. It says all of its gift packaging is single-use plastic-free, and as a supporter of the UK Plastics Pact it aims to eliminate unnecessary single-use plastic. The company also states that its brands "never test formulations on animals," though it notes that formal Leaping Bunny certification applies to certain sister brands rather than to No7 specifically [4].

No7 is an active, multi-region brand. Its e-commerce site carries current ranges and a 2026 copyright notice, and it continues to launch new products under the No7 Beauty Company structure within Walgreens Boots Alliance [5].