Chris Appleton Drops His Skin-Care Routine

Chris Appleton is to thank for the most major hair trends of the past couple years. He is responsible for Ariana Grande’s snatched pony, created J. Lo’s iconic Superbowl waves, made Dua Lipa a blonde for a night, and is behind too many iconic Kim K hair moments to count. It goes without saying—the man knows good hair. 

But he also knows a thing or two about skin. Today, Appleton has his antiaging routine on lock, but it wasn’t always this way. “Skin care is interesting for men, because traditionally we’re taught that if you use products as a man, it’s ‘girly,’ and you should only use soap and water because that’s the masculine thing to do,” he tells Glamour. “Obviously, I quickly realized that doesn’t work for youthful-looking skin. Men have been brought up with this conception that you shouldn’t use a lot of products, whereas I think that’s really changing nowadays. Now it’s become okay to use products, and it’s actually good to look after your skin.”

Appleton is no stranger to looking after his skin, and he’s had quite a journey doing so. In his 20s he dealt with severe acne, and he’s done Accutane three separate times. He also had to completely reevaluate his skin after moving to L.A. from London during his 30s. “I really noticed a big difference in just how much damage the sun did to my skin,” he says. “I guess at the age of 30 as well, your skin changes. You’re not 20 anymore. It doesn’t just spring back.”

Luckily, he has his good friend, dermatologist Jason Diamond, MD, on call for any questions. “I’ll always ask him any sun-damage questions, or even down to how to maintain your skin on a daily basis.” Dr. Diamond also gives Appleton a Clear + Brilliant facial every now and then to keep breakouts at bay. 

But really, it all comes down to his at-home routine. “A lot of people don’t think I look my age,” he says. “I take care of my skin and I use good products, but I think I’m very regular, very persistent with them. Men need to look after their skin. It doesn’t matter if you’re male, female, whatever you are. It doesn’t matter what filter you use. It doesn’t matter how much makeup you wear, if you’ve got a great face underneath.

 “I just like to use stuff that really works,” he says. So what exactly are those products? Read on to find out.

My cleanser

I’m really big on using a good facial wash. I love my SkinMedica cleansing gel. I wash my face every day, sometimes twice a day if I’m filming and they put makeup on me. It’s really gentle, but it does clean the pores really well. I had a problem with acne when I was younger and I still have bouts of it every now and then. So I have to keep my skin super clean and clear.

My serum

As soon as I’m out the shower, I like to use the SkinMedica TNS serum. It’s really good; it gives the appearance of much tighter, smoother skin. It gets rid of wrinkles. And I think the overall texture is really nice. So I put this on, and it has that firming effect and it lifts, which I really, really like.

My moisturizers

To finish off, I use the HA⁵ by SkinMedica, which is a really beautiful moisturizer, and I’m very loyal to it. It really hydrates and plumps the skin. You know if a balloon was a little deflated, and you just put some air in and it smooths it out? It kind of does that. I feel like it has a nice plumping effect.