The rise of ‘naked’ skin: Why Pamela Anderson going makeup free is about much more than a beauty statement

From Pamela Anderson to Andie MacDowell, Hollywood celebrities are going makeup free – and it’s prompting a new beauty trend. See the photos.

A makeup free Pamela Anderson at Paris Fashion Week. Picture: Getty Images

She is one of Hollywood’s most photographed women but not even Pamela Anderson could have predicted the “natural beauty revolution” she heralded by going makeup free in Paris.

The former Baywatch star turned activist, 56, joined a string of women in the public eye including Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis, 64, Andie MacDowell, 65, and supermodel Paulina Porizkova, 58, in shunning conventional beauty standards, and living by their own rules around ageing gracefully.

It is Anderson who, as Curtis put it, cemented this “revolution” at Paris Fashion Week. And it was so much more than a fashion statement.

In Australia, beauty retailers and experts are reporting a spike in sales of skincare products, as the industry signals a move away from overdone, heavy makeup … to a more fresh-faced, natural look.

Au natural! Pamela Anderson at the Vivienne Westwood show at Paris Fashion Week. Picture: Getty Images

It is being seen not only in the front row at Fashion Weeks, but also, on the runway – and on red carpets.

As Anderson told Vogue in Paris, “I just put on some moisturiser because I am not into the makeup look right now. I didn’t come to … Fashion Week and think, ‘I’m not gonna wear makeup.”

With her hair in long, loose waves (she said she let it air dry), a megawatt smile, and radiant, glowing skin, Anderson sat front row at shows for Isabel Marant, Vivienne Westwood and The Row.

“You kinda have to challenge beauty sometimes … if we all chase youth … we’re going to be disappointed – or maybe a bit sad,” Anderson reflected to Vogue, on her natural aesthetic.

“Sometimes I feel, am I doing the right thing? Then I think, what am I worried about? Am I worrying about what people think? How I look? This is the time for me to … be a bit rebellious and I also feel, as a woman of my age, a woman in the public eye, I think, it’s also your job to be a model of everything.

Pamela Anderson wears minimal makeup on red carpets (pictured with her son, Brandon Thomas Lee, earlier this year). Picture: Getty Images

At the American Music Awards in 2003. Picture: Getty Images

“I am just being me. I am the happiest I have ever been in my own skin. I think beauty does come from within. I don’t want to compete with the clothes. I am not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room, I feel like it’s freedom, it’s a relief. It’s an experiment, I thought, ‘I’m not going to wear any makeup at Fashion Week in Paris, which is insane’.” (Of course Anderson does, on occasion, wear makeup – though she insisted it is getting less and less frequent after the death of her long-time makeup artist Alexis Vogel in 2019).

On the impact of Anderson’s no makeup look, Curtis wrote: “This woman showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face. I am so impressed … by this act of courage and rebellion.”

Andie MacDowell as seen in Cannes this year. Picture: Getty Images

And on the set of Bad Girls in the mid-90s. Picture: Universal

Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis keep their makeup looks minimal and natural. Picture: Getty Images

Supermodel Paulina Porizkova is part of a growing movement in Hollywood to make her own beauty rules. Picture: Getty Images

Paulina Porizcova, pictured in 2008. Picture: Getty Images

At Australian mega-beauty retailer Mecca, skincare is a growing category and there has been a “huge shift” towards the natural complexion.

“This momentum has continued in a post-Covid world, and we are seeing natural and ‘skin-like’ complexion products take centre stage through innovative skin tints and multi-benefit BB and CC creams that provide light coverage and big skincare benefits,” Mecca’s skincare education manager Giorgi Strachan said.

Of the significance of Anderson’s no makeup look, Strachan said Anderson had “reignited the conversation on reclaiming yourself in a landscape that is often driven by the desire for perfection”.

“Pamela Anderson’s skin at Fashion Week … [had] a radiant, smooth and natural finish.”

Australian celebrity facialist Melanie Grant – who counts Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Aniston among her clients – said natural skin was something to be celebrated.

‘The greatest expression of self-confidence’. London-based Australian celebrity facialist, Melanie Grant.

“In the age of social media where nothing goes unfiltered, stepping out to an event with a bare face, in my opinion, is one of the greatest expressions of self confidence,” Grant said.

“We all have our own insecurities and for many, the unattainable idea of perfectionism that we endure in modern daily life can be damaging.

“However, celebrating our realness, our flaws and vulnerabilities and depicting a raw and honest version of ourselves takes courage. To me, it’s the features like a rosy cheek, a sprinkle of freckles, natural skin texture and lines from a happy life lived well are what makes us unique and in my opinion, most beautiful.”

Grant said there was “definitely an element of fatigue from the over-filtered, over-made-up images we see day in and day out across social media”. “It’s not realistic and I think we’re all becoming increasingly mindful of that,” Grant said.

“Most of my clients prefer a barefaced look in their daily lives, not just from a practicality standpoint but out of pride.

“You’d be surprised at the results possible from simply keeping the complexion clean, hydrated and protected from the sun.”

‘Skin first!’ New Zealand skincare mogul, Emma Lewisham. Picture: Emma Lewisham

Emma Lewisham designed the skincare regime for models at the Molly Goddard show during London Fashion Week. Picture: Ben Broomfield Photography

A model on the runway at Molly Goddard, with skin by Emma Lewisham. Picture: Ben Broomfield Photography

The skin you’re in! Skin by Emma Lewisham at London fashion Week. Picture: Getty Images

And the natural look has made its way onto the runways in Sydney and London, where New Zealand-born skincare mogul Emma Lewisham oversaw the grooming of models sans makeup for New Zealand designer Maggie Marilyn (at Australian Fashion Week in May) and British designer Molly Goddard (for her show during London Fashion Week in September).

“The rise of naked skin on the runway is still in its infancy, however I believe we will see more of it going forward,” Lewisham said.

“Makeup adds another creative element to a look, so by removing it and simply embracing natural, healthy skin, it leaves our undivided attention to rest on the clothes, allowing them to exist raw and unrivalled.”

Lewisham praised celebrities like Anderson for “embracing her natural beauty”. “[She] has been such a breath of fresh air and so empowering, especially to the younger generation,” Lewisham said.

“I hope we are entering an era where natural beauty, in all its imperfections, is celebrated.”

As for the future of the natural look on runways and red carpets, Lewisham – whose recent product launch, Supernatural Blemish Serum ($135), went viral – predicts it will be much more than a trend.

“I believe the popularity of barefaced skin is growing in part because of advancements in what skincare can achieve,” Lewisham said.

“People are ready for a breath of fresh air, to strip things back and start from the skin.”

Originally published as The rise of ‘naked’ skin: Why Pamela Anderson going makeup free is about much more than a beauty statement