Pharrell Williams has always been pretty elusive when it comes to answering questions about his skincare routine. While making music is probably his most prominent creative endeavor, in the past 10 years there’s been an ongoing obsession among fans surrounding how he’s kept his skin so flawless — even Travis Scott was curious. When asked about it, the age-defying artist has typically attributed his perennial glow to the simple act of “washing his face only with cold water” and aggressive exfoliation. Now, the skin god has answered all of our prayers with the release of his new skincare brand “Humanrace,” created in collaboration with Dr. Elena Jones, Williams’ longtime dermatologist. The three-step system (which includes a cleanser, an exfoliant, and a moisturizer) will be a culmination of the years of skincare education passed from Jones to Williams as they’ve worked to perfect his routine overtime.
"We adhered to the European standard of 1,300 banned ingredients as an important starting point and then we went further to develop our own restrictions," she told InStyle. "We worked to create products that had no rocks, nuts, seeds, or plastic particles in our formulas to ensure no microtears occur which can result in damaging your skin."
We hope Pharrell continues to drop skincare gems throughout the course of his Humanrace rollout, but in the meantime, before the product drops on November 25, we’ve gathered his top skin care tips over the years:
Wash Your Face With Cold Water
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In 2014, Williams chopped it up with Angie Martinez in a Hot 97 interview where he shared that model Naomi Campbell passed along the tip to “Wash my face with cold water to keep pores closed.”
In an article for wellandgood.com Dr. Sheel Desai Solomon said, “It helps give your face vitality and more color. It also enhances the brightness of your skin by getting the circulation going and literally waking up your skin,” she says. “Since cold water is capable of shrinking the pores, it’s also something that can help make your face less shiny. That’s because it’s via your pores that oils produced by the sebaceous glands reach the surface of your skin. With the size of your pores considerably reduced, the number of oils that cover your face can be kept to a minimum.”
Be Diligent About Exfoliation
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“You have to exfoliate like a crazy man,” Williams told Gayle King in a 2019 interview for CBS This Morning.
While exfoliation 1-2 times a week is highly recommended by dermatologists, people that get into the habit of over exfoliation risk painful cracking and peeling of the skin according to this Healthline article. In it, dermatologist Dr. Aanand Geria stated, “Skin can look waxy from wiping away skin cells and natural oils, allowing premature exposure of underlying skin. The skin appears as if it has a radiant shine, however, it is in fact very dry and exposed.”
Drink a Lot of Water
Use Toner
Drug Store Cleansers Work
