Acne is something everybody gets, and yet it’s rarely talked about. That’s why when celebrities get real about their skin, sharing both the good and the “bad,” we take notice. Whether you get the occasional hormonal breakout once or twice a month or you have an acneic skin type and are thinking of going on Accutane to help clear it, there’s comfort in knowing you’re not alone in your breakouts.
Over the years, celebrities like Millie Bobby Brown, Kendall Jenner, Keke Palmer, Barbie Ferreira, Emma Chamberlain, and more have opened up about their pimples. Ferreira told POPSUGAR about her experience with the producers of “Euphoria” wanting to emphasize her acne in the teen drama series. “For the first few episodes, I was breaking out – I usually break out on my cheek in a very specific area – but nobody did anything specifically to get rid of pimples,” Ferreira said. “We were like, ‘We’re playing teenagers, teenagers break out, what’s the big deal?'”
Palmer, on the other hand, has taken to Instagram a number of times to talk about her PCOS-related acne with an important message: “To all the people struggling with this please know you’re not alone and that you are still so f*cking fine!” Similarly, Chamberlain told POPSUGAR about her years-long journey with acne and, now that she’s on the other side of it, how it taught her “to feel comfortable within myself with good or bad skin.”
And acne isn’t the only thing celebrities are getting real about. Many are also normalizing body hair and the plastic surgery procedures they’ve had done.
This is all to say that everybody – even A-lister celebrities – get breakouts, and such a normal occurrence isn’t anything to be ashamed of. See for yourself ahead.
Getty Images / John Shearer
Madelaine Petsch's Experience With Acne
Petsch has spoken openly about her experience with hormonal acne. In 2022, the “Riverdale” star gave her clear skin a shout-out on her Instagram Stories, writing: “s/o to my hormonal acne for not flaring up right before i shoot a movie.”
Getty Images / John Shearer
Lili Reinhart's Experience With Acne
In 2018, Reinhart jokingly shared her Tinder bio on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Hi I’m Lili. I’m 21, a Virgo, Cali-girl. And I have cystic acne. Hmu.” The accompanying photo showed a makeup-free Reinhart with pimple cream on her face.
Instagram user marsaimartin
Marsai Martin's Experience With Acne
Having grown up in the spotlight, Martin has never been afraid to show all sides of being a teenager – including pimples. In her Instagram Story, Martin “welcomed” a new zit to her forehead by zooming in on it with an upside-down smiley face. This simple action showed that breakouts are nothing to be ashamed of.
Getty / Steve Granitz
Lorde's Experience With Acne
Lorde jumped on her Instagram Story to chat about her personal experience with acne in the most relatable way – while lying in bed like a late-night chat with a BFF. She began by saying, “For real though, acne sucks. You know what also sucks? When you’ve had acne for years and years and years. She then went on to say, “for anyone out there who’s got bad skin . . . I feel your pain, we’ll get there, we will. I promise.”
Getty Images
Kendall Jenner's Experience With Acne
While Jenner seemingly has clear skin now, the model has dealt with acne on and off for years. In an Instagram ad for ProactivMD, she said, “Suffering from acne for me was debilitating. It’s something that I’ve dealt with since I was a young teen and has caused me to feel anxious, helpless, and insecure. As humans, I don’t think we share our insecurities enough because we live in a time where being ‘perfect’ is the standard. We curate our life online and pick the pretty moments to post. I’d like to show a younger generation that not everything is perfect.”
Getty Images for EIF Revlon Run / Jamie McCarthy
Emma Stone's Experience With Acne
In an interview with Refinery29, Stone said, “I had bad hormonal acne when I was 17, and they put me on Accutane for it. Then, I had stress acne when I was 20, when I did “Easy A,” which they kindly video-airbrushed out of the movie. But I realized how debilitating and embarrassing it can be to have cystic acne.”
FilmMagic / Jon Kopaloff
Kaley Cuoco's Experience With Acne
Even though Cuoco is known for her lighthearted humor, she’s not afraid to talk about more serious topics, like her bout of acne when she was younger. “I had acne as a teen and it made me so insecure to be on camera – not a good thing when you are on a television series,” she told POPSUGAR.
