Chanel Iman has been living the dream some millennials fantasized about while watching one too many episodes of America’s Next Top Model in our youth. She’s borne the weight of Victoria’s Secret angel wings. She’s posed in and on the cover of Vogue. Her runway resume is splashed with more designer names than the closet of a Kardashian.
But one quick scroll through her social media quickly reveals that those model milestones take a backseat to the role of mother, which has changed her skin almost as much as it’s changed the rest of her life. “I’ve had sensitive skin throughout all of my pregnancies, and it’s been a challenge just to find comfort,” she tells Allure. “I’m on my third child, but I didn’t really take great care of my skin from my first pregnancy up until now, and it kind of caught up with me.”
The sensitivity might run in the family; Iman reveals that one of her daughters has “really bad eczema,” leading her on a mission to find relief for both of them. “It’s hard to see your child having to go through terrible flare-ups and not having the right resources and the right product to treat her,” she says.
Enter Aveeno, whose range of baby products has helped to provide some of that relief for her child — and herself. Iman, now a spokesperson for the brand, swears by their Tone + Texture Renewing Lotion: “It really helps soothe and hydrate and take away itchiness, especially on my belly.” Iman also says the brand introduced her to a game-changing skin-care resource, Health in Her Hue, a website that aims to connect BIPOC women to culturally sensitive healthcare resources and providers.
After chatting about sensitive skin, Iman graciously took on Allure’s rapid-fire beauty questionnaire, Just Asking.
Allure: Not to be creepy or anything, but what do you smell like right now?
Chanel Iman: I don’t smell like anything because I have to be very careful [with] what I wear. I don’t wear scented lotions or perfumes, especially around my daughters, just because as a parent, I try to prevent flare ups.