Xochitil Gomez’s Best Skin-Care and Self-Care Advice

Having a bad skin day is challenging enough on its own, but how would you react if you found your skin care routine was swapped out for an entirely different one? Before you panic, it’s all a hypothetical, but one that never crossed my mind until seeing Xochitl Gomez’s new campaign with CeraVe, called “Cleanse Like a Derm – a CeraVe Soap Opera.”

Known for her role as America Chavez in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and her recent victory on Season 32 of “Dancing with the Stars,” Gomez makes another star turn in “Cleanse Like a Derm” as Xochitl Cleansington, a woman navigating a messy soap dilemma of her own when her favorite CeraVe cleanser is swapped for a bar soap by a fake dermatologist. Gomez, along with board-certified dermatologist and social media influencer Dustin Portela work together to fight off Portela’s evil twin and save everyone’s skin-care routines. The campy, telenovela style suits Gomez perfectly, and I was lucky enough to snag some time to talk with her about the CeraVe campaign, her most dramatic skin-care traits, and what she does to keep herself level, even in times of pure panic (like a skin-care switcheroo).

Starring in a telenovela is a dream come true for Gomez, who grew up watching them. “When the concept came to me, I was like, whoa, wait, hold up— I want to do this. I’ve been using CeraVe for a very long time, so it was just, honestly, a natural fit.” And of course, there’s nothing quite as startling or dramatic as someone messing with your skin-care routine (it’s a crime punishable with 10-15 years in federal prison in my household.) “We just had so much fun leaning into the drama of bad skin and bad cleansing habits. It’s a serious matter. The hard part about telenovelas and soap operas is that it doesn’t matter how crazy or insane the way that you’re saying it — it’s important, and you have to be so passionate.”

Gomez admits that her most dramatic skin-care trait is one we can all relate to: Seeing a fun, shiny and new skin-care product and needing to try it immediately, even if it’s ultimately not good for your skin. The product loop gets us every single time. “A lot of brands will send me products and, you know, I’d want to try it out — that’s what they’re there to do. They send you a package with skin care and I get sucked into it, and then I’m like, wait, none of this product is actually good for my skin type at all.” That begins a vicious cycle we all know far too well: Trying a product that your skin doesn’t love, winding up with a breakout or dry skin, and then returning to your tried and true staples, like dermatologist-developed CeraVe, to fix the mess you made. “At this point, I should know my lesson to always just stick with what you know; and what you know, you can trust,” says Gomez.

That mantra has been passed down to her from her mother, it seems. Gomez shared that while her mom doesn’t wear a ton of makeup or even do a ton of skin care, she ensures her daughter’s skin is good, even washing her makeup brushes for her (jealous). “I had an issue where I wasn’t exfoliating, and I got a lot of build up on my skin. And I tried lots of different things, and it didn’t really work out, so my mom was like, ‘well, lean with what you know.'” What she knew was a tool from the ’80s, but still around today: A Buf-Puf ($9), which Gomez now uses in her skin-care routine with the CeraVe Cream-to-Foam Cleanser ($20).

As for her self-care routines, they are far from dramatic