Jennifer Garner On Aging: Her Retinol Tips, Beauty Experiments & More

Journalists will often say this about celebrities to emphasize their openness, but talking to Jennifer Garner truly feels like I'm catching up with a friend.

First of all, I hop on the Zoom to find Garner in her glasses and workout gear, camera on (the 15-minute interview was scheduled as audio-only). "It just feels weird not to see you when we chat," the actor and mom of three tells me. I agree before allowing my own makeup-free face to fill the screen. 

We then discuss her go-to workout, The Limit—a compilation of dance, HIIT, and tone workouts led by trained Broadway performers, professional dancers, and former Rockettes. I admit I haven't tried it despite living in New York City, where they have an in-person studio. "Oh, Jamie, you have to," Garner gushes before rattling off her favorite classes and officially influencing me to book a session. 

"I want to look like myself. And I think the best way to look like yourself is to take care of your skin, take care of your hair, and give yourself as much natural vibrancy as your age, skin, and hair will allow. I don't think I really want to worry much more than that. 

"My earliest beauty memory is probably learning to do my makeup backstage for ballet recitals. 

"One of the first times I ever thought I looked pretty, I was dancing Dorothy. I had little red pointe shoes in Wizard of Oz. I was dancing with this photographer, Arnout Hyde. He was a celebrity photographer in West Virginia. He was known for photographing the waterfalls and the trees changing—he was our nature photographer. I danced with his daughter, so he took our pictures once. And when I was lit properly, I just remember seeing a picture of myself and thinking, 'Well, that's not awful.' 

​​"Nothing looks better in your 50s than sunscreen in your 20s.

"I use the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer with SPF 50. This is a no-brainer because it repairs during the day. It protects from the sun. [And] hyaluronic acid is a humectant, so it [increases] moisture from the cellular level. 

"You have hyaluronic acid in your skin naturally, of course. As you age, it diminishes, and then your skin looks tired and old because it doesn't have as much moisture on the surface. 

"Adir [Abergel] cut my hair really short not that long ago. It's been a few months because it's growing back out, but that was big for me. He was just like, 'I want to cut it.' And I said, 'Cut it, let's do it.' So he did. It felt great. It was really fun. I think it was time to just try something different. 

"I had blondish hair for this movie, Miracles From Heaven. It was as blonde as [colorist] Tracey Cunningham could make it, and she worked really, really hard. I'm not a blonde; that's what I learned. She looked at me, and we were both like, 'Nope, not a blonde.' 

"The two ingredients that are really going to change your skin are retinol and hyaluronic acid.

"I probably didn't start [retinol] until my mid to late 30s, but now knowing what I know, I would start earlier. I would start in my late 20s to early 30s, even if it's only every couple of days. And you do not need to buy fancy stuff.

"You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars. The retinol in the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair [Collection] is gentle, there's no fragrance, it's clean, and it will get the job done.

"You always have to take care of your neck. If you only [treat] something, do your neck. Part of the beauty of having an affordable brand is that you can apply liberally. So, I'll use the Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum every other night. I use the serum, I use the eye cream—which is excellent and great for sensitive skin—and then I will use the overnight cream. 

"I had a fishing tackle box full of makeup that I carried from theater to theater when I was in college and working at summer stock theaters. It had pancake makeup from ballet, and I thought if I was going to make myself up, that's what I should wear.

"So every picture of myself from college…it's so bad! There's not a single picture that I can look at and just be like, 'Oh look! Cute, college Jen.' No, it's awful. Horrible! Why did I need makeup? I didn't need anything! What was I doing?

"A great workout first thing in the morning because feeling strong makes you feel beautiful.

"[I love] The Limit Fit. The studio's in Chelsea. You have to go. It's super vibrant. It's filled with professional ballet dancers because it really does make you so strong. And it's all straightforward, so you're not going to get hurt.