Why Pamela Anderson Made the Decision to Stop Wearing Makeup

In the ultra glamorous world of Hollywood, actors are often well-known and judged for their outer appearance — especially those who are positioned in the industry as sex symbols.

Few bombshells in the '90s came close to rivaling the global appeal of Pamela Anderson, the sexy blond who became a cultural phenomenon thanks to donning a red one-piece swimsuit and running in slo-mo on California beaches on the massive hit series Baywatch.

For decades, Pamela was praised for her glammed-up looks — but she shocked fans when she suddenly decided to ditch the makeup permanently. Appearing on red carpets, magazine spreads, and walking fashion runways, Pamela has consistently shown up au naturale.

The 57-year-old actor made headlines back in 2019 when she stripped down her signature makeup look following the death of her makeup artist, Alexis Vogel, to breast cancer.

“She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup,” Pamela said at the time via Elle.

“Because I did notice that there were all these people doing big makeup looks, and it’s just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite of what everyone’s doing,” she said. Pamela then made waves in 2023 while at Paris Week happily displaying a makeup-free look.

At the time, she also revealed in an interview with Vogue France that her perspective on beauty has changed.

“I'm not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room. I feel like it's just freedom,” Pamela said. “It's a release.”

During a recent appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark on Jan. 8, Pamela elaborated on her decision to forgo cosmetics. Admitting that her new low-key beauty regime “saved a lot of time,” The Last Showgirl star is past the experience, People reported.

“It’s fun when you’re new in the business and you get all this attention. But I feel like I’ve done that and I kind of just wanted to simplify and keep it low-key,” Pamela said.

“I love glamor. I love being elegant, sophisticated. You know, I love that. But I feel like, this is just what works best to me,” she continued. “I love makeup in a photoshoot or on a movie to play a character. But for me I feel like, even with this HD or different kind of photography, I don’t know if it makes me look better to be full face of makeup. So I’m just experimenting.”

Pamela has seen a significant career resurgence within the last few years, highlighted by her recent starring role in The Last Showgirl — which earned her a 2025 Golden Globe nomination for best actor.

As expected, she graced the awards show red carpet without makeup and did the same at this year’s SAG Awards.

Continuing with her natural beauty first mantra, Pamela is now a co-founder of the beauty brand Sonsie Skin.