Pharrell Williams has built a beauty brand around a simple idea: great skin doesn’t need a complicated routine. With Humanrace, the musician and creative entrepreneur makes a compelling case for doing less, but doing it consistently.
Celebrity skincare brands are everywhere, but Humanrace has always approached the category a little differently. Launched in 2020, Pharrell Williams’ beauty and wellness brand isn’t particularly interested in promising overnight transformations or filling bathroom cabinets with endless products. Instead, it focuses on a straightforward philosophy: healthy skin starts with consistency, effective ingredients, and taking a few minutes for yourself.
Developed with the involvement of Pharrell’s longtime dermatologist, Dr. Elena Jones, the collection combines familiar skincare actives with thoughtfully designed, refillable packaging. Its signature green containers have become almost as recognizable as the founder himself, bringing a welcome sense of design to an otherwise functional daily routine.
But beyond the beautiful packaging, how compelling are the products themselves?
The Three-Minute Facial
At the heart of Humanrace is its Three-Minute Facial, a routine built around three essentials: cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing.
The Rice Powder Cleanser ($45) is arguably one of the collection’s most interesting products. Unlike conventional liquid cleansers, its powder formula activates with water, transforming into a creamy foam designed to remove impurities while providing gentle exfoliation. The format gives an otherwise ordinary cleansing step a more considered, tactile quality.
Next comes the Lotus Enzyme Exfoliator ($55), which combines glycolic acid, fruit enzymes, and rice particles to target dead skin cells and uneven texture. It’s a more intensive formula than the brand’s minimalist positioning might suggest, offering three approaches to exfoliation in a single product. That also makes it the step requiring the most restraint. Despite the routine’s name, Humanrace recommends using the exfoliator only two or three times a week, depending on skin type.
Completing the trio is the Humidifying Face Cream ($62), a rich moisturizer formulated with snow mushroom and hyaluronic acid. Designed to support hydration and prevent moisture loss, it is particularly appealing for those who prefer a nourishing cream over the increasingly popular lightweight gel textures.
Together, the products create a routine that feels intentionally edited rather than stripped down for the sake of simplicity.
A Different Approach to Hydration
Humanrace has since expanded beyond its original three-step system, introducing the 7D collection for those looking for a lighter approach to everyday skincare.
The 7D Retrograde Gel Cleanser ($48) offers a more conventional cleansing experience, while the 7D Mystifying Gel Moisturizer ($64) uses multiple molecular weights of hyaluronic acid to deliver hydration with a lighter finish.
The gel moisturizer is an especially interesting alternative to the original Humidifying Face Cream. Where the latter emphasizes richness and comfort, the 7D formula is positioned around freshness and a dewy appearance, making it an attractive option for those who dislike heavier creams.
It’s a sensible expansion that gives Humanrace greater versatility without abandoning its original philosophy.
Design That Deserves Attention
One of Humanrace’s strongest selling points has little to do with ingredients.
Its packaging is distinctive, functional, and refreshingly consistent. The sculptural green containers, minimalist typography, and refillable construction create a visual identity that feels closer to contemporary product design than traditional celebrity beauty merchandising.
The refill system is also a meaningful part of the brand’s proposition. Rather than replacing the entire container when a product runs out, customers can purchase replacement units, reducing the amount of packaging discarded with each purchase.
Of course, refillable packaging doesn’t automatically make a product sustainable. But integrating refills into the collection from its early development is a more convincing approach than treating sustainability as an afterthought.
The Verdict
Humanrace succeeds most convincingly in making skincare feel approachable, considered, and genuinely enjoyable.
Its formulas rely on recognizable ingredients rather than revolutionary science, and that’s not necessarily a weakness. Hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid, and gentle cleansing agents have established places in skincare for good reason. What Humanrace does well is assemble them into a coherent collection with a strong point of view.
There are limitations. At $45 for a cleanser and more than $60 for a moisturizer, the collection sits firmly in premium skincare territory. Comparable ingredients can certainly be found at lower prices, and the absence of a dedicated sunscreen means the routine is not entirely complete on its own.
Still, Humanrace’s appeal extends beyond the individual formulas. The brand offers a particularly attractive proposition for anyone who values thoughtful design, uncomplicated routines, and the pleasure of turning an everyday necessity into a personal ritual.
Our take: Humanrace is worth considering for its streamlined approach, distinctive packaging, and well-chosen skincare ingredients. The Rice Powder Cleanser is the most intriguing introduction to the collection, while the two moisturizers offer different options depending on skin preferences. It’s not a revolution in skincare, but it is a convincing example of how good design and sensible formulation can work together.
And in an industry frequently obsessed with the next big thing, that feels surprisingly refreshing.
