When you think of Pharrell Williams, there are a few things that pop to mind. Alongside endless musical hits as part of The Neptunes, N.E.R.D and as a solo artist and countless awards (he has won a staggering 13 Grammys), there’s one non-business topic that crops up time and time again: his skin.

Pharrell is often praised for his incredible, clear skin that looks radiant any time he steps on a red carpet. So, it only makes sense that the entrepreneur’s next venture involved skincare.

“[Developing an interest in skincare] has been a lifelong process and journey for me,” Pharrell tells Stylist.co.uk. “You’ve got to take care of yourself, right? If you’re aiming for optimum self. Skincare is just the start but it’s all part of looking after your wellbeing.”

The singer’s passion for skincare and its ties with his own self care led him to develop his own brand: Humanrace Skincare.

The all-gender, vegan range, which launches today [25 November] drops with three products. First up, there’s the Rice Powder Cleanser, £25, a cleanser that has been formulated with micronised rice powder and fruit AHAs to gently exfoliate skin while dissolving make-up and dirt.

This is followed by the Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator, £45, which includes 8% glycolic acid and enzymatic and physical exfoliants and finally, the Humidifying Cream, £37, a moisturiser that provides intense moisturisation with ingredients such as squalane and snow mushroom extract.

While each product can be used separately, Pharrell created them to form what he calls the “three-minute facial”, a simple yet effective three-step routine that you can buy together in a Routine Pack, £76.

“We wanted to create simple, easy-to-use products that could be used in everybody’s daily routine,” he explains. “I created the products working closely with experts like Dr Elena Jones, MD, who’s been my dermatologist for 20 years to create the best formulas they could possibly be.”

Both Pharrell and Dr Jones put a lot of thought into the ingredients. “We wanted the products to be as natural as possible so we used natural ingredients like snow mushroom extract in the cream which has a smaller molecule size so it can penetrate the different layers of your skin,” he explains.


“We have a lotus leaf extract [in the exfoliator] which is an antioxidant and protects skin from free radicals such as UV rays and environmental stressors. It represents rejuvenation and rebirth in certain cultures, which resonated with me in the process of exfoliation.”

Dr Jones added: “We adhered to the European standard of 1,300 banned ingredients as an important starting point and then we went further to develop our own restrictions. We worked to create products that had no rocks, nuts, seeds, or plastic particles in our formulas to ensure no microtears occur which can result in damaging your skin.”

As for the bright green packaging, it goes beyond just products for your next Instagram shelfie. “The products were designed as objects first, something you can have on your counter and live in your home,” he says. “The green represents health and life and preservation and of course we wanted to include braille on the packaging because inclusivity was really important to us.”

While his passion for skincare is clear, we had to ask: aside from his routine, what other aspects of Pharrell’s day-to-day life aids his skin health?

“Sleep,” he tells us. And with that, we’re off to catch up on ours – after applying the Humidifying Cream, of course.

Humanrace Skincare launches 25 November and will be available at humanrace.com.

All images: Humanrace