Drop the Routine

Emma Chamberlain Drops Her Skin-Care Routine

An oil that makes you “look like a newborn baby” is among the list of what the content creator can't live without.

March 30, 2021

When it comes to Emma Chamberlain, the word relatable gets tossed around a lot. It's for a good reason, since the 19-year old content creator possesses that rare quality that makes each and every one of her 10 million YouTube subscribers feel like her bestie. She discusses mental health and insecurities with the same ease and humor as her thrifting obsession and the quest for the best fast-food French fries that makes it impossible not to watch her.

This openness applies to her skin as well, which is why Gen-Z skin-care brand Bad Habit tapped her as its creative director and global brand ambassador. “I've had so much fun exploring what works for me and what I enjoy in a product,” Chamberlain says. “They might be very different from the next guy, but it's what I like. But also I like to look at skin care as self-care. I think Bad Habit and I, we both look at skin care like a self-care thing. It's fun, it's relaxing, it shouldn't be a chore.”

This positive approach hasn't always been her attitude, though. Up until recently, Chamberlain openly struggled with acne. “Luckily, since getting off Accutane, my skin has been way more manageable,” she says. “My skin used to react badly to virtually any product I put on it. It was a hormonal thing and kind of out of my control. No products could fix it, so that was very frustrating. But now it's done.”

Now her routine is all about stopping the occasional pimple in its tracks and piling on the moisture—and accepting that sometimes it just is what it is. “No matter how amazing your products are, it might not help,” she says. “It might be something out of your control. So really, it's like using the right products to shrink that stuff quickly and move forward.”