We won Best Night Cream in Oprah Daily’s 2025 Menopause O-wards!

Get the Cream + 55 Other Menopause Must-Haves

We have some breaking news at Phosis—the kind that makes all the late nights and early mornings (and 8,567 cups of coffee and countless pairs of running shoes I wore out pounding the pavement to feel sane) feel profoundly worth it. Drumroll, please: We’ve been named Best Night Cream in Oprah Daily’s 2025 Menopause O-wards!

The editors of Oprah Daily, along with a panel of six bold-name menopause experts, carefully curated a selection of products designed to support women during menopause. They chose standout products across categories like skincare, supplements, clothing, and wellness tools. Among them, Phosis Calm Deep Hydration Restorative Face Cream emerged as a true game-changer.

I was at lunch with a friend when we received the email confirming our win. My friend had gone to the bathroom, and when she returned, I was teary and speechless. She thought something awful had happened, but quite the contrary! I left that restaurant positively floating on cloud nine. Another dear friend sent a bouquet that included some pretty anemones, adding an extra touch of celebration to an already unforgettable day.

Celebration flowers! What’s your favorite flower to give or receive?

For major beauty brands, an accolade like this might be another milestone in an already impressive history. But for an indie brand like Phosis, this kind of recognition is exceedingly difficult to come by and monumental to receive. Awards help amplify our mission and introduce our products to more women who need them.

The road to launching Phosis wasn’t easy, and this moment of recognition is the culmination of years of work. After four years of formulation and clinical testing, I traveled to New York City last fall to introduce our products to the beauty world. I met with editors, shared our science-backed approach, and spoke about the real challenges of caring for skin that’s evolving in perimenopause and menopause. (All covered in this substack: Answering Emails from the Tiffany’s Bathroom.)

Creating our night cream was never about getting press or chasing accolades — It’s about addressing the unique skincare needs of women in perimenopause and menopause. I wanted to craft a formula that delivered not just hydration but genuine skin transformation that supports barrier function and improves texture while softening fine lines. This award is yet another confirmation, beyond clinical trials and customer testimonials, that we’ve done just that.

Want to try Calm? Enter code SUBSTACK15 at checkout for a discount exclusive to Substack readers.

The Meno-Movement

One of the most beautiful aspects of the menopause wellness space is how supportive it is becoming. Women in this stage of life are often overlooked by the beauty and wellness industries in the U.S., but the tide is certainly shifting. Seeing Phosis honored alongside so many other incredible products tells me we’re part of a larger movement — one that acknowledges, supports, and celebrates women during menopause. And honestly, it’s about time that women in midlife are honored.

A few of my favorite products from the Oprah Daily 2025 Menopause O-wards list include:

• Kari Gran Lip Whip. Keri has been exceedingly generous in sharing her knowledge as a founder, and I adore this uber moisturizing balm, which comes in 9 colors, including clear. (Don’t stop at the lip whip, all of her products are amazing!)

• Hot Girls Pearls Bracelet. This brand is genius — I own the necklace and wear it straight out of the freezer for icy cool relief on hot days in the summer. It’s so stylish that no one would ever know!

• Doris Day MD Hair Regrowth Kit. Thinning hair is one of my most recent perimenopause symptoms — ugh. Dr. Day has an excellent reputation, so I’m excited to try this trio of products.

• Numi Signature Undershirt. These thermoregulating undershirts were designed to help wick away sweat while you’re having hot flashes, but I swear by them for anyone in hot or cold weather. I own one of the signature undershirts, and one of the lace undershirts, and will be adding the square neck cap sleeve in blush to my wardrobe for spring.

• Soma Cool Nights Mesh Chemise. I’m a sucker for a pretty chemise nightie —this one is super soft and cool to the touch. And it features some of my favorite flowers.

Beauty Wisdom

The image below — 20 Sentences I Wish I’d Read Sooner in Life — has been making the rounds in Notes on Substack this week. Have you seen it? It inspired me to pause and reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way as a founder. Here are a couple, just in case someone else out there is just getting started:

Expect people to tell you you’re nuts. Don’t listen. Several so-called experts told me that a brand focused on women in midlife would fail because only young women spend money on skincare. I knew in my gut they were wrong, and here we are!

Success will take longer than you think. I was naive about how long it would take to find the right lab and create fragrance-free formulas from scratch. Or how much time it would take to make sure those formulas were stable and cosmetically elegant. Or how much time to would take to test the formulas for efficacy in a clinical trial. Or how hard it would be to get the color of the amber bottle just right. (Two years for that amber color!)

Try not to sweat the small stuff. There have been days (and weeks) that felt like an uphill battle. But the ability to zoom out and see the bigger picture — to not get lost in the day-to-day fires — has been crucial. I didn’t realize when I started this journey how many ups and downs entrepreneurs face. Perseverance isn’t just a nice quality to have; it’s a necessity.

You will make mistakes. Despite your best efforts, something will go wrong. Often, many things will go wrong at once. The defining factor isn’t the mistake itself; it’s how you choose to handle it. Do you crumble? Do you learn and adapt? Do you keep going even when the road feels impossibly long?

The genius entrepreneur and fashion expert who helped me revamp my wardrobe recently shared this in her newsletter. Check her out at The Art in the Find.

If you’ve been eager to try our *award-winning* (!!)) night cream, pre-orders are now open and will ship in May. Enter code SUBSTACK15Sourcing the very best ingredients and coordinating all the moving parts necessary for a successful production run takes months, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m driven by efficacy and maintaining the absolute highest standards, so you can be sure I’ll be on-site ensuring the products are made to my exacting specifications.

As my team and I celebrate this win, I’m filled with gratitude. To our customers who have supported Phosis from the beginning—thank you. Your belief in this brand fuels everything we do. To those discovering us for the first time, we welcome you! We’re here to make sure your skin feels as radiant and resilient as you are.

Cheers to looking and feeling your best,

Susan

Susan Campbell
Founder and CEO, Phosis