Zoe Saldaña's Wellness Routine Is All About Avoiding Her Phone and Taking Multiple Baths a Day

"It feels like that cigarette that you need to have a little quick fix that doesn't quite fix anything."

Zoe Saldana headshot in the middle of a "Doing Well" collage
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It’s not often that you get to meet one of the most storied actresses of our time. It’s even less common that they’re as grounded and open as Zoe Saldaña. Well, I defied both of those odds when I sat down with Saldaña recently to discuss her approach to beauty and her new role as a Lancôme Longevity Ambassador.

​“They've really been consistent,” the actress says when I asked about her decision to partner with the luxury cosmetics brand. “They have worked with amazing ambassadors, and they've been loyal to them for years.” It’s that trustworthiness that originally drew her to the brand, but the product's efficacy ultimately helped her decide. “These formulas have been integrated into my routine so easily,” she says. “They really do work.” The formulas in question? Lancôme's Absolue Longevity MD line.

Designed to target biological—not chronological—aging (i.e., the age and condition of your skin, not just your age in years), the collection is crafted around the ingredient Mitopure. It supports cellular health and mitochondrial function, which help fortify skin firmness, hydration, and collagen production from the inside out. In short, the goal is to help skin look and act more youthful by targeting the cellular changes associated with aging.

​Skincare is only one part of Saldaña's wellness routine, which she says she depends on to keep herself from becoming “dysregulated and overwhelmed.” Ahead, she shares the rest of the products and practices that keep her fueled, present, and Doing Well.

What’s a wellness practice you swear by that some might find woo-woo?

(Image credit: Future)

"Lymphatic massages. You really have to stick with them, but you will see the results if you do. I also love extremely hot baths. I'll take sometimes up to three or four baths a day, and sometimes I add epsom salts. But you have to be careful because they can dehydrate you. Just chug two liters of water afterward."

You need 10 minutes of respite. What wellness media are you turning to?

(Image credit: Future)

"Frequency music. I’ve stopped listening to most podcasts because ingesting so many opinions can be overwhelming. When I’ve finished listening to the ones that I do like, I’ll turn on a frequency playlist, and it just taps into that frequency that you kind of operate from. I really think it works because sometimes, when I listen to song lyrics, if my mind is already working on something, it can become really distracting and dysregulating. It’s kind of like brain floss."

What’s the morning mantra that puts you in the right frame of mind for the day?

(Image credit: Future)

"Don’t pick up your phone. I’m trying really hard to stick to it, and I’ve really been successful so far. It’s so easy, when I get overwhelmed, to want to punch out and doom scroll. It kind of feels like that cigarette that you need to have a little quick fix that doesn't quite fix anything, you know?"

Name the most expensive product in your wellness routine?

(Image credit: Future)

"The Absolue Longevity MD Intercept Face Cream. It has now become the only night cream that I use, and it’s phenomenal on the skin and leaves my face feeling so supple. I’m also a really big fan of perfumes. Frederic Malle is one of my favorite brands. Right now, I’m loving Rose and Cuir, but I used to be obsessed with Carnal Flower too. "

What’s the least expensive (but most impactful) item in your wellness routine?

(Image credit: Future)

"A fabric scrunchie. I have them in every bag that I own. Every time I go to any pharmacy, I'll just pick up a bundle of them. I also love hand cream. I’m big on moisturizing."

How are you prioritizing your mental health right now?

(Image credit: Future)

"Resting is really important to me. Having the discipline to know when to say no and when to stop. You have to respect the hours that your body needs to reset. That, to me, is my idea of nurturing my mental health. As a mother, I know that everything that I put into my body will affect my temperament with my children. I am all about just honoring what will make me feel better tomorrow so that I can be better for them."

What would you tell your younger self about wellness?

(Image credit: Future)

"Listen to yourself. Make peace and find beauty with what you see in the mirror. Work with it because what you are is enough. You will always be enough, and just tell the noise to shut up."

Shop Zoe Saldaña's Wellness Routine

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Ariel Baker
Beauty Writer

Ariel Baker is the Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. Previously the associate beauty editor at PS and briefly freelance, she has bylines in InStyle, Forbes Vetted, Women's Health, and more.

Since she started out in the non-profit sector, Ariel enjoys looking at beauty from a sociocultural lens, looking to avenues like politics, music, and the arts, to inform her views on the space. That being said, as a true beauty-product obsessive, testing the latest items to hit the market, keeping up with trends, and meeting industry icons, will always be her favorite part of working in the beauty space.

When she's not working, Ariel can be found hanging out with her fiancé and loving on their two cat daughters: Cow and Chicken.