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As the unrivaled queen of wellness, Gwyneth Paltrow advocated for a holistic approach to health long before everyone. on Instagram was doing it. Now, the Goop founder talks to British Vogue’s acting senior beauty and wellness editor, Hannah Coates, about welcoming the aging process, her sauna, and how she unwinds at the end of a stressful day.
On how she starts her day
The first thing I do is get up. I do Ayurvedic oil pulling and tongue scraping, and then I brush my teeth. After that, I meditate with my husband.
On how she works out
I’m still a Tracy Anderson girl all these years later, it just works so well! It’s really kept my body looking a lot younger than it should. I also love to walk—I walk and walk and walk! Someone once said to me “walking brings the soul and the body together,” and I really believe that.
On Goop’s new Youth-Boost Peptide Serum
We’re always trying to push the boundaries of efficacy and clean beauty [at Goop]. I’m good friends with a plastic surgeon in Chicago, whose name is Dr Julius Few. He’s very into “stacking,” which means having lots of minimally invasive treatments, including thread lifts and Xeomin [a Botox alternative] to keep skin looking young, before you get to the facelift stage. Skincare is a really important part of that, so we started talking about what would make a really effective product to combat aging. It was about asking how we age, naturally and beautifully, and without being afraid, but still preserving ourselves as best as possible. I don’t want to erase time from the life I’ve lived, and I don’t have to be wrinkle-free. But I do think that trying to maintain skin texture and luminosity is great. This serum has all kinds of amazing things in it, including super peptides.
On skincare treatments she loves
It’s funny, I used to get facials regularly, especially when I lived in London, with Anastasia Achilleos, but I haven’t seen her since before the Covid-19 pandemic. I really love a facial massage, [lymphatic] drainage, and working the muscles, as opposed to lasers. I’m a little freaked out about using lasers on the face, and I’ve seen weird results on certain people. It feels risky. Once in a while, I’ll do a facial with red light for inflammation or something like that. We also sell the Lyma laser at Goop—it’s really good and gentle, so I’ll do that.
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On her approach to getting older
I think it’s culture’s problem [that women seem to be judged more on getting older than men]. It’s not ours! As women, we want to be healthy, we want to be aging. This idea that we’re supposed to be frozen in time is so weird. I love it when I hear somebody like Andie MacDowell, with her beautiful grey curls, talking about embracing aging and the difference between how we handle a George Clooney [compared to how most women are perceived]. It’s handsome to go grey [as a man], but for women, it’s like, “What do you plan to do about your wrinkles and your aging skin?” There’s definitely a double standard. But again, we want to be aging! I think we want to be setting examples of how you can age. Every woman should do it how they want to do it. Some women want to address every single thing aesthetically, and some women want to be a fabulous French grandmother who doesn’t ever do anything. Everybody should be empowered to do it how they want to.
On being an actor
I always approached my film characters as something very different to me—a very segregated thing. I explored somebody else’s mentality and point of view. I never felt like I rubbed off on them, or they rubbed off much on me, but I did get to play some really fantastic roles over the years. It’s fun to look back now with my kids, who see me play these parts. I was very lucky—I had some special roles.
On wellness treatments
Nothing too crazy, you know, still the same [as before]. It’s funny. For so much of my life, I pushed the boundaries – people thought acupuncture and using a sauna was crazy, and now everything I use, everyone’s doing it. I don’t think there’s anything too “out there” [for me]. I’m very into my sauna and cold plunge pool, exercise, hydration… but nothing that’s considered cutting-edge at this point. Now, everybody talks about all of this stuff!
On the lessons she’s passing to her daughter
I think the most important thing is how you take care of your body, from a nutritional and strength aspect. These things don’t only impact the way that you look as you age, but how you feel as you age. I think [Apple] has definitely grown up seeing me have respect for my body and my health, and how I try to always optimize how I’m feeling. I think she understands how your mental state, your nutritional state, and your levels of exercise all really do impact your quote-unquote, beauty.
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On what’s in her beach bag
A book, some sunscreen, water. AirPods to listen to music or a podcast. I’m pretty low-maintenance at the beach, but I do like to have a book.
On how she relaxes at the end of a busy day
I don’t know—I need help figuring it out! I try to get out of my head and stop thinking about work. I feel like it was a little easier when I was having a glass of wine at the end of the day, which I try not to do so much anymore. I try to make a mental switch and let go of the day, but it’s hard. For me, it’s all about a great bath.
On how she supercharges her bath
We made a bath product at Goop that I love, which is called the Martini—it has oils and different salts in it. There’s a brand called Bathorium that I use, as well as Pursoma. I like to mix up the bath salts and make it a really sensual experience. Very, very hot water and stay in it for 20 or 30 minutes.
On her bare-faced beauty favorites
I don’t really wear make-up. If I’m going somewhere and I don’t have someone doing my make-up then I’ll do something very sheer. Ilia makes a really nice, sheer face oil with some tint in it and one of our Goop lip balms with a little color in it. Sometimes some mascara, but very light. I’m a tomboy, you know?
On her secret to a life well-lived
I think just to invest in your relationships and be present with the people that you love. Give to them and listen to them, and then they will be present with you. That’s really it. You measure the happiness of your life by the quality of your relationships.