Pharrell’s Skincare Brand Humanrace Leans Into Recovery, Longevity

The music industry icon has been passionate about skincare for decades, his dermatologist tells ATN, as Humanrace aligns with the growing influence of longevity and wellness culture across the beauty industry

Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams has been invested in health and wellness for years, according to his decades-long dermatologist Dr. Elena Jones.

“​​I’ve known him for over 20 years, and he’s actually always been interested in wellness, health and ingredients,” Jones told Athletech News. Jones serves as the chief dermatologist for Williams’ skincare brand, Humanrace, which recently launched a new line of performance and recovery-focused products.

“I call (Pharrell) our chief tester,” she said.

The brand unveiled its Smoothing Body Scrub and Recovery Body Lotion, designed with the intention of supporting the body before and after intense exercise or workdays, while promoting skin longevity.

For Williams, skincare goes hand-in-hand with performance, physically and mentally.

“The name Humanrace says everything you need to know. It’s universal,” Williams said. “We make tools for living — for everyone — and we think about that every time we develop a product. Every product and every ingredient has to do something. It has to perform.”

“It’s meant to really help the skin hydrate, recover, retain moisture, and also calm and soothe, post-movement, post-exertion,” Jones explained. “I think that we have ingredients that I have yet to see on the market.”

Those include magnesium aspartate, copper gluconate and frankincense, which each have soothing anti-inflammatory properties while hydrating, calming the skin and reinforcing its barrier.

Jones explained that the magnesium found in the lotion can also act similarly to hydrocortisone, a mild steroid, and frankincense also has antibacterial properties.

The products also feature a unique ingredient — Jones’ favorite — called African resurrection plant, which grows wildly in South Africa. Its name comes from its 
ability to hold onto water for decades even amid severe drought, appearing dried up and dead, only to quickly bloom after rainfall.

Jones explained that Humanrace is aligning with the growing influence of longevity and wellness culture across the beauty industry — skincare has been emerging as its own longevity category, helping to combat the concept of “inflammaging.”

“Inflammaging is a term that talks about this chronic, low-grade inflammation that we get, and it basically is speeding up our aging clock,” she explained. External factors like pollution, diet and UV exposure can worsen the process, which is why skin health becomes so vital.

“The skin is the largest organ in the body,” Jones noted. “We’ve got to take care of the skin from the outside in as well as from the inside out.”

Jones views skincare as a form of slowing down and intentionally taking care of yourself, which can help people take a closer look at their recovery and wellness routine from a holistic vantage point.

“If we’re not hydrating, either through water or topical hydration, then the skin is not going to be able to recover. We’re not decreasing inflammation. If we’re not increasing blood flow, then it’s making it that much more difficult for the skin to recover,” she said.

“We never wanted to build just another skincare brand,” Williams added. “Our new recovery products are our first step into performance, but it’s just the beginning. Humanrace makes high-performance skincare. Soon, it’s high performance, period.”