Gabrielle Union Shares the ‘Crass’ Tip She Applies to Skin Care—And Her Hero Product

Gabrielle Union’s skin has been oily; it’s been dry; it’s been subject to hormonal shifts that took her by surprise. “How do you get acne as a fully grown-ass woman?” the actor muses as she shares her beauty secrets with Vogue. “But I found a way [through it]!” And now, she glows.

The 13-step skin-care regimen that Union ultimately landed on took some trial and error. Luckily, the Bring It On star has a mindset about skin care—and life in general—that keeps her game for experimentation: “If you see someone’s skin that you like, [ask them] What are you doing? Tell me the products; tell me the routine! And hope that it works for you,” she instructs. “And if it doesn’t? It’s like dating. Just keep trying.”

To illustrate her point, Union holds up a box of tissues: “My aunt once said, and she said it much more crass than this, men, or women, are like Kleenex. You try it, you use it”—with this, Union plucks out a tissue and blows her nose—“and oh, look! Another one’s popped up in its place.”

But at this point, the 52-year-old has discovered products that aren’t quite as disposable as the allergy-season staple. After cleansing, toning, and sculpting with the TheraFace Depuffing Wand and the Shani Darden Facial Sculpting Wand (a discovery she credits to Jessica Alba), Union reveals the MVP of her complexion-perfecting routine. “If I have a hero product, it’s the [U Beauty] Resurfacing Compound,” she says. “I started using U Beauty in September, and I’ve never gotten more compliments on my face.”

Shop Gabrielle Union’s routine, below.

Director: Gabrielle Reich
DP: Josh Herzog
Editor: Michael Suyeda

Associate Producer: Lea Donenberg
Line Producer: Natasha Soto-Albors
Production Manager: David Alvarez Paz
Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar
Associate Talent Manager: Phoebe Dishner

Postproduction Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Postproduction Coordinator: Holly Frew
Supervising Editor: Erica DeLeo
Assistant Editor: Justin Symonds
Associate Director, Postproduction: Nicholas Ascanio
Filmed at: 1 Hotel Central Park