Fresh off attending the Paris Olympics with Shaun White—who nobly navigated her through the cobblestone streets of Paris as she recovers from knee surgery—actress Nina Dobrev popped up stateside at Huntington Beach, CA this week for the 2024 US Open of Surfing on behalf Shiseido. Besides partaking in a massive beach cleanup in partnership with World Surf League (WSL) and its WSL One Ocean initiative, Dobrev chatted with us about her non-negotiable sun musts, as well as the scar care and skin care she’s currently loving.
Has sun protection always been important to you or is it something you’ve gotten better at over the years?
Sun protection has pretty much also been a go-to for me. Whether for skin health/skin cancer reasons or vanity, I never leave the house without my SPF.
Do you have any holy-grail sun products?
I love the Shiseido Clear Sunscreen Stick ($32). It has SPF 50, melts into my skin, and I love that I can use it under or even over makeup.
What about holy-grail beauty products?
Lip gloss! For skin care, at night I use Biologique Recherche P50.
Do you have anything new in the beauty space that you’ve discovered recently?
I’m really into lymphatic massages and get them regularly.
You’re just coming off of knee surgery. How much more important does that make sun and scar care, and how do you use them together?
Something I’ve learned since my injury is that sun exposure really enhances the appearance of scars, so I’m really good about either covering or reapplying sunscreen to the scars from my knee surgery. Just like I wouldn’t go out without SPF on my face, I use it on my body too. Shiseido actually has a new spray sunscreen that I really like because it’s easy to apply and absorbs quickly.
What was the most exciting part about attending the Olympics? It must be fun to attend with an actual Olympian.
Honestly I was just so inspired by watching all those amazing athletes at the top of their games. I also loved being there to support some of our friends who were competing as well.
What are you excited for as summer winds down?
As I get further in my recovery I’m just excited to be able to do more physically. I love being active and being outdoors so I’m just working on increasing my strength and stamina so I can get back to the activities that I love.
