Before there were endless influencers and beauty tastemakers at our fingertips, we turned to supermodels. These select women embodied the coolest clothes and the hottest new trends. But the era of 90s supermodels specifically, will live on to be the best of the best. Even now, over twenty years later, we still look to that time for inspiration. Amongst those top models? Cindy Crawford.
Between posing for countless magazine covers, an iconic Pepsi commercial, and high-fashion campaigns, Crawford somehow managed to launch a beauty brand—Meaningful Beauty. “When we first started talking about Meaningful Beauty I was 35 and now I’m 58,” says Crawford. “Maybe you start thinking about skincare in your thirties, but you need it in your forties. You go, oh my god, that thing thought was never going to happen to me, it’s happening to me.”
However, you may be surprised to know that previous to meeting her co-founder, Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh, Crawford’s skincare routine was almost nonexistent. Through trial and error, a few key products, and a trustworthy expert, she slowly curated formulas that are now the key to her glowy skin. Ahead, Crawford shares her first skincare experiences, the tips she shares with her daughter, and the one thing she doesn’t want women to forget about beauty.
About Her Skin
I have combination skin, so my biggest concerns are probably anti-aging and hyperpigmentation. I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup in real life. I live in Malibu and it just doesn’t make sense. So for me, it’s about keeping my skin looking good and glowy so I don’t feel like I have to cover up with makeup.
How She Got Into Skincare
I didn't know anything when I started modeling because my mother didn't wear makeup. I think she had one tub of Pond's Cold Cream. That was all I knew. When I started modeling, sometimes you had to do your own glam on set. I would have to watch the other girls to learn. There were no YouTube tutorials then. When you're in your teens and early twenties you can get away with not doing much skincare. Then I met Dr. Jean-Louis Sebagh when I was 28. That is really what flipped the switch for me.
Her First Skin Treatment
Of course, I’d get pimples while I was working but I never had acne. One day a makeup artist told me to go see this guy who was a plastic surgeon, Dr. Sebagh. I thought, I’m 28, why are you sending me to a plastic surgeon? But she explained that he does this skin treatment. So I went with her and he did mesotherapy, and it had what he called, the vitamin cocktail. It included this special ingredient, the Melon extract, which we now have in Meaningful Beauty.
I thought my skin was good when I went in, but after the treatment, my skin was so much more lush. Wearing makeup, being under hot lights, and traveling a lot had dulled my skin down and I didn't even realize it until after the treatment. I was in Paris a lot at the time, so I'd get treatments [regularly]. Before [meeting him] I just didn't believe that anything you rubbed on your skin could make a difference. I felt like he was on the cutting edge of the science and of this age maintenance idea so seven years later, we created Meaningful Beauty together.
Her Morning vs Nighttime Routine
When I wake up in the morning, I dry brush my body and wash my face. I love to use a gua sha and then I usually take a shower or a jacuzzi. Then my morning routine is super simple. I use the Meaningful Beauty Youth Activating Melon Serum. Then I use the Anti-Aging Day Crème which has SPF 30 and finish with the Lifting Eye Crème.
At night obviously I wash my face with a cleanser. I use the Youth Activating Melon Serum again, always morning and night. Our Age Recovery Night Crème has retinol, but a soft retinol, so it’s great for even delicate skin. I love it because I need cell turnover. I try to give my neck a little extra love. When you drive, your neck and decollete gets sun so those products are more as needed.
The Skincare Step She Never Skips
I love the Youth Activating Melon serum. If I only had one step, it would be this serum. It’s so light and your skin just drinks it in. If I'm going to be inside [all day] I'll just put the serum on and then wait till I'm going to go out to apply makeup. The Youth Serum is very active so I couldn't do without the day cream. I need the SPF.
The Ingredient That Makes The Biggest Difference
I'd have to say the Melon Leaf Stem Cell Technology. It was in the very first treatment and that's what got me kind of obsessed with Dr. Sebagh from the beginning. The cool thing is as 20 years have passed, we just keep amplifying it. Our new ingredient, which I think we're the first skincare line to do this, is Hydrosome H2O. It breaks the water down into tiny bubbles so that it can draw the other ingredients deeper into your skin so that they can be more efficacious. I love it when we take something good and make it better with new science.
Skincare Secrets She Shares
I taught my daughter very young that foundation and creams are where it's worth investing in the good stuff. Wash your skin before going to bed. Try to stay out of the sun and don't burn your skin. I think those are the big [beauty tips] that I have shared with her. I had to teach my mother the same things because she never did skincare. With my friends, we're always like, oh, have you tried this? Have you tried that? That's one of the great things about being a woman is how much we love sharing with each other.
Her Skincare Pet Peeve
I don’t like when products pill. The other day I tried a new foundation and I had already done my skincare. When I put it on and it started pilling and I was just like, this is going [straight] into trash.
The Product That's Been in Her Routine the Longest
The [Meaningful Beauty] day cream. Dr. Sebagh has drilled into me that you have to protect your skin during the day. It’s almost like first do no harm, right? With skincare, the first thing you need to do is not get more damage. Then we can start treating it.
What Being A Brand Founder Has Taught Her
The biggest lesson that being a brand founder has taught me is that the beauty industry can feel superficial. But it's not—it [actually] gives women confidence. That is what makes it meaningful. When we feel like we look good, we actually show up in the world with a little more confidence or pep in our step. That’s why it matters.
I think about when you're a young girl and you play dress up with your friends or you're playing with makeup. It's fun. It's supposed to be fun. A lot of times the pressure to have the perfect cat eye or the perfect this, we forget about having fun. Come on, it's fun ladies!
