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Alicia Keys skincare routine
image caption
Alicia Keys at the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony.

How to Do Alicia Keys’ Skincare Routine

“It took me forever to get this skin.”

When Alicia Keys announced in 2016 that she was ditching makeup, most of us applauded her. After all, seeing a celebrity go bare-faced on the red carpet—and not concealed, contoured and strobed to perfection—felt like a breath of fresh air.

But you have to admit, it’s a lot easier to show off your naked complexion when there’s not a blemish nor a dark spot in sight. 

It wasn’t always that way, though. From her teens into her 30s, Alicia struggled with acne. It was a vicious cycle of covering the bumps and scars with heavy makeup, and then performing under hot lights, which would make her sweat for hours—and lead to even more breakouts. “It took me forever to get this skin. I mean, I know how it feels to have a face full of bumps and pimples. I lived through that in the public eye.”1

It wasn’t until she tweaked her diet, prioritized self-care, and switched from harsh to gentle products that her skin changed for the better. 

“I used to feel like I couldn’t use oils and things on my skin. But now I realized that the right ones on your skin are actually really, really good. That’s helped me a lot, this idea of keeping my skin more moisturized. It makes it more supple and definitely gives it more of a glow. Honestly, I didn’t know that for a long time. I was stripping everything away so much because I was concerned about the acne that I had. I didn’t realize that feeding your skin is just as important as cleaning it.”2

Now, at age 43, she keeps her skin clear and calm with a routine of minimalistic and medical-grade products—including her own from Keys Soulcare, a line she launched in 2020.

“I struggled so much in my skin and really even being clear about my self-confidence and self-worth. So, it’s a dream come true, [as] I’ve always wanted to create something [like this] because I wanted something that would work for me when I was having difficult times; that would make me feel great and that was also good for me.”3

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From The Skincare Edit Archives

Read on to find out how Alicia takes care of her skin, morning and night.

Alicia Keys skincare routine

Alicia Keys at the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony.

Her Morning Skincare Routine

1. Cleansers

Keys Soulcare Golden Cleanser

Keys Soulcare Golden Cleanser: “I love this beautiful Golden Cleanser. It’s amazing. It has turmeric in it, chamomile in it, Manuka honey—you know me and how much I love honey—and all of these things are calming for the skin, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory. It has this almost honey type of look to it, and it also smells really good. Clean, simple, easy. Nothing is overdone in Keys Soulcare. It is simple and it feels really great and it’s tested by dermatologists and it is really good for your skin. Because for me, I really need things that are good for my skin, right? We all do. I’m always scared that someone’s going to mess my skin up because it took me so long to finally get to a place where my skin is under control that I’m always a little bit nervous. With this, you don’t have to be nervous. It’s pretty light, it’s not super sudsy. I don’t feel so stripped... [my skin] feels moisturized but very clean.”

Osmosis Deep Clean Detox Cleanser

Osmosis Deep Clean Detox Cleanser: “If I’ve been sweating ‘cause I did my workout or I did my meditation, you have to wash the face. My favourite thing to use right now is Osmosis. My skin requires a little bit more strength when cleansing. I wet my hands, I lather it up, I put it on my face, it gets all lathery and everything, and now it's all about going up on the skin and on the neck. So, boom, I did that, deep cleaned it up, and now I’mma wash it off.”

2. Exfoliator