Sarah Jessica Parker Swears She Only Has a Three-Step Skincare Routine

Sarah Jessica Parker is a fan of keeping things as streamlined as possible, which goes against what Sex and the City fans can take from just about anything Carrie Bradshaw does. But, in real life, Parker isn't Bradshaw — though her shoe collection may say otherwise in terms of accessorizing — and in a new interview with Self, she explained that she keeps her skincare routine as no-frills as possible. 

Parker, who now has more time than ever to devote to self-care thanks to her children being 20 and 14 years old, says that she'd rather spend that extra few minutes listening to true crime podcasts, not figuring out what order to apply skincare products to her face.

"I don’t want to walk into my bathroom and see a drugstore on my counter. It confuses me. It overwhelms me. So, I pay close attention to what works on my face, what I know will integrate well into my everyday life, and I keep it as simple as possible," she said. "I personally don’t want to devote 30 minutes to skin care, but no matter what — winter, summer, spring, fall — I always wet my face before putting anything on it. That’s a must."

Parker went on to outline her three-step routine, which uses products from RoC, a brand she's worked with since 2022. She even curated a collection for the company, though it was a four-step set — the routine she laid out is her nighttime one, so no SPF is necessary.

"RoC’s multitasking, brightening Revive + Glow Daily Serum is often my first step. I then apply this RoC moisturizer, which I use every single night and in the daytime too. And to top it all off, I use their balm stick for my eyes," she said. "First of all, it just feels good to not have to touch or rub on a sticky cream, and you can just do a nice, quick swipe under each eye. I’m always really thoughtful about anything with actives, because I have sensitive skin, but I would say those are my three must-haves. Simple, collaborative, and they marry well."

As for what she listens to instead of layering on tons of creams, serums, and ampoules? She, like most of us, can't quit listening to murder pods, though she does have some very highbrow taste when it comes to her favorites (think: Peabody award-winning picks).

"Some of the true-crime stuff that I’ve listened to has been really interesting. There’s one podcast out of Norway called Death in Ice Valley, which is really amazing," she said. "I also think Connie Walker’s reporting on Indigenous women is extraordinary — she hosts Missing & Murdered and she just won the Peabody and the Pulitzer [for a podcast called Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s]. I think of it as investigative journalism rather than typical true crime, but it’s really great."