Washington and Garner are working together on Neutrogena’s ‘Heroes of Skin Health Equity’ campaign, to create skincare for all.
Jennifer Garner and Kerry Washington are working together on a new and meaningful beauty endeavor.
The actresses, who have been friends for many years, recently joined ET's Rachel Smith remotely for a joint interview and opened up about their efforts on a new campaign with Neutrogena promoting and raising awareness of skin health equity, as well as what messages about beauty and self-image they hope to pass on to their own kids.
"You can only hope that your kids feel great just [being] themselves. Just as they are," Garner shared. "Whatever form that is, you just want your kids to feel as beautiful as you see them yourself."
Garner is a mother of three children -- daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 13, as well as son Samuel, 9 -- whom she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck. Washington, meanwhile, shares two children with husband Nnamdi Asomugha -- 7-year-old daughter Isabelle and 5-year-old son Caleb.
Looking back at her own childhood experiences, Washington reflected on the role her mother played in how she viewed herself and her own self-worth.
"I had eczema my whole life, so I went to dermatologists the way other people went to pediatricians. I was always at dermatologists," Washington recalled of her childhood. "I think my mom really taught me that your skin is worth taking care of. You know she dragged me to all those dermatologist offices to make sure I could get the care that I needed."
"She made me feel like I deserved to feel good in my skin. No matter how different I was or how unique I was or how problematic I was made to feel," Washington continued.
Now as stars, Garner and Washington admitted that the pressures Hollywood can place on celebrities can be daunting, and reflected on how they deal with that pressure.
"I think that it's really important to look in the mirror less, that's kind of what I tell people," Garner shared. "Just spend more time looking out instead of looking in a mirror and focus on what you can do for other people. I swear it will make you feel prettier and make you feel better about yourself."
For Washington, looking out and spreading positivity is important, but also reframing your mindset when you do look into a mirror is vital for mental and emotional health.
"I think in black and brown communities, like, I remember being taught as a little girl how important it was to look in the mirror and see beauty in the mirror, because society was not giving me that message," Washington shared. "So it was important for me to give that message to myself and get that message from my family and friends. So I think it really is this balance of learning to look in the mirror with positive messages."
Neutrogena recently announces the first-ever Neutrogena Heroes of Skin Health Equity, a new, annual effort that recognizes influential voices who are working to close the gap to skin health equity, and tapped Garner and Washington to be the voices of the campaign.
"Everybody deserves to have access to the highest level of quality healthcare and we work with Neutrogena because one of the things I love is working with a beauty brand where we want you to feel as beautiful when you take your makeup off as when you put it on," Washington explained.
"Also, making sure that there is transparency for people," Garner added. "[So people] know what's in their products and how they're going to interact with [their] skin."
"Neutrogena has really made it their commitment that everybody -- no matter what you look like, or the color of your skin -- is able to feel good in the skin that they're in," Washington shared. "And that's what skin health is all about."
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