There have been many, many beauty brand celebrity partnerships over the years going right back to 1927 when Pond’s teamed up with Queen Marie of Romania to endorse its Cold Cream. This latest one, however, might just be one of the coolest yet. The players of the WNBA have joined Glossier to help launch the brand’s new additions to its Body Hero range. 

First introduced in 2017 with an oil-infused body cleanser and lotion, Glossier’s Body Hero collection is centred around the idea that your body deserves just as much attention, quality ingredients, and appreciation as your face. Now, the range is being joined by two new products: an oil mist and an exfoliating bar. 

The Body Hero Dry-Touch Oil Mist is a neroli, orange blossom-scented dry body oil that absorbs quickly to deeply nourish and soothe dry, tight skin. The Body Hero Exfoliating Bar is a soft pink solid body scrub containing tiny grains of bamboo powder to slough away dead skin and dryness. Both products are vegan, cruelty-free and come in recyclable packaging.

To launch the new products, Glossier partnered with eight of the stars of the WNBA whose commitment to campaigning for positive change in their sport and in the world have made them heroes in the eyes of Glossier and many others around the world. “They’re a community with a long history of championing equality and challenging the status quo, and watching them lead by example on and off the court in 2020 has been nothing short of awe-inspiring,” says Ali Weiss, SVP of marketing at Glossier.

Ahead of the launch, the brand followed the day to day routines of Sue Bird, Seimone Augustus, Lexie Brown, Kalani Brown, Amanda Zahui B., Natalie Achonwa, Stefanie Dolson, and Gabby Williams, as they lived and competed together in the historic pandemic-necessitated “Wubble.” The resulting campaign sees the players reflect on how they define beauty as athletes and individuals, sharing their thoughts on finding beauty in their athleticism, which hasn’t traditionally been seen as fitting the ideal (“my whole life, I’ve been taller than everyone, bigger than everyone,” Bird reflects), and the importance of self-love. “If I can embrace my body and tell you I’m beautiful, then that means I’m a body hero.”

Alongside the campaign, Glossier has also unveiled a series of “skin portraits” to celebrate the new releases. The intimate photos showcase the bodies of Glossier community members including photographer Tyrell Hampton, curve model Kendra Austin and double amputee Sophie Helf.