Victoria Justice on How Her Thyroid Condition Redefined Her Relationship With Fragrance
“I believe beauty is about so much more than what’s on the surface.”
At only 10 years old, Victoria Justice knew she wanted to be a performer. After packing up her life and moving to Los Angeles, Justice landed the star role on Victorious, a Nickelodeon show based on her real life passion for the arts. Since establishing her career at such a young age, the actor has expanded into songwriting, blockbuster films — and somewhere along the way, accidentally becoming an internet meme. Now, the multi-hyphenate is stepping into the beauty space as co-founder of NAKED, a perfume brand created for fragrance lovers who crave refined scents without the excess.
Like most of Justice’s endeavors, her work with NAKED Perfume was born from an innate personal calling. Over a decade ago, Justice was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, a thyroid auto immune disorder that can alter smell perception and lead to a heightened sensitivity towards fragrance in general. Although the diagnosis has redefined the star’s relationship with perfumes, it’s NAKED in particular that allowed her to reframe its role in her own beauty routine. “I’ve always loved beautiful, delicious scents but I stopped wearing traditional perfumes because I have Hashimoto’s, and was looking for a clean scent,” she tells Hypebae. “As soon as I smelled [NAKED] ‘Honey Cream,’ I knew Randi Shinder and I needed to have a conversation about working together.”
After falling in love with NAKED’s perfumes, Justice coincidentally discovered the brand’s founder Randi Shinder shared the same Hashimoto’s diagnosis. Created on the principle of fine fragrance using clean ingredients, Justice’s role as co-founder emerged as an opportunity to carve out space in the beauty world for fragrance that feels just as good as it smells, “Our fragrances contain no endocrine disruptors, phthalates, parabens or carcinogens. Not only does NAKED smell incredible, but you can also feel good about what you’re spraying on your body — knowing it’s made with ingredients that won’t harm you.”
Beyond fragrance, Justice notes that her 23 years of experience in the entertainment industry has majorly influenced her connection to beauty. Although she’s always enjoyed doing her own makeup and keeping up with a strict skincare routine, the actor tells Hypebae that spending so much of her life on camera has undoubtedly warped the way she sees herself. “In some ways, [my relationship with beauty] has been really positive because I’ve had the opportunity to work with so many talented hair and makeup artists. But at the same time, it can also be exhausting. In this industry, there’s such a strong emphasis on beauty and youth, and it can be easy to focus on the things you’d like to change about yourself,” she says.
With this in mind, Justice is changing her perspective of beauty in general by emphasizing that hair, makeup and skincare should be used as tools to enhance who you are, rather than to completely alter yourself. In addition to shaping NAKED as co-founder, the Nickelodeon alum is also entering a new artistic era. Between an upcoming comedy-horror film, Send a Scare, and new music on the horizon, Victoria Justice might have a lot on her plate — but she’s never too busy to smell good doing it.
From the NAKED perfume she can’t live without to the Benefit essential she’s been using since middle school — ahead, Victoria Justice reveals all of her beauty essentials.
EADEM Mami Wata Face Mist
“I just discovered [this EADEM face mist] one day at Sephora. I just love the way it smells and I’m obsessed with a good misting. I love a mist in the morning, a midday makeup refresher and one before bed. I’ve been using it for a few months now — it’s just a way to instantly make your skin feel more hydrated and glowy.”
Benefit Cosmetics Benetint Liquid Lip Tint & Cheek Stain
“I’ve been using Benetint for years! Probably since middle school? I’m pretty sure my mom discovered it. It’s just my go-to no makeup-makeup trick. I put a little on my lips and cheeks and it blends right into your skin and gives you a little color. Automatically just wakes up and brightens your whole face, especially for me since I’m olive skinned. I usually won’t leave my house without it and a little concealer.”
NAKED “Honey Cream” Perfume
“Everything I mentioned earlier is relevant here. ‘Honey Cream’ is a great everyday and date night scent. We are working on a new product as well that I can’t share too much about yet, but I absolutely can’t wait. I just love knowing that I can smell incredible without having to compromise on wellness and ingredients. I’m so excited to be a co-founder of a brand that I truly love and believe in.”
Weleda Skin Food Lip Balm
“I just discovered this product at Whole Foods and once I tried it I couldn’t stop. It has this wonderful natural smell and goes on so smooth. It’s very moisturizing and just feels amazing on the lips. I love the Weleda Skin Food Moisturizer as well, I’m a big fan of Skin Food in general, I guess!”
L’Oréal Telescopic Mascara
“My mom introduced me to this mascara in middle school and I’ve been using it ever since. I’ll try out other mascaras, but somehow, I always end up going back to Telescopic. I just love how it lengthens my lashes. I use it in shade ‘Blackest Black.’”
