Mariska Hargitay is a multi-award-winning actress and philanthropist, best known for her portrayal of Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." More recently, she directed and produced the HBO documentary, "My Mom Jayne," a tribute to her late mother, Jayne Mansfield, which debuted to critical acclaim.
Now, Hargitay is stepping into a new role with Cetaphil — her first-ever beauty brand partnership.
"I’m very proud to say this, I have been approached before by other brands, and it wasn’t right ... I didn’t love some of the ingredients," Hargitay tells Shop TODAY in a recent sit-down interview. "So, this was very exciting to me, to have a partnership with something that I already had a relationship with and that I already trusted, but was doing innovative things."
Hargitay goes on to say that Cetaphil has had her trust since girlhood, calling it a "tried-and-true" brand. But what most excited her was the science behind the brand's new Skin Activator Hydrating & Firming collection, containing three types of firming cream targeting the face, neck, chest and body featuring mandelic acid (an AHA that accelerates cell turnover and promotes collagen production). "This new science and this new technology, it was so exciting to me that they were moving into a space in beauty that nobody else has done before, " she explains.
And as a busy woman, Hargitay doesn't have time for a 15-step skin care routine. In fact, her relationship with beauty standards has evolved.
"My standards have become very internal and have focused on, now, self-care and what makes me feel good, as opposed to an aesthetic that I’m trying to achieve, or an aesthetic that has been established by culture or society," Hargitay shares.
So, how has her routine changed in her early 60s? "It's simplified," she summarizes. She’s going back to basics with products that excite her, and of course, have fewer steps. "I like to do things that are good for me and that preserve what I sort of already have," she says. "I’m not about getting younger or achieving something else. I’m like, how do I make this the best it can be?"
You can still expect her to keep a few rituals around to help her feel her best. That's why, as part of our Shopping Diaries series, we asked Hargitay about her favorite products, from her on-set shoes to maintaining her favorite Olivia Benson hairstyles. (Spoiler alert: it's not the pixie cut.)
Shopping Diaries: Mariska Hargitay
“It was very exciting to me that there’s actual skin firming, that there is new technology and new science, that they’re actually changing that,” says Hargitay. "I work outside. I’m off shooting outside a lot and the New York elements are quite tough on the skin. I’m happy to use that cream when I can.”
When it comes to lip care, Hargitay says she loves this Bigelow lip gloss. "I always have that on me, always," she gushes.
Olivia Benson is a compassionate and relentless officer who also happens to have iconic hair. “I love evolving, and women always change their hair and I wanted to keep that sort of true with Olivia Benson too,” she explains. “She’s always working, but like the one thing she does is cares about her hair. So, I think that’s a very real kind of thing that women, you know, even as we change, we change our hair. So she does her job and looks good doing it.”
Hargitay says she loves a deep conditioner, and one of her go-to shampoo and conditioner brands is Kérastase. And if you were wondering what her favorite 'do was throughout her decades on "SVU," she tells us it’s the style she’s rocking now and not the pixie cut.
One ritual that Hargitay continues to incorporate in her skin and self-care routine is using a gua sha tool, which experts say can help firm and lift the skin. “I’m a big gua sha person; I love it,” she shares.
Editor’s note: Hargitay didn’t mention her exact gua sha tool, but we picked out this previous Shop TODAY Beauty Awards winner.
Hargitay mentions she wears a lot of makeup on set and for long periods of time. That's why she leans on this setting spray from Charlotte Tilbury.
According to the brand, it will hold makeup to 16 hours without melting or settling into fine lines.
Another makeup staple from Charlotte Tilbury that Hargitay keeps in her arsenal is the Lip Cheat lip liner. The long-lasting formula comes in tons of flattering shades, will hold up to 6 hours and won't smudge, says the brand.
"It’s a spray that just gives you a little bit of a glow and a tan. And I do use that sometimes, especially in the winter when we get super pale," says Hargitay.
She says she likes to spritz just for a little sun kiss. "I've been using it for a long time," she notes.
“I wear a perfume called Ilary. It’s an oil, and that’s like my signature scent, and I love it. [I] don’t leave home without it,” she gushes.
With notes of jasmine and sandalwood, the palm-size perfume oil has a roll on applicator so it can be easily tossed in a bag for quick touch-ups throughout the day.
It's no surprise that days on set as Benson can be long and often require standing on the streets of New York City, which can be very unkind to your feet. Naturally, we had to know what shoes she always has on standby between takes.
"Well, my Birkenstocks in the summer," she says. "But I just suffer through the pain, to be honest."
