Pharrell Loves His Wrinkles (and Yours)

Courtesy of Humanrace

It's been two years since multi-hyphenate Pharrell Williams joined forced with his longtime dermatologist Dr. Elena Jones to drop the highly-anticipated skincare line Humanrace. And considering the fact that the star has been labeled a "vampire" for the past two decades thanks to his impeccable skin (fact check: he's not, and really loves his wrinkles — but more on that later), it's no surprise that the brand's initial three-step collection sold out almost instantly.

Even I — and extremely, extremely, extremely picky beauty editor who isn't impressed by much — was instantly wowed by the products. So much so that I'm not ashamed to say I quite literally scraped the bottom of the Humidifying Cream jar to make sure not even a single molecule was left behind.

But there was always one thing missing for me: suncare.

Well, turns out dreams do come true, God answers prayers, and somehow Pharrell and Dr. Jones heard my cries. At long last the Humanrace Ozone Face Protection Daily Moisturizer and Ozone Body Protection Cream are here — hallelujah!

RELATED: Is Pharrell's Skincare Line Humanrace Actually Worth the Hype?

"It's the natural next step," Pharrell shares exclusively with InStyle. "You've got to protect yourself, and that's the reason why we call it Ozone Protection. If your body is like your own world, you got to have your own ozone, and this is that layer. This is that non-white casting, hydrating, Ozone Protection — you need that."

Courtesy of Humanrace

Formulated with zinc oxide to provide SPF 30 sun defense, along with skin-nourishing ingredients like snow mushroom extract, squalene, and aloe, both the face and body products not only offer optimal broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection, but also help to hydrate and soothe skin instantly. All without leaving behind the dreaded white cast or clammy residue behind, and offering a cruelty-free, fragrance-free, vegan, water-resistant, chemical-free, and reef-safe formula.

"The Ozone Protection line for both face and body was really developed with a skincare focus," explains Dr. Jones. "We wanted to make sure that the formulation was very hydrating, and that's why we really wanted to include our signature ingredient: snow mushroom extract. It really adds that super duper hydration, and it's also a molecule that's small enough to penetrate the skin to make sure that it's aptly nourished, supple, and hydrated."

Another plus? The Face Protection Moisturizer also offers blue light protection, to boot.

"On average people are in front of some sort of screen for a good seven hours a day," Dr. Jones shares. "And if you're sitting in front of your screen all day long, you really should try to reapply SPF every two to four hours."

VIDEO: Pharrell Williams Wants a World in Which Women Aren't Held Back

While I, and likely many other Humanrace lovers, have been anxiously waiting for this latest iteration of the line to drop, it turns out it was actually in the works for about two and a half years. But like in anything Pharrell has created over the years, it wasn't launched until everything was just right.

"We wanted to ensure the feeling at the end would [make you] want to use this every day," says Humanrace President and Co-Founder Rachel Muscat. "There's a misconception that the more zinc you have, the more protection you actually get from SPF, and that's really not the case. Obviously you want as much zinc oxide as possible, but it's really about the sum of all parts of all the ingredients that get you that SPF level. And for us, we really wanted to hit the 30 SPF, which allowed us to also get us the no white cast."

Formula aside, the burnt orange refillable packaging — made with over 50% post-consumer recycled landfill plastic — is something you'd want to display on your bathroom vanity, which was the exact intention, according to Pharrell.

"There's something to the idea of not having something in your house that you don't find beautiful. If you have any control over it, why have anything in there that you don't find beautiful?" the musician questions. "And this is one of those things where we didn't want to get in the way of what people are thinking for their spaces — we wanted to be in addition."

Courtesy of Humanrace

With rumors of Pharrell's vampirism and questions as to how he's barely aged swirling around the internet since the days of dial-up, the superstar wants to make one thing clear: "[I'm] not a vampire," he laughs. "Far from it."

In fact, he is aging. He has lines, and he loves them — both on himself and human beings in general.

"I definitely have wrinkles, and lots of them," he shares. "I also really do believe that wrinkles are a beautiful thing. And I think for people who avoid them, it's fine. It's cool. But at a certain point you got to recognize that, wrinkles kind of look good as we age. Wrinkles are not a bad thing, they're actually stripes. You've been there, you've done that. You've been through it, and you made it. You're still standing and you're gorgeous."

While the 49-year-old has had gorgeous skin his whole life, he does have one regret: not taking skincare seriously sooner. But he hopes to spread the message to others that having good skin — on whatever terms make sense for you — is all about maintenance, creating a routine as early as you can, and making sure to moisturize.

"Making a commitment to a routine is the greatest thing you can do with skin health," says Pharrell. "You don't have to buy this to have good skin, [you have to do] a lot of research and then you have to be committed. My son, his skin tends to run dry sometimes. And the number one thing I say to him all the time is 'Man, you have to moisturize.'"

Although Pharrell also loves dermatologist-beloved brands like Cetaphil and CeraVe, he's partial to Humanrace's creams — and I really can't blame him. They're 100% worth the hype as far as I'm concerned, and he knows it, too.

"When you put your three to four fingers in there and scoop, and then when you rub it between your hands and when it goes on your legs and just on your body, your torso. It just feels like butter," the Grammy winner muses. "You get that humidifying look, although you're not hot — I mean, you might be. But it ain't going to be because of what you're putting on. It's just because you're just vibrating, like hotness. When you put this on, this just makes whatever's inside of you glow that much harder."

Humanrace's Ozone Face Protection Daily Moisturizer (regular price: $58, subscription price: $52, refill price: $54), Ozone Body Protection Cream (regular price: $52, subscription price: $46, refill price: 48), and Ozone Protection Set ($94) will be available starting July 14, 2022 on humanrace.com.