Camila Mendes reveals her skincare secrets

Camila Mendes is the first to admit that she didn’t know how lucky she was as a teen to have skin that was “pretty low maintenance”. In fact, it wasn’t until her acting career began to take off—breaking out in 2017 as Veronica on the cult-favourite CW series Riverdale—that she began to recognise just how fortunate she had been.

“I used to say I’m on the low-effort side,” Mendes tells me of her skincare routine over video call from her home in Los Angeles, “but now I’m probably somewhere in the middle … I’m constantly experimenting, so I would say that requires a little bit more effort.”

Thanks to her mother’s interest in health and wellness, she’s always had an interest in more gentle skincare products—so when she came across the results-driven, self-care-oriented hydrogel face mask brand Loops, she became a fast fan. And when an opportunity came along to join the brand not only as a partner, but as creative director, she jumped at the chance.

“It was less about branching out into the world of beauty and more about branching out into the world of Loops. I just fell in love with their products, and I felt really passionate about the brand itself. And I just really wanted to be a part of their growth, so the partnership just felt really natural to me,” she says.

 Bazaar Australia sat down with Mendes to discuss all things skincare and Loops—from Mendes’ current routine for glowing skin to the realities of juggling life as an actor and Loops' creative director.

Harper’s Bazaar: Have you always been interested in skincare throughout your life?

Camila Mendes: I’ve always been interested in self-care and maintaining healthy skin, but I had a very limited understanding of the science behind skincare. It wasn’t until I started working as an actor and wearing heavier makeup on set that I really started experiencing more problems with my skin, so that’s when I really began to expand my knowledge of skincare.

HB: What are some of your earlier memories of discovering skincare, or learning and trialling skincare routines?

CM: When I was a teenager, I remember being at drugstores — you know, that’s where teenagers usually buy their skincare—and I just remember scanning the shelves for the most organic, clean products that were available to me. And I don’t know why—I think maybe it’s because my mother was very into health and wellness growing up, so those values were kind of embedded in me—but I’ve always had an interest in products with gentle, non-abrasive ingredients.

HB: Did you have any fears or reservations about stepping into the world of beauty?

CM: Yeah, definitely. I mean, I knew it was going to be a challenge and I had some reservations about dividing my focus because I’m a perfectionist, and I really don’t like doing anything half-heartedly. So I knew I would take that role as creative director seriously. And I wanted to make sure I had enough real estate in my schedule to take that on without sacrificing my work as an actor, so I think that was my biggest reservation. But before I became a partner and signed on as creative director, I made sure to communicate my concerns to the team. And luckily they were very supportive of my acting career, and they really understood it’s important in this partnership.

HB: You mentioned that it wasn’t until you got into acting that you began to have more issues with your skin—what were those like, and how have you altered your routine to deal with them?

CM: Well, there were multiple problems and each one required its own solution. Sometimes it was breakouts, sometimes it was my skin was too dry or irritated. There were always a different variety of things that I was struggling with because of wearing more makeup, (and getting) clogged pores. 

HB: When it comes to your role as a partner and creative director, what does that entail—what does it look like on a weekly basis?

CM: Every week is so different, especially because we’re still a start-up and there’s a smaller team of people, so it’s very intimate and collaborative. It entails a lot of ideating, whether that’s for brand photo shoots, product launches, or just general content creation for social media. Sometimes there’s a big shoot that we’re planning, or we’re talking about what kind of messaging we should be touching on for that month, and just kind of staying consistent with meetings and constantly conversing about next steps. But my favourite part is creative directing the photoshoots—that’s definitely where I have the most fun.

HB: So when it comes to your own skincare routine, are you more of a low-effort person, or like, a 12-step person?

CM: You know, I used to say that I’m more on the low effort side, but I feel like that’s an outdated answer, I don’t think it’s that honest anymore. Now I’m probably somewhere in the middle. I’m definitely not a 12-step routine person, but I wouldn’t say I’m that low effort either.

I do like to like try new products and alternate serums—I’m constantly experimenting, and so I would say that requires a little bit more effort. I’m not just like, wash face, moisturise, be done. I think I have to kind of stay ahead of the game with my skin, because you never know when you’re going to have to attend an event and wear all this heavy makeup, or if I book a job and I have to start filming every day, long hours, lots of heavy makeup.

And I also have noticed that my breakouts are usually hormonal, so I’ll break out when I’m about to menstruate. So I’ve kind of started to anticipate that that’s gonna happen and so I try to avoid any cystic pimples appearing by just being extra diligent with my skincare routine.

HB: And has that approach to skincare changed throughout your life?

CM: When I was younger, I really didn’t wear a lot of makeup. I didn’t do much to my skin, and it didn’t really give me that many problems—I feel very lucky to say that. But growing up as a teenager, I would get a pimple here and there, but overall my skin was pretty low maintenance and it really wasn’t until my early adulthood that I started having to combat more issues with my skin. And so I think with more issues came more effort.

HB: Yeah, I feel like the biggest myth is that skincare problems start and end in your teenage years—that’s definitely not been the case for me.

CM: No, right?! Like, I thought if I passed my teenage years that I was in the clear, but I guess not. Yeah, [laughs] I don’t know if it’s like — are we just more stressed as adults? Is it just a stress response happening, or what?

 

HB: How do you feel LOOPS is changing the narrative about face masks being a skincare investment, rather than just self-care?

CM: I think there’s multiple ways that it’s changing the narrative. I think even though LOOPS promotes the value of masking in the self-care space, we’re very serious about our value as real skincare. Like, the fact that our masks are made from hydrogel means that the serum penetrates even deeper into the skin, so you’re absorbing more of the ingredients than you would when applying serum the traditional way. But I also think they’re changing that narrative by curating masks for moments that we experience in daily life — you don’t need a special occasion to treat your skin; why not make a habit out of treating your skin? I think that’s part of the main messaging with LOOPS.

This piece originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar Australia