Reese Witherspoon’s Skincare Secrets
The actress opens up about her current skin concerns and the advice she’s passing down to her kids.
Clean beauty has come a long way. Just a few years ago, the hunt for a simpler ingredient list usually ended with sacrificing efficacy and skin-transforming results. But we’ve now entered an entirely new age, one where it’s not just good enough to be a clean product—it has to be a clean product that performs.
Biossance is leading the “clean science” revolution with its signature plant-based squalane, and that’s precisely why beloved actress Reese Witherspoon signed on in April to be the brand’s global ambassador.
“I started looking for clean beauty solutions probably like a year and a half ago,” Witherspoon tells BAZAAR.com. “I was in my hometown Sephora and was looking at the Biossance products. It has such great reviews, and somebody mentioned it to me so I bought a bunch. I just started using them. And I found them so effective, completely luxurious, unlike any other clean product I’ve ever used. And I was just hooked.”
BAZAAR.com caught up with Witherspoon after a recent Biossance event to chat about her skin journey, how she unwinds at the end of a long day, and which of her iconic characters share her skin care routine.
What has your skin journey been like the last few years, and what are your concerns now?
My skin texture has changed a little bit—it’s a little bit drier. I definitely struggle with brown spots, I think from pregnancy, and so I’m looking for products that are really effective for dark-spot treatment. Especially in the summer, they get darker since they come up with heat. But you know, moisturizing, making sure the texture is very smooth, that’s really important for the base under the makeup, because the cameras now are so HD and there’s nowhere to hide.
What are two or three things you think have contributed to how great your skin looks now. Is it a product, a lifestyle factor, or both?
I do think it all goes together—you know, getting enough sleep, eating well. I eat well the majority of the week, so I think that has a lot to do with it. One day a week, I get my cheat day, where I eat as much cake and pizza as I want, but I try to be pretty healthy the rest of the time. Exercise is a big piece and drinking a lot of water. I try not to drink too much coffee, but sometimes, I drink too much coffee. But then, you know, as far as skin care is concerned, just really making sure I’m cleaning and washing my face twice a day, particularly on heavy-makeup days, and moisturizing and adding all the serums, because they really do make a big difference.
You mentioned earlier that you have really strict morning and nighttime skin care routines now.
I didn’t realize how strict it was. I have a whole process. Once I was like, “Oh, that’s a solid 13 minutes.”
That’s nothing compared to beauty editors. You’re in good company here. What’s one piece of skin care advice that you’re passing down to your kids?
Well, Ava’s so into beauty. She just has always loved it, even as a little girl. She watched YouTube videos, and she can do her own makeup so beautifully. So it’s really fun to watch her do it. She teaches me a lot of stuff. I definitely get a lot of tips from her. She has a different skin type than me, though, so she likes completely different products.
I believe just the importance of taking off your makeup every night, moisturizing your skin, and sunscreen! It really accumulates—what you do to your skin when you’re 18 shows up on your face when you’re 40.
You’ve played so many iconic characters over the years. Which one do you think would have the skin care routine closest to your own?
I mean, Elle Woods, probably. Or Madeline Martha Mackenzie from Big Little Lies. She invests a lot in skincare, and is very passionate about the environment as well. I feel like Madeline probably knows the owner of Biossance and maybe has some stock.
How do you unwind after a long day other than your nighttime skin care routine? Do you read before bed?
My sweats go on the minute I come home. Bra off, sweats on. I usually read about 30 minutes to an hour every night, and that just relaxes me. I listen to, like, relaxing music that really sets the mood for bed. It’s either, like, scrolling through TikTok or reading a book, and I find reading a book much more beneficial for my mental health. Reading really is like a relaxation technique for me. It takes me to another place. I’m thinking about these characters. I get very immersed in their world. And everything else kind of fades away.
(harpersbazaar.com)