Pamela Anderson Wants You To Have Makeup-Free Dinner Parties

In Bustle’s Pore Decisions, celebrities, influencers, and Bustle’s own readers recount their personal skin journeys: the good, the bad, and everything in between. Here, Pamela Anderson talks about going makeup-free and how she’s learned to embrace her biggest skin concerns.

It’s rare for a celebrity’s aesthetic to be so instantly recognizable that it spawns its own eponymous TikTok trend, the omnipresent “-core” appended to the end of the name. That is, unless you’re Pamela Anderson, whose signature — and highly recognizable — ’90s look (bombshell blond hair, pencil-thin brows, and smoky eye makeup, to say nothing of her emblematic fashion) birthed the #PamCore TikTok movement that’s reverberated around the social media platform.

IRL, of course, the former Baywatch star has recently become famous for her aesthetic 180: Since going makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week in 2023, Anderson has adopted a bare-faced lifestyle, even modeling in fashion campaigns without wearing a trace of foundation. And while plenty of celebs have shown their cosmetic-free selves here and there — perhaps via a selfie posted to Instagram or a red-carpet event — Anderson has maintained this au naturel way of life for more than a year.

“I’m in such a good place in my life and I want to share that with other people,” Anderson tells me over Zoom. (Yep, she’s completely bare-faced during the interview.) “The messaging that I have with this product line is to accept yourself, embrace yourself, and be fearless when it comes to sharing who you are.”

She’s referring to Sonsie, a minimalist skin care line she co-founded in early 2024. On Nov. 1, the Cleansing Mousse will be added to the collection of basics meant to streamline your beauty routine with simple yet nourishing ingredients. The formula features rose essence, which is inspired by Anderson’s own rose garden.

“I really wanted to bring a little bit of my garden wherever I go,” she says. “Since I’ve been involved with Sonsie, I just really wanted to bring all my little magic tricks and potions to the brand. I love the products — they’re what I wear as my makeup these days.”

Here, Anderson chats about her earliest skin care memory, her makeup-free lifestyle, and her uplifting beauty regimen.

What’s your earliest skin care memory?

[Over the years,] I was working so much and using so much makeup, so that was a whole other kind of skin routine. This is why I had to create something — I was always concerned about cruelty-free [formulas] and packaging, so I thought the best thing I could do was create and work with a company that’s already aligned with my beliefs.

Your routine is probably very simplistic now, but in the past, what was the most out-there thing you’d ever done in the name of beauty?

Oh, gosh. Well, do you have all day? No, I’m kidding. [Laughs.] Actually, I’ve always been kind of a tomboy, and I was always sitting in a hair and makeup chair. My kids used to joke with me that I spent half my life in a hair and makeup chair. So I used products that people gave me. So I just kind of did what I was told. I probably slept in makeup a lot too. It was a different time.

I was never really a big regimented person and probably should have been at some point.

What is your biggest skin concern, and how do you treat it?

Just moisture, since I’m always traveling. I keep it simple. Like I said, I don’t wear a lot of makeup these days, so I just go out into the world bare-faced, which I think is very intimate and vulnerable, and it’s like saying hello to everybody. It’s just very approachable.

When you first stepped onto the red carpet bare-faced, how did that feel? Did you have any nerves or were you excited?

The first time I did that was in Paris at Fashion Week, and I really didn’t think anyone would notice. I just thought, “What am I putting so much effort into?” I’m not in competition with people, I want to lift people up.

It wasn’t like I was taking a stand, but I guess I was, and I’m glad it resonated. And if I can be on the cover of a magazine with no makeup or walk down a red carpet with no makeup, hopefully that’s a fun message.

What’s your advice for people who may be afraid to go out in public without makeup on?

I was a painfully shy kid, and I never wanted to wear a bathing suit. Then one day I walked out in a bathing suit and realized no one was looking. People are more concerned about themselves and how they look, and they’re critiquing themselves. Once I broke through that shyness, I felt like [going bare-faced] was similar.

When I walked out, I thought, “Is anyone even going to notice?” And what are they going to do — fall over backwards because I’m not wearing makeup? They’re just going to go on with their day, and the next person will pass them.

We get all sucked into this world of comparing ourselves to each other. So the rebellious spirit in me thought, “Well, maybe this is meaningful.” Have makeup-free dinner parties every once in a while amongst your friends to remember what you look like. I have women bringing their daughters up to me in the airport saying, “Thank you so much for doing this.” It’s really nice, so I’m going to keep doing it.

Are there any skin concerns that you’ve struggled with, and how did you move past them?

I’m fortunate that I do have pretty good skin. For someone who’s been in the sun as much as me, I have a few age spots here and there, freckles are joining each other, but it’s just kind of funny. So that might be something I would’ve panicked about before — melasma or my freckles. But I’ve learned to love those too.

Are you someone who looks forward to doing your skin care routine?

I really do because I know, first of all, it’s cruelty-free, it’s easy to do, and I’ve seen the results. I feel comfortable enough wearing just the skin care out and about. Since I’ve been doing that, I take more time for myself. If it’s at night, I’ll have a bath, read a book, and put my three little products on. It’s not a big, complicated skin care routine. It’s just easy-breezy.

I like the intention with skin care. I like that the scents are transportive and uplifting. Happiness is a choice. I love to bring all that into the product line, because when you’re doing this, you should be looking at yourself in the mirror and knowing that you’re beautiful just the way you are.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.