Ciara is a name we all know and love. The pop icon pretty much does it all. Not only is she an incredible singer, but she also somehow finds the time to run six businesses of her own. (Don’t ask me how she does it.) One of those budding entrepreneurial ventures happens to be a clinically based skincare line called OAM Skin.
Another recent endeavor involves a partnership with her favorite deodorant brand, Degree, to launch its new Unlimited collection armed with superior patented antiperspirant technology. In a recent study performed by Degree, of the 68% of Americans who experience heavy or anxious sweat, 75% said it affects their self-confidence, and 80% said they would live their lives differently if they didn’t have to worry about sweat. The Unlimited line is equipped with SmartAdapt technology that responds to body heat and moisture with all-day, personalized protection that goes above and beyond.
Don’t worry—Ciara found a moment in her busy schedule to tell me all about the partnership, her “why” for starting OAM, and the essential beauty products she never leaves home without. Read on below for our full conversation.
We’re excited to hear all about your partnership with Degree and the new Unlimited by Degree formula! What do you think makes this formula unique, and why do you like using it?
There are so many reasons! One, I think my fans know that I’ve always loved Degree for many years—I’ve been proud to be part of the family. Before we even worked together, I was raving about this product. What’s really cool about the Unlimited by Degree line… I’m going to start with a real fact. It has superior antiperspirant technology. This technology allows the product to really prevent that sweat from breaking out. It’s truly one of a kind. What I loved about working together on this product and this campaign is that Degree is really about celebrating how you move, encouraging people to move, and giving you the confidence you need while you move. They’re also inspiring people and encouraging them to live life without limits.
I really love this campaign, especially because I got to learn a lot in this process and working together. Two out of three Americans experience a heaviness of sweat due to anxiety. When I learned that, I was like, “Wow, two out of three Americans!” That’s kind of crazy to me to know that fact. Because of that, when people experience anxious sweat, your self-confidence is lower. You don’t feel as confident when you have to go to an interview, if you have date night, or [if] you’re gonna go on a date for the first time, right? You don’t feel as confident and secure. I think everyone deserves to live life without limits. That’s been my motto and what I like to live by. I hope that by people learning about this product, it can be game-changing for them like it was for me. This new product has been awesome, so I’m just excited to share with my fans and everyone the goodness of this new product that’s going to change the game for those that do sweat.
I think the most important test would be to use it for a workout. Are you into working out at all? How do you think the formula holds up against its competitors?
Oh, absolutely! Working out is a big part of what I do—whether it’s performing on stage, doing rehearsals, or getting ready for a video or for a photo shoot. I have to be up in the gym! That’s definitely a big part of my everyday routine, and I’ve honestly been pushing myself to work out more. I am really proud of me. I go through my ebbs and flows of training, and sometimes, I kind of spot-train. I train for a show, or I train for a video or a project, but I’m trying to really commit to elevating how I work out on a daily basis. I really love the woman that I’m becoming in this space.
What are your favorite types of workouts?
Right now, I’m really into doing Tabata workouts. It’s really good for your heart rate. Sometimes, when you’re trying to lose weight or really trim up, metabolic training is something that’s really game-changing. You actually don’t have to work as long as you think you need to. In my mind, [I always thought] you needed to be in the gym for like three hours, especially if you’re trying to lose baby weight, and actually, you don’t. If you eat right and have the metabolic workouts, you’ll see great results. Tabata-style workouts and a little bit of weight training in the midst of it for muscular development have been game-changing for me. I’ve been enjoying doing that, and it’s been really fun for me.
How do you typically cope with stress in your daily life? Do you have any other products or practices that help you stay grounded?
My go-to is praying. I love to pray. I will pray multiple times throughout the day, and that brings me peace. Sometimes, I like to just go for a ride on the highway and cruise. It’s the little things for me. Taking a bath can also be relaxing and a good stress reliever. I think it’s important to give yourself the opportunity to just silence things and calm down the world whenever you can. That’s where you’ll find your greatest stress relievers. Then I can also go to Disneyland with my babies. It’s so fun!
Baths and Disneyland are always the perfect stress relievers! Switching gears, what drove you to create your own skincare brand, OAM?
