Elizabeth Warren never washes her face, and other 2020 skincare routines
Elizabeth Warren shocked the internet Thursday when it was revealed that she does not wash her face — well, at least not in the conventional way. In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, the Massachusetts senator known for her flawless complexion shared a skincare secret that many who have followed her have been wondering about: Pond's Moisturizer.
"Every morning, every night," Warren said. "And I never wash my face."
Warren's routine was inspired by an older cousin named Tootsie decades ago, and the senator has stuck to it.
Skincare, fitness regimens, and healthy eating tips are often subjects of interest during campaign season as candidates, and the reporters who follow them, endure grueling hours and lots of travel and little sleep. Routines are hard to keep, and are often sacrificed for whatever is convenient. The 24x7 news cycle means candidates always have to be camera ready. And for women candidates, the scrutiny is often more intense and uneven. To help level the playing field, at least for a moment, Cosmopolitan has been posing the question about skincare to all of the candidates who come in for an interview, and the question comes only at the end, after a lengthy discussion of the campaign and policy issues.
The question also reveals a dividing line between Democratic candidates: those who used moisturizer and those who don't.
Here's how the candidates are taking care of their skin, according to their interviews with Cosmopolitan.
Elizabeth Warren
The 70-year-old senator swears by Pond's Moisturizer. "I have — had, she's passed now — but a much older cousin named Tootsie," Warren explained. "Years ago, I was, I guess probably somewhere in my 20s, and we're at a big family reunion. And Tootsie was beautiful. I looked over at her, and I said, 'Toots, how do you have such gorgeous skin?' She said, 'Pond's Moisturizer every morning, every night, and never wash your face.' So from Tootsie to me to you."
Cory Booker
When it comes to his face, the New Jersey senator keeps it simple: "A bar of soap," he said.
But when it comes to shaving, it becomes more complicated. "There's something called Magic Shaving Powder, which a lot of black men use," he said. "It's to help you not have razor bumps, which is an African American male, very serious problem. So I shave with this stuff, which you mix the powder up, which always gets me stopped in security lines and TSA. They're like, 'Hi, Senator Booker... Senator Booker, what is this?!' And they're like, 'It's a powder. It's a colored powder!' Then police dogs get called in, I'm up against the wall. It's just terrible. For me, it's very important."
Pete Buttigieg
The 37-year-old former mayor of South Bend is known for having a simple uniform on the campaign trail: a white shirt and a blue tie. And when it comes to skincare, his routine is just as basic.
"I take a shower every day. I use soap," he told Cosmopolitan. "Sometimes I use aftershave."
But the controversy came when he was asked whether he uses moisturizer. "Occasionally. Aftershave counts, right?" he said. When told that it was not, he said he would try to moisturize more.
Amy Klobuchar
While they may be competing for similar voters in Iowa, Klobuchar found a way to distinguish herself from Buttigieg when it comes to skincare.
"Well, I moisturize, moisturize, moisturize," she said. "I maybe heard that one of the candidates was not into — maybe I heard that — into moisturizing, so I thought I'd lead with that. I mean, not like I'm competitive or anything like that."
Klobuchar added that her lip color has moisturizer in it, too. The Minnesota senator also said she likes the brand Clinique, mostly because the brand often gives away free products. Can't argue with that.
Bernie Sanders
The 78-year-old senator doesn't have much to say about his skincare. His routine, he said, is "not much." Asked whether he moisturizes, Sanders replied, "I put something on. I got something, the doctor gave me something years ago. I put it on. I'm not quite sure."
Kamala Harris
Harris has now dropped out of the 2020 race, but not before posing a key and relatable question about skincare:
"You know what I'm trying to figure out? Serums... All of a sudden, they've become a thing, and then there are all kinds of them. And then some of them say they're a lotion but it clearly looks like a serum." Harris told Cosmopolitan in an interview before leaving the race that she uses Cetaphil skin cleanser. She especially likes the wipes. And yes, she moisturizes.