As Sofia Vergara so famously told us a few years back she “did not want to age” and was ready to take on whatever precautions to postpone the process: “If you said applying cement around my eyes would stop wrinkles, I would do it!”
Now, at 50, the Modern Family star seems to be taking on the proven sun-safety approach to anti-aging, bringing a sunscreen-fueled line, Toty, to the states.
“My sun-safety has not always been great; I used to wear coconut oil mixed with carrot to tan faster,” Vergara admitted on a recent Zoom. “It was the ’90s…we didn’t have the options we have today, and I was living in Columbia in Miami. But, these days, I will absolutely not allow sun on my face!”
Her personal solution that doesn’t involve hiding inside forever: To “redefine” the sun-care category with SPF-meets-makeup-mixed-with-some-wellness products. (Even the name is personal, as “Toty” was the nickname her brother gave her while growing up.)
Before the backlash on “another-celebrity-beauty-line” booms, the way Vergara is doing it is a bit different, and actual science was not ignored. She smartly describes the line as “her vision” that’s clinically developed by Spain-based Cantabria Labs, which, among other things, makes some really solid cosmeceutical lines in Europe (think the drugstore sunscreens you fill your suitcase with overseas).
Available today, Toty’s initial offering will include a vitamin C–rich antioxidant supplement, the Solaria Infusion ($42 for 30 sachets), the Ilumina CC Cream SPF 50+ ($42), the refillable Ilumina CC Creamy Compact SPF50+ ($54) and the super-sheer, non-greasy Solaria Mineral SPF50+ ($42).
All of the mineral SPFs are broad-spectrum, best described as “fluid not thick,” formulated with light-reflecting pigments and, as Vergara says, “don’t smell like sunscreen.” Plus, there are 15 shades of the CC Creams and two accessories for even easier application are on the way.
And, it has the Vergara-tested seal of approval. “I have rosacea and a lot of things give me a hard time—this doesn’t. I’ve been testing it on me, I’ve been testing it on my hairstylists. They love it! My husband won’t let me put anything on him, but maybe I can still convince him!”
