Savannah James Wants Clinical Skin Care to Be Fun

If you’ve ever wondered how Savannah James, wife of NBA legend LeBron James, has flawless skin every time she appears on the jumbotron at a Lakers game, her secret is finally out. Just days after making her Met Gala debut, the mother, podcast host, and businesswoman is adding another accomplishment to her resume with the launch of her new skin care line, Reframe. “This is all I’ve used for the last two years since we’ve started formulating,” James tells ELLE. “It’s been my secret weapon.”

Created in partnership with Howard University’s College of Medicine, Reframe has a mission to redefine how we view scientifically-backed skin care—making it simpler, more approachable, and, of course, more fun. “We want to think of a way to present clinical skin care in a way that isn’t so drab,” James says. “We wanted it to be fun and welcoming while still working for you.”

To celebrate the launch, James sat down with ELLE to talk about her skin care must-haves and how her kids have inspired her latest business endeavor.

My mom. I learned everything from her. I’m also a millennial, so I was a pHisoderm girl. I did all of the masks and eye sheets and everything, so I always had the passion. But since I started [having a] family early, I ended up putting myself on the back burner. Even though I did my best to still try new things, I never thought to make beauty into a career until my daughter told me she wanted to be like me. I panicked. It was adorable but I was scared because I always want to make sure I’m setting a good example for her. So, I started a personal growth journey and was very intentional about learning what made me happy, and it was the beauty world.

She taught me that experimenting can be fun. She’ll ask me, “Mom, can I do my makeup?” and she’ll come back with hearts and lightning bolts stamped on her cheeks in different colors. I’m like, “How did you think of that?” She taught me that whatever your mind conceptualizes as beauty is beautiful.

I believe that the foundation is the most important. I think that when you take care of your skin, it takes care of you. We have to protect our skin. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t extend into makeup or even hair care, but I definitely wanted to start with the basics.

I make sure I do lymphatic drainage once a week. I love infrared saunas, so I do that once a week. I find my little moments to fill my cup while I’m handling everything else.

In the morning, I don’t wash my face. I’ll usually wipe it with a disposable cloth to get rid of anything from the night before. Then, I moisturize and use sunscreen. But at night I’ll do a full routine starting with my cleanser. I also love a chemical exfoliator, so I’ll use an exfoliating pad two or three times a week. Then, every night I go in with our Circadian Cream to lock in all of the actives that I put on my face so my skin can rebuild and regenerate overnight.

That’s really hard, but I’d have to say our Circadian Cream. If I get into bed without putting it on, I literally have to get back up and make sure I have some on my face before I go to sleep.

It’s totally different! With Reframe, I’m putting my name and face on it and asking people to trust me with using it on their skin. It’s very nerve-racking, but I have complete faith in what we’ve created.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.