There was a time when turning 40 was seen as a hard stop for women in the beauty conversation—an unspoken expiration date imposed by an industry obsessed with youth. The message was clear: your worth is tied to how young you look, and once you hit 40, it’s time to start apologizing for aging. But thankfully, we’re seeing that narrative crumble. Today, beauty isn’t about clinging to the idea of staying 25 forever—it’s about celebrating how we evolve. Women in their 40s and beyond are shaping the industry in ways that would’ve been unthinkable a decade ago, demanding products that enhance their beauty rather than erase their age. It was exactly this demand that inspired Brooke Shields to launch Commence, a hair care line that’s specifically designed to meet the needs of women in their 40s and beyond.
Rethinking your 40s
“When we really started to listen to women in this demographic about what their needs were, we discovered such a white space in the market, says Shields, who is 59. “When you turn 40, there are so many changes in the scalp and hair, but people were saying, ‘There’s nothing that we can trust that addresses our individual needs.” As a proud member of the 40+ community, Shields set out to create a brand that made her peers feel seen, and reimagines your 40s as a beginning instead of an ending (hence, the name “Commence”). “The minute your kids go to college, all of a sudden it feels like there’s nothing left for you. And if you look at the way we’re spoken to in marketing and everywhere else, we’re sort of overlooked,” says Shields. “But this should be a refreshing ‘me’ time that isn’t selfish. We’re not over—we’re just beginning.”
Speaking to her peers
Much of Commence’s success can be attributed to women in its community. Sure—they’re buying (and loving) the products, but more importantly, they’ve played a notable role in how they’re created. Shields and her team have had countless conversations with women about what they want out of a haircare product, and designed the line accordingly. “What was amazing to me is that they knew we were going to take their feedback, talk to them about it, address it, and prove it,” says Shields. “At this age, our time is extremely valuable to us—we don’t need another step in our routines. People want products that work, and that they don’t feel like they need a PhD to know how to use, and we want to take them through that in ways that aren’t confusing. Not only are the products themselves packed with active ingredients that target common hair concerns for women in their 40s (more on that below), but they’re also bottled up in a way that makes this demo feel seen. While most “mature” beauty brands opt for minimalist-chic, black-and-white branding and fancy French words, Commence is bright, bold, and loud—and calls each product exactly what it is. “I didn’t want to be too cute, but I didn’t want to be austere—the products in your bathroom should make you happy, and I wanted these to signify a fresh start, so I wanted color,” says Shields. “And, they needed to be legible, because that’s a big thing for women in this era of their lives. If I needed glasses to read the [name of the product], the font needed to be bigger.”
Addressing haircare needs for women in their 40s
Though the nearsightedness that commonly comes along with aging can be fixed with a cute pair of Walgreens glasses, dealing with the hair changes aren’t so simple. The thing about aging hair is that it doesn’t just change in one way—it transforms in every way. Thinning and shedding can sneak up on you as hair follicles shrink or stop producing new strands altogether, thanks to declining estrogen levels during menopause. And the texture? Say goodbye to the silky, soft strands of your youth and hello to something a little coarser and more brittle, as your scalp starts producing less oil to keep things hydrated. Shine, too, tends to fade over time, thanks to cumulative exposure to environmental stressors like UV rays, pollution, and years of chemical treatments that dry out your strands. And let’s not forget about breakage—aging hair loses elasticity and keratin, which makes it more prone to snapping and splitting (and let’s be honest, all that heat styling over the years doesn’t help). Even your scalp gets in on the act, with hormonal shifts leading to dryness, itchiness, and flakiness that can leave you feeling like you need a serious reset. Meanwhile, your color inevitably starts to change as melanocytes stop producing pigment, turning your hair gray or white—often starting in your 30s or 40s. And for many women, sebum production becomes inconsistent, leaving roots oily while ends feel bone dry.
