Pamela Anderson Defends Makeup Free Aging and Personal Beauty

Actor Pamela Anderson has made natural beauty and self-acceptance central to her approach to aging, largely abandoning makeup in 2023 after the death of her longtime makeup artist, Alexis Vogel. The 59-year-old Baywatch star has since challenged conventional beauty expectations while maintaining the freedom to wear cosmetics when she chooses.

Anderson's decision followed a 26-year professional relationship with Vogel, who died of breast cancer. In September 2023, Anderson debuted her makeup-free appearance during Paris Fashion Week, marking a visible shift from the glamorous image that defined much of her career in the 1990s.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Anderson described her personal approach to beauty as independent of conventional standards.

"I will not be told what beautiful is," Anderson told PEOPLE.

She emphasized that her definition of beauty does not depend on age or outside approval.

"I have my own version of beauty, and it's ageless," Anderson said.

Reflecting on Vogel's death in a 2023 interview with Elle, Anderson explained how losing her longtime collaborator influenced her decision to stop wearing makeup regularly.

"She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it's just better for me not to wear makeup," Anderson told Elle.

Her approach also became a way to question expectations within the entertainment industry. In 2024, she told TODAY that she felt increasingly comfortable with her natural appearance despite working in an environment heavily focused on physical beauty.

"I am much more comfortable in my own skin, but I also am in an industry that really focuses on beauty. And I thought, 'I'm going to challenge beauty,'" Anderson told TODAY.

In another 2023 interview with Elle, Anderson described the decision as both liberating and consistent with her inclination to resist prevailing trends.

"freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too. Because I did notice that there were all these people doing big makeup looks, and it's just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite of what everyone's doing," Anderson told Elle.

Anderson has also connected her changing appearance to a broader effort to move beyond the public image associated with her earlier career, including her years in Playboy and Baywatch. In a 2024 interview with Allure, she discussed returning to a sense of self-acceptance.

"Without context my name [suggests] a wrong image. I've been on this journey, from Playboy to Baywatch — all these Halloween costumes, I like to say — and now I come back home to self-love and self-acceptance; I just feel like it's OK. [What I'm into now] is a conscious choice," Anderson told Allure.

Getting older has also influenced how Anderson views her appearance. Speaking to Elle, she acknowledged the changes that come with aging while describing herself as comfortable with the stage of life she has reached.

"I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older. And I'm kind of laughing at myself when I look at the mirror. I go, 'Wow, this is really…what's happening to me?'

It's a journey…I feel rooted for. I feel good. I'm in a good place," Anderson told Elle.

She has also said that spending less time maintaining a glamorous appearance gives her more room to focus on herself rather than pursuing youthfulness.

"Now I'm going to have a little more time for myself than trying to keep up with the Joneses, or chase youth or anything," Anderson told TODAY.

Despite her preference for a largely makeup-free appearance, Anderson has not ruled out cosmetics. In September 2026, she wore a smoky eye at Vogue World: Milano 2026, demonstrating that her approach allows for occasional changes in styling.

In a separate interview with Allure, Anderson explained that accepting different stages of a person's beauty journey does not require rejecting makeup altogether. She also referenced her work on Gia Coppola's film The Last Showgirl, for which she wore extensive makeup.

"My intention is to accept where you are in your beauty journey. I love makeup, too, by the way and I just finished a project (Gia Coppola's The Last Showgirl) where I wore a lot of makeup and I loved that," Anderson told Allure.

Anderson has also entered the skincare industry with Sonsie, a brand described as clean, vegan, and cruelty-free. She told PEOPLE that one of her preferred products is Sonsie's Basic Balm, which she sometimes pairs with a swipe of mascara when she chooses a more glamorous look.