How to Do Zoë Kravitz’s Skincare Routine

Self-care may be trendy right now, but for Zoë Kravitz, it’s been a lifelong habit. Thanks to her parents—Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz—the 33-year-old has been practising self-care ever since she was a teen. 

“My parents, they’re both in the entertainment industry and want to look and feel good,” she explains. “I think they always wanted me to take care of myself, and take care of my skin and make sure I am aware of the ingredients that are in the products I’m using.”^[1]

That’s why she mainly uses clean and facialist-formulated skincare, alongside a few luxury favourites to accentuate (not hide) her features. “I really think that beauty starts from within—from your health, your gut, your beauty routine, your skin routine, being hydrated—and then you don’t have to use makeup to cover yourself up. You can use it to highlight.”

But if you thought her skin has always been naturally flawless, think again. “Growing up, I had acne,” she admits. “I had a lot of acne on my forehead and on my cheeks. And I still break out, you know? It happens. Even if you don’t have a lot of makeup on, living in a city like New York, there’s pollution and shit in the air.”

Fortunately, she has a few go-to treatments and tools for banishing blemishes, and not one but three facialists in her rotation. 

Here’s what’s involved in Zoë’s daily skin routine.

Zoë Kravitz’s Skincare Routine (At a Glance)

Her Morning Skincare Routine

1. Cleansers

Retrouvé Luminous Cleansing Elixir: “I wash my face morning and night. I like a company called Retrouvé, or Joanna Vargas.”

Joanna Vargas Vitamin C Face Wash: “I like her face washes.”

Rhonda Allison Pumpkin Lactic Cleanse: “Always start with a clean face—especially if you’re going to put on makeup. Currently I’m really into Rhonda Allison’s pumpkin or skin brightening cleanser right now—they’re organic and they’re yummy, and smell good. Also, my face feels super clean after.”

2. Exfoliator

Dayle Breault Goddess of Skin Bonafide Scrub: “My facialist, Dayle Breault, makes fantastic products. They’re all organic and natural, and I use all of her exfoliants and serums.”

3. Serums

Retrouvé Nutrient Face Serum: “I’m going to use this Retrouvé serum. Really just lovely. I love all their products, but in the summertime, the serum’s just really nice and light.”

Dayle Breault Goddess of Skin Truthful Serum: “I like her serum. I’ll add that when it gets so dry here. For the most part, everything I use is either by Dayle or it’s on the natural side. I don’t like to put too much on if I don’t know what it is. The product is going in your pores every day.”

4. Face Mists

Caudalie Beauty Elixir: “I love Caudalie Beauty Elixir.... It’s good to keep your skin hydrated in between serums and stuff, and it has a really nice, minty, fresh feeling.”

Dayle Breault Goddess of Skin Synergy Mist: “In the wintertime, I might use Dayle’s mist afterward, because it keeps your skin moisturized.”

5. Moisturizers

Arcona Magic White Ice: “I really like Arcona products.”

Shiva Rose Glow Face Balm: “Love this smell, and it gives skin a nice shine.”

Simply Divine Botanicals Skincredible! Revitalizing Sandalwood Elixir: “Great light moisturizer for all skin types, and for both day and night. I love the smell.”

6. Eye Creams

Retrouvé Revitalizing Eye Concentrate: “Retrouvé does a great eye cream.”

Dr. Hauschka Daily Hydrating Eye Cream: “Under the eyes, I use a cream by Dr. Hauschka.”

7. Sunscreens

ISUN Antioxidant Sun Butter SPF 27: “So this company, ISUN, is fantastic, and I love this Sun Butter. You can use it on your body and your face. I’m a really sensitive person to smells, and when something smells yummy... I get a lot. So this smells kind of like peanut buttery happiness. I don’t know, but it’s really, really delicious. A little goes a long way.”

Aesop Avail Facial Lotion with Sunscreen SPF 25: “I’ve not always worn SPF. It’s something actually I’m just becoming strict about. I have freckles, which I love, but I’m getting more and more, and I just want to make sure I’m not damaging my skin. I live in New York and I walk outside all day, and all of a sudden you realize you’ve been basically baking in the sun for like, 12 hours. It’s important that we protect our skin.”

Her Nighttime Skincare Routine

1. Cleansers

Retrouvé Luminous Cleansing Elixir: “No matter what time it is and what my night’s been, I will wash my face religiously.”

Joanna Vargas Vitamin C Face Wash: “This has a light, refreshing smell but still gets the face clean.”

Dayle Breault Goddess of Skin Profound Cleanser: “My facialist, Dayle Breault, whom I’ve been going to since I was 15—my mom and dad go to her, too, which is how I found out about her—makes her own line. She has an amazing face wash that I use.”

Simply Divine Botanicals You Can’t Zit Here! Blemish Banishing Foamy Wash: “I like this company called Simply Divine Botanicals. Their products are organic. They make really great body butters, and they have a face wash I like, too.”

2. Exfoliator/Retinol

Skin Script Glycolic and Retinol Pads: “Glycolic and retinol pads by Skin Script... my mom showed these to me and I love them.”

3. Acne Treatments

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: “I get bummed when my skin breaks out. It really affects my mood and my confidence. Obviously it happens to everyone and it’s fine, but I really try to keep it under control. If I have a pimple and I know I have a shoot coming, I start to panic. Mario Badescu drying cream [is always in my medicine cabinet].”

Arcona Tabula Rasa Spot Repair: “If I’m eating too much sugar or not sleeping enough, I see it in my skin. This is great for pimples because it’s a bit astringent.”

4. Serum

Retrouvé Nutrient Face Serum: “I really like Retrouvé’s Nutrient Face Serum and their Intensive Replenishing Facial Moisturizer.”

5. Moisturizers

Retrouvé Intensive Replenishing Facial Moisturizer: “It’s like this really thick, rich serum, and that’s what I use as my moisturizer. Incredibly hydrating, and I love the smell and texture of this—it feels like putting honey on your face.”

Arcona Gentle Solution: “My favourite night cream.”

6. Eye Creams

Retrouvé Revitalizing Eye Concentrate: “Their eye cream is amazing.”

Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado: “Kiehl’s has an avocado eye cream that’s good, too.”

7. Lip Balm

Dr. Hauschka Lip Balm: “My lip balm is by Dr. Hauschka.”

Her Skincare Treatments

Face Mask

ISUN Chlorella-Algae Facial Mask: “My skin gets angry if I’m stressed out, so I’ll do a mask to clear it up.”

Light Therapy

LightStim for Acne: “I have this device at home actually. It’s a light that’s supposed to kill bacteria, it’s called LightStim! My boyfriend makes so much fun of me when I hold it up to my face.”

Facials

Dayle Breault: “Where I really spoil myself is my facials with Dayle. She’s between LA and New York, and I try to go as often as I can. Her facials have also become my go-to gifts for girlfriends. My theory is, when your skin is good, you can be confident and you don’t have to wear makeup.”

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Christine Chin: “In New York, I go to Christine Chin.”

Terri Lawton: “I think facials are really important to clean out your skin, especially if you travel a lot. In LA, I go to Terri Lawton, who is wonderful. [She] tells me food directly affects your skin. So does stress. Eat well and stay calm.”

Steaming

“I love steam rooms, because it helps get all the toxins out and rejuvenates your body. I have a steam shower in my apartment, which is awesome. I steam at least once a day, and sometimes again right before bed if I’ve been out drinking and dancing—it’s a nice way to prevent a hangover.”

Her Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle

Diet

“I think beauty starts from the inside, which is that I try to eat well and organic and know where my food is coming from.... I was raised vegan. My mom would always make quinoa with squash and kale, hippie stuff like that. Now I eat meat, but I try to be conscious about where it’s coming from. But I stick to mostly vegan health food just because it’s how I grew up.”

Water

“I really think wellness starts with diet, exercise, hydration. I try and drink a lot of water. It’s easy to forget to do that, too.” 

Detoxing

Dr. Schulze’s 30-Day Detox Program: “Me and my mother, every year we try and do the Dr. Schulze 30-day cleanse together. It’s a 30-day cleanse that focuses on all your different organs—so, your bowel, your liver, your kidney, gallbladder and then bowel again. And it’s just a nice thing to kind of reset your body every year. And if you don’t do that cleanse, it’s fine; I just think taking a week of eating raw, natural foods is a great way to just kind of let your body relax because it’s constantly working to process everything that we’re putting in it. So it’s nice to basically give your guts a vacation.”

Exercise

“I do try to fit in cardio. In the summertime, I’ll run in the park or something, and in the winter, it’s the gym. I also walk everywhere. Thank God for New York because I probably spend 80 percent of my time walking, from going up and down stairs to catching the subway.”

Self-Care

“The thing I’ve always carried with me in terms of beauty is that you really have to take care of yourself. You have to drink water and sleep and eat well. All of that. Makeup, I always say, should highlight the things you love about yourself but it can only do so much. So if you’re not taking care of yourself, your skin’s not going to look good, then no amount of makeup can fix that.”

Attitude

“To me, beauty is an attitude, you know? When I see someone who is comfortable in their own skin and knows who they are, I think that’s gorgeous. I’ve seen so many people who on paper are ‘beautiful,’ and there’s just nothing behind the eyes—they’re totally insecure, and all of a sudden, the beauty doesn’t mean anything, and I don’t find them beautiful anymore. That beauty lasts about two seconds.”

^{Sources: [1] • [2] • [3] • [4] • [5] • [6] • [7] • [8] • [9] • [10] • [11] • [12] • [13] • [14] • [15] • [16]}

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