When Serena Williams got injured at the French Open a few years ago, her care team tried to put pain cream on her, but she resisted. Eric Ryan, who co-founded several brands in the wellness space, said: “She told me, ‘These are products that I probably should be using, but then I have to admit it. with myself that I have overcome the difficulties’. including Method, Olly and Welly. After that conversation, he and Williams realized there was an opportunity to create a new type of pain relief product as a natural part of self-care. So they teamed up with their third co-founder, Hank Mercier, a seasoned consumer packaged goods executive, to create Will Performance—a brand focused on “taking care of performance.” , starting with soothing, skin-supporting creams and sprays.
“We’re here to really recreate this painful space on the spot… [because] what we realized is [existing] “Brands really don’t address that important part of this category – it’s more female and younger than what they appreciate,” Ryan said. Ryan said. “What we want to do is not just create a new line of pain relievers. We really want to create a new category that we call ‘performance care.’ So we are starting to recover. muscle, but our ambition is to really build a brand that shows how you take care of your body.”
Ryan will perform that is made for everyday athletes, Ryan said. The packaging is designed with a wide loop handle on the lid so you can hang it out of your gym bag and include it in your daily self-care ritual. Alexia Lundberg, PhD, the brand’s product manager, says what sets Will Performance apart from its predecessors is that it’s effective while also being easy to use.
“Efficacy is key in this category, but it often comes at the expense of experience. So we wanted to factor in beauty, whether it’s fragrance or how it feels on the skin, to create products that really engage your senses,” she says. She explains that the brand created its elegant product formulations by “combining both Eastern and Western medicine to create active ingredients that focus on holistic health.”
Currently, this line is divided into two categories: instant pain relief and daily care. Will Cool Thermal Pain Relief Roll ($13), Pain Relief Roller ($13) and Pain Relief Spray ($13) provide instant relief. Will Soothe Daily Muscle Soothing Lotion ($16) and Will Rest Nightly Muscle Recovery Cream ($13) are used daily to help make your recovery proactive rather than reactive.
“We’re really trying to give consumers the idea that you can have a recovery regimen similar to how you would have a beauty or nutrition regimen,” says Lundberg. “Recovery isn’t thought of this way at the moment. And this is really the kind of mindset shift we’re trying to bring to consumers.”
Buy the full Will Performance line here
Roller for pain relief — $13.00
The Relieve line uses lidocaine, an ingredient that helps prevent pain by blocking signals at nerve endings in the skin. This cream blends lidocaine with a botanical blend that includes arnica to numb the pain. Lundberg said the formula makers also added fragrance and focused on “feeling good on the skin” while creating the product. It applies with rolling balls so you can put it directly where you need it without any mess.
Pain reliever spray for pain relief — $13.00
If you prefer a spray to a cream then this is the perfect choice. It has similar properties to Will Relieve cream but is packaged in a spray form for quick-drying, hands-free use.
Cooling Pain Relief Roller Will Cool — $13.00
Lundberg said Cool is a “very different experience than the Relive experience”. “It numbs the pain, all for pain relief, but it’s a product made of menthol and camphor, so it gives a cooling sensation. It has rolling balls that amplify that cooling sensation, and it’s also scented with menthol and camphor.”
Daily soothing body lotion that will soothe — $16.00
“Soothe is a body lotion designed to be used after a shower, when the blood is flowing,” says Lundberg. “You can massage the lotion into your skin, into your muscles and help soothe your muscles after a workout.” Plus, it includes vitamin E and ceramides, which help fortify the skin barrier so it can better retain moisture.
Nightly Muscle Recovery Cream That Will Rest — $13.00
“Rest is our night product,” says Lundberg. “Sleep is so important for recovery, that’s really when your muscles rest. So we use lavender and geranium, known for their aromatherapy benefits to ease anxiety and induce a sense of calm to help people fall asleep. And then we add magnesium and vitamin D to help nourish while you sleep.”
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