Halle Berry doesn’t use the word “advocate” lightly. When the Academy Award–winning actress realized she had entered perimenopause—and had no idea what that meant or what to do—she didn’t stay quiet. She went to Washington, she raised money for clinical trials and, somewhere along the way, she became one of the most prominent voices in a conversation that had mostly been happening in whispers.
Now, she’s taking it a step further. Berry has partnered with women’s intimate wellness brand Joylux to launch Juicy Like a Peach, an FDA-cleared vaginal dryness treatment powered by proprietary HPMC-5 technology—the first of its kind in U.S. women’s intimate health. The product, available starting June 30th at Joylux.com, creates a breathable moisture-retention barrier to help women maintain comfort, reduce dryness and relieve painful sex.
We sat down with Berry to talk about the moment that changed everything, why she reached out to Joylux before they ever called her and what it feels like to be approaching 60 feeling—in her own words—like her best self.
When was the specific moment that made you decide you wanted to speak up about menopause?
“When I realized that I was in perimenopause and had no idea what that meant, I realized that there had to be millions of other women who don’t know what this time of life means either—and what to do about it either. That really propelled me to become curious, to use my voice to start talking about it, to go to Washington to try to raise money for trials. Once I got into it, it was a rabbit hole that I just could not get out of. I thought, ‘Wow, so much work needs to be done here. Women deserve better, and I have to be a part of this.”
I am sure you are asked to partner with brands all the time. What made Joylux worth your time and your voice?
“When I first got plummeted—and I really do mean plummeted—into perimenopause…all of a sudden, I woke up one day, and I was unable to have sex. It was just so incredibly painful. Once I went down the rabbit hole and figured out that in perimenopause, 60 percent of women get dry everything—dry mouth, dry eyes, dry vagina—I realized, ‘Oh, this is what perimenopause is.’ Joylux was the company I went to. They had a red-light therapy device called a vFit ($395), which is the same technology that we use on our faces. We can also use it for our vaginal health.
I tried that product, and within two weeks, I felt a difference. I felt that it was easier. I felt it was less dry. I reached out to the company. I said, ‘What is this? How can I get involved? How can I support you? How can I raise money? I am ready to do whatever—because this is what I need, and I can imagine other women are having the same problem.’ They allowed me to join forces. We came up with our first product, which was Let’s Spin ($45), a lubricant. That was and is amazing, and now this new product will help other women and me. I know a lot of us are struggling in this area, but these products really do work. It’s science fact.”
What makes Juicy Like a Peach unique, both in your own personal use and for women in general?
“I think we all—always, but especially at this time of life—want to be juicy like a peach ‘down there.’ That’s the biggest problem that we’re having. I think this new molecule Joylux has found, HPMC-5, is a new technology that creates a moisture barrier inside the vagina. I like to think of it as skin care. Every day, we put a moisturizer on our face, morning and night. Why are we doing that? To keep our skin supple, to stop it from aging. The same is true for our vaginal health. This new product is something you use daily.
It changes the environment just like we change our skin with a topical moisturizer. It really is a new way of taking care of ourselves, a new way of looking at our vaginal health. It’s hormone-free—there are so many women who can’t take hormones, don’t want to take hormones. It’s FDA-approved. It really does, over time, start to change the composition with this veil, with this layer of moisture that starts to surround the inside of your vagina. It changes everything.”
Beauty, wellness and sexual health are all converging right now. How do you think about that intersection in your own self-care?
“Yes! As we spend a lot of time focusing on our exterior, it’s really time—especially for us as women—that we start thinking about what’s really going on inside our bodies. When we can have a happy, active, fulfilling sex life, we feel confident. We feel all of ourselves. We feel good about ourselves. Men have known this forever, which is why they got Viagra, because they knew that their sexual health was really important to their longevity. The same is true for women! We cannot just fall out of ourselves at a certain age. We have to stay engaged, we have to stay active, we have to stay continually healthy.”
You’re turning 60 this summer. How are you feeling about this next chapter?
“I can’t say that I thought this is what 60 would be like! I am wildly surprised that I feel like I feel at 60. When I was in my 20s, I thought, ‘Oh, 60 is going to be really old.’ If this is what 60 is, it’s not really old. That’s what I want every woman to know. I feel like my best self. I really do. I have finally arrived to being who I really am. And that’s a really good feeling. Aging is a privilege. I’m so lucky that I’m still here.
I will say this: The days matter more now than they used to. I’m aware that I have less time here than I’ve had here. There’s a focus on being mindful with my time, being thoughtful about who I spend time with, what I spend time on, where I go, what I eat, what I do. All of that’s become more heightened at the age of 60. But I think that is a good thing. It’s been a wonderful time of life to arrive at.”