I’m so, so proud of OAM Skin! I would always say that I’m a woman of ambition on a mission, and I’ve always wanted to create a skincare line. My best friend and my makeup artist (she’s been in my life since I was 16 years old) Yolonda [Frederick] would tell me, “Ciara, you need to use your eye cream. You need to do this—you need to do that.” I would hear her, but I wouldn’t hear her. At a certain point, I realized she’s right because I look at her, and she’s a true example of how to age gracefully and do it right. She’s the epitome of a woman to me, and she’s so beautiful. I watched her take care of herself every day and be committed to taking care of herself. I just thought, “Let me level up on taking care of myself and how I’m taking care of my skin—let’s really get serious about it.” I got the great opportunity to create my skincare line, and it’s clinically based, which was really important to me.
If I was going to do this, I wanted to do it all the way. I say I’m a woman of ambition on a mission, right? And I want to make clinical skincare simple for all. That was my overall mission with the line. I also wanted to make it simple because I think that sometimes, for us women, when you go into a skincare store, it’s overwhelming. It’s like, “Where do I start, and where do I stop?” On the back of my bottles, I’ve numbered each bottle so you know the steps to follow. It’s like your step-by-step process to the ultimate glowing skin. I was inspired to create this line for that reason and so many more. I want to speak to all my girls on a mission like me and help them take care of their skin and elevate how it glows.
I also love that your advisory board consists of all women and many women of color for that matter! Was this something that was really important to you when you created the brand?
The most important thing for me with OAM is that it is for all skin types. We did test on all 32 skin types on the Fitzpatrick scale, so every skin type that’s out there was tested by this product. I thought it was important for me—having my line and creating my board—to empower us as women. I also wanted to make sure I had all the people on the team that could speak to the truthfulness of how you take care of your skin and could educate you in the process.
Dr. Libby is a board-certified dermatologist, so when she’s speaking to you, she’s speaking facts. Yolonda is a skincare guru. She’s been [with me] in my career for so long [that] she knows my skin in and out, but she also knows skin in general. JC Johnson (my CEO) is an MIT chemical engineer, and she also graduated from Harvard. Having those layers to the women on my board was really important to me—I’m really about empowering us. I love having that knowledge and the wisdom that all these ladies have. We can speak to women of all skin types and all ethnicities. That was really important to me, and the design of my board just happened in its own organic way, so it’s really beautiful.
I seriously love that! What do you like to use for your own morning and evening skincare routine?
What I always say to people is listen to your skin. My greatest routine that I love and is fully encompassing is my nighttime one. I use a whole lot of stuff. To start, I use all five products [in the line]. I’ll start off by washing my face with our foaming cleanser. Then I’ll use my brightening pads, and I’ll use them sparingly. I don’t use them all the time because I also want to listen to my skin—I don’t want to overwhelm it. Always listen to your skin. It tells you what you need and what you don’t need. With the brightening pads, you see the brightness happen like that. Then I like to do my eye cream and my serum. (All of these are vitamin C based.) Then I finish out with my moisturizer. It’s the perfect combination.
In the morning when I wake up, I may just literally take a warm rag and wipe my face down if I need a wake-up boost, but I will use my OAM moisturizer. That’s all I need to rock and roll. I put some eye cream on in the morning, too, but I keep it more simple during that part of the day.
If you had to choose only two products from the line to use for the rest of your life, which ones would you choose and why?
That’s tough! The brightening pads are super special. I call the serum liquid gold for the face because it has three unique doses of vitamin C—the tri-C peptide complex. That allows the vitamin C to release and microdose throughout the day, so your skin won’t get irritated. It’s tough for me to pick just two products, but I can tell you those are two special ones. The foam cleanser is also just amazing the way that it lathers in your hands and when you rub it on your face. It’s such an experience.
What are a few other staple beauty products that you carry around with you in your bag?
I legit have my Degree deodorant, and I always have a moisturizer and a brush for my hair. I would say those are a few key items that are always in my bag.
What has made the biggest impact on your skin and beauty routine? Do you have any kind of nonnegotiable products? I’m sure OAM products have made a huge impact!
OAM definitely has all my skincare needs, honestly. The eye cream, like I said, is game-changing. Something about it just lifts the eyes and regenerates the skin. It just brings back that youthfulness and gives you the pick-me-up that you need. A good mask is also good from time to time for that hydration.
Lastly, is there any new music in the works or any other cool projects you have coming up that you can share a little bit about?
I’ve got something for the girls! I’ve been having fun, and I’ve been teasing something really fun with my fans on my Instagram and TikTok. It’s funny because it is actually International Women’s Month, so there’s a lot of special stuff that I have in store for the girls around the world, and I can’t wait to share more of it. So far, everyone’s been showing so much love. I’ve been just having a good time jamming out and having fun with my fans and sharing to give them a little taste.
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