Molly Sims is a modern Renaissance woman. Actress, model, podcast host, beauty enthusiast, wife and mother are just a few things you could call her. Now she’s adding another title: founder of YSE Beauty. While you might be rolling your eyes at another celeb skin-care brand, don’t judge so quickly. As an editor, I’ve tried all the celebrity beauty brands, from the viral hits to the ones that don’t really work, and this launch stands out for a few reasons.
Sims is no stranger to the beauty scene, and it shows in how thoughtful she was when creating the products and their packaging. Through her experience with cystic acne and then pregnancy-related melasma, Sims tried everything from lasers to peels. She was also obsessed with hydroquinone, “which is great for short periods of time and never going in and never going outside,” she jokes. Most people didn’t realize she was struggling “because I was the undone skin, no-makeup makeup girl,” she says. The skin conditions crushed her. “I would take around pots of matte concealer,” she adds. She gave up hydroquinone, peels, lasers—anything that was super strong and instead created her own regimen at home.
Molly’s Vision for YSE Beauty
Sims saw a white space in skin care. Products that are strong and effective usually aren’t pretty to look at. Alternatively, products that are cute are usually marketed to millennials, so they’re not efficacious for people in their 30s or 40s. The goal was to develop clinically proven skin care with no downtime, where you can get rid of dark spots without getting irritated or dry.
More isn’t always better. Many of the dermatologists told Sims their patient’s skin barriers are weak because they’ve overdone the exfoliating and the retinol. The question this line is answering is: “Why can’t we have some sort of routine system with a few hero products that women can use on a consistent basis?”
“I’m not trying to look younger. I’m just trying to look the best I can at my age,” says Sims. “I think women want to know what to do and how to do it. They just need to be educated,” she adds. This isn’t going to replace lasers or Botox, she admits. However, it’s a consistent routine that works, with impressive clinical results to back it up. Meanwhile, the packaging and names of the products are super chic. These will certainly be the products you want to leave out on the bathroom counter when company comes over.
Molly’s Beauty Favorites
We got caught up in a handful of tangents because Sims is down to share everything she knows without all the fluff. “This is why I have a podcast, and I drink and talk about beauty,” she says after we discuss in-office treatments and products she loves. Unlike many celebrities out there, Sims isn’t scared of being transparent. “I hate gatekeeping. I love my village to look good,” she says. “I love my girls. I love sharing information. I’ve always been that girl,” and our chat certainly proved this to be true.
When it comes to in-office treatments, there are two things Sims believes in: microneedling and radiofrequency, like Vivace. Also, while she’s not gotten any herself, lip filler is “the number-one thing [she] condones” for those that feel they need it. Sims loves Rodan + Fields Lash Boost ($170), swearing the results will be so good I’ll remember this moment and text her about the progress. She lost some lashes to extensions, but now they’re notably full. She uses the serum every day but notes she sometimes has to pause because the lashes are growing too much—a great problem to have. Take her advice to heart and trust her skin-care products to streamline your routine.
“This is my ode to drinking and solving skin problems. This is my ode to hydroquinone. It’s efficacious and pushed as hard as it can be while still being Sephora Clean. You can use it while pregnant. You can use it as a spot treatment on acne, or you can do a layer all over your skin. It has licorice root and niacinamide. As much as you strip, you have to calm the inflammation at the same time. So it’s lightening and brightening, but also soothing. If you look at the clinical trials, the women have all different skin types, and their evenness is better but they’re not dry, irritated and most importantly, red.”
“It’s your first cocktail of the morning. Everyone has to use vitamin C if you want glowy skin that doesn’t come from your makeup. A lot of girls don’t do it because it’s sticky, it smells, it burns and it peels under makeup. That’s why girls say, ‘I’m just going to skip it. I’ll do it the next day,’ but vitamin C is something you have to use every day. This one is weightless, it goes on even and it’s simple. It doesn’t peel, so my makeup artist just added makeup over it today. The texture is incredible. It has three forms of stabilized vitamin C, squalane, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.
There are great products on the market, but just because it’s 90 percent glycolic acid or azelaic acid that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. It’s all about how you put something together. That is the most important thing that I found, and that’s why there are products you can use but only three times a week, and that’s what I didn’t want that to happen with YSE. The clinicals were off the charts on this one.”
“This is where it kind of all started—between The Problem Solver and this. You have to exfoliate, but you cannot damage the barrier of your skin. You have to be consistent with it. I was using a really strong product—it burned and left me red. I could only use it three days a week, but it worked. I didn’t have dark spots, but it smelled like pee.
This does not smell like pee. It’s double sided. You can use it every day. I found that with the little ones you tend to use like three or four. Little ones are very saturated, but then you feel like you don’t have enough pad power, so you use another one, and then you’re kind of putting on too much. This took two and a half years to get right. It has gluconolactone and ectoin, which is kind of like the new niacinamide—it calms inflammation, it helps with the barrier, and it’s becoming a little darling. The derms have gone crazy over this one.”
“We like serums that are really strong, but not too strong, right? There are so many incredible retinols on the market right now, but most of them you cannot use on a consistent basis because you will be left really dry. Our goal was to change that. It’s called The Last Call—it’s the last drink of the night. It’s all about niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, beta-glucan and linoleic acid, which helps with aging and brightening and, of course, retinol, but it’s all very balanced. You want to be able to use a serum every day, not something that’s too strong.”
“It’s a gel-oil cleanser. It’s super hydrating. Honestly, when you wash your face, you feel like you just had a skin-care treatment. It’s a great base to start your day or end your night. It’s got great properties, but it doesn’t strip your moisture, which is really important, especially in a routine like this.”
This is my ode to ceramide. I want something weightless that seals, but I don’t want to feel like I’m wearing moisturizer. It feels very velvety. You can wear it day and night. I mix it in with everything. I just did that this morning with It Cosmetic CC+ Nude Glow Serum ($47) and then I just took my hands and did a little Saie Super Glowy Gel ($28).
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