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Priyanka Chopra is in London when she logs on to Zoom with me from her bathroom. I don't know if it's actually her bathroom or her favorite hotel, but I completely forget to ask because all I can focus on is her voluminous, shiny hair that's so magnificent it deserves an award. She casually runs her fingers through her waves so many times during our interview that if her goal was to put me in a hair-induced trance, then mission accomplished.
It makes sense, since we're here to talk about her new hair-care line, Anomaly, which has just launched exclusively at Target. Going into this interview, I wasn't sure we needed another celebrity-created line of any kind, even though Anomaly is eco-conscious (bottles are made of 100% recycled plastic), clean, and affordable, with nothing over $6. To my surprise, Chopra tells me she feels the same way.
“We see so many celebrity products that come out, and I didn’t want to get lost in that, because that’s annoying to me,” she says. “I’m not someone who ever really buys a product because of someone’s face or name. I always consume what I think is good for me.”
Chopra has always been vocal about her beliefs, and even though she's still selling a product, I believe her. Anomaly stands on its own (I can attest, having already used it), which is the point. “I wanted the brand to be outside of me, to fill a gap in the market,” she says, “and I really believed we achieved that, because I wouldn't have done it otherwise.”
The line consists of six shampoos and conditioners (including a clarifying shampoo), a deep-conditioning mask, and a dry shampoo that's so good I actually don't mind the days I can't wash my hair. As for the name, Chopra explains she was drawn to the definition of anomaly, which means “a deviation from the standard.”
“In today’s day and age, I don’t think there is a standard,” she says. “I don’t think anyone can say what is normal, what is abnormal—and that’s the beauty of this word because we’re all anomalies. We’re all unique in our own way.” She adds that the ethos of the brand is inclusive, genderless, and accessible for everyone: “Beauty shouldn’t be a hole in your wallet, and shouldn’t mean costing us the earth.”
So what else does Priyanka Chopra swear by? In Glamour's latest round of Big Beauty Questions, she fills us in on her must-have staples and the $6 lip balms that save the day.
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Glamour: What’s one trend you’re obsessed with right now?
Priyanka Chopra: Sweats! Sweats on the bottom and formal business tops on the top, especially for the Zoom world. I’m Zooming so much. Today I’m actually wearing a matching outfit for once, but usually I’m in sweats for the bottom. Today is loose pants, so I’m comfortable, but I’m still in my slippers. But otherwise I haven’t worn jeans in…I don’t know when. It’s all sweatpants.
What’s one beauty rule you think is B.S.?
Too much makeup. I honestly think less is more. I’m really someone who advocates for great skin and to focus on taking care of what your face feels like, rather than putting a lot on it. Enhancing the features we have rather than catering to beauty standards that are unreasonable to live up to.
Fill in the blank: I love my hair…
When it’s freshly washed. But I also love our dry shampoo. It’s so light! I have some on my hair today right now. You can hardly feel it, and you can still put your hands through your hair. It doesn’t leave any residue. It’s the only styling product I have in the line.
What’s your go-to getting ready music when you’re doing your hair or makeup?
I usually get my recommendations from Spotify or Apple Music. I go to Today’s Hits, which is my favorite playlist. I’m a big consumer of pop culture, so I just want to know what everyone is doing and I want to do it too.
What city or country gives you the greatest beauty inspiration?
Beaches, anywhere. I can’t say a city or a country, but when I go to the beach and can feel the sun on my body and put sunblock oil on myself and lay down and my feet feel the sand...you can tell how much I’m missing vacation.
What’s your favorite sunscreen when you go to the beach?
I discovered Supergoop!'s sunscreen oil before lockdown and now it's something I use a lot.
You can use only three products for the rest of your life. What would you choose?
Okay, so not including hair care, I would choose moisturizer. That’s very important. I believe in changing up your moisturizer every four to six months. I love Dr. Barbara Sturm's products and 111 Skin. I have dry skin and I travel a lot, so I really like to moisturize, then use a vitamin C serum, and once in a while, I'll use a hydrating face oil. Also, face wash is very crucial for dry skin because you don’t want to strip your skin of moisture you already have. I really like Dr. Barbara Sturm's foam face wash because it's superlight.
My third thing would be a tinted lip balm, because then you can use that on your cheek and eye as well to give you a flush. I was using an Hermès colored one recently, but I love a good old Carmex or a Burt's Bees with a tint. I love discovering lip balms wherever I go. It’s a weird quirk of mine. I get very excited over tinted lip balms, so that’s a quick fix in my bag all the time. I use it on my cheeks too.
How do you like to take a moment for yourself?
Honestly, I like to find a corner in my house where no one is around and watch TikTok. Or Reels on Instagram. I procrastinate so much since I discovered TikTok. I go to the Explore page, so I'll watch things like dog videos or cats doing things or people attempting dances or the silhouette challenge. I have two TikToks: one from India and one from the U.S., so it’s so much fun. It’s more fun than anything else when I need to calm down.
Screw, marry, kill: mascara, lipstick, highlighter.
Oh, kill highlighter. It’s too many products for me. I’d rather get a steam. Screw a great mascara. I am a lover of mascara! It wakes up my eyes. And marry lipstick, but let’s change it to lip tint because I don’t like lipstick. I don’t like the cream. I just have to have a little bit to get some color.
What’s the best beauty advice your mom has ever given you?
She said to have good skin you need to drink lots of water. The first thing she does in the morning is drink warm lemon water. As many glasses as you can. She has insanely amazing skin. So that and rest, which are the best things for good skin.
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If you could change one thing about beauty perceptions, what would it be?
This includes me as well, because we all fall into the trap of asking, What does everybody else think I should look like? What should my weight look like? What should my skin look like? What should my hair look like? And I wish that the beauty standard were a little more inclusive—to find beauty in different skin tones, in different dress sizes, ethnicities, cultures, and to be able to see beauty represented in all its glory.
We’re on our way because we’re all talking about it, so let’s give credit where credit’s due, but I still think there’s miles to go. We need to stay forward-thinking and forward-marching to make sure inclusivity is something that happens in beauty specifically—myself included. There are so many young girls growing up that get caught up in what they think they should be like, when we should really be empowering all kinds of beauty.
Jessica Radloff is the Glamour West Coast editor. You can follow her on Instagram @jessicaradloff14.
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