Tracee Ellis Ross Swears by This Hydrating Face Mask for Ageless, Glowing Skin at 47 (2024)

• Tracee Ellis Ross’ skincare routine is all about hydration.
• Lately, the actress has been loving the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Mask, which is packed with hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5.
• “I do not wear foundation if I’m not working. I don’t even wear a lot of it when I am working. I like to see my freckles. I like to see my skin,” she says.

Tracee Ellis Ross’ skincare routine is committed to hydration—in her body, in her hair (via her hair care line, Pattern Beauty), and on her skin. In a 2019 video with Vogue, she said she’d rather slather creams than apply foundation any day. “Some people spend time putting on makeup,” she said. “I spend time hydrating my skin.”

To do so, she uses a myriad of lotions, serums, and oils (Biologique Recherche’s Le Grand Serum and La Grande Crème, to name a few), but when she feels like her skin really needs a drink, lately she’s been loving the SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 Mask, which is packed with skin-plumping hyaluronic acid and anti-inflammatory vitamin B5.

“I love moisture masks,” Ross recently told Shape. “I’ve been known to do up to three or four a day. Why not?” She said she’ll even wear one into work on Black-ish to prep her skin for makeup and filming.

“I do not wear foundation if I’m not working. I don’t even wear a lot of it when I am working. I like to see my freckles. I like to see my skin,” she explained. “For me, it’s the freshness that I respond to. I usually take my makeup off before I leave work, and sometimes I will drive myself home wearing a mask.”

When she gets home, it’s onto body moisturizing. “I usually spray my body down with a hydration mist that was meant for your face. And then, when my skin is still a little damp, I put on two natural lotions,” she said. Her favorites are Shikai’s Natural Moisturizing Hand & Body Lotion and Kiss My Face’s Sensitive Skin Natural Moisturizer. “I combine them,” she added. “If I want an extra layer, I use body oil on top of that.”

But what keeps Tracee glowing most of all is exercise, deep breathing, and keeping an optimistic mind. “I used to spend so much time trying to be perfect, to get it perfect. But that’s not realistic,” she explained to Shape. “Bad feelings come up. There was an element of risk to try something different—to try on the idea of: What if the universe is conspiring for good? Not necessarily mine, but what if I don’t have the full picture here? What if this is all OK? And that was the start of a turning point. If you keep putting good stuff in your cup, eventually it overflows. And you’ll be like, ‘Oh, I need a new container.’”

Support from readers like you helps us do our best work. Go here to subscribe to Prevention and get 12 FREE gifts. And sign up for our FREE newsletter here for daily health, nutrition, and fitness advice.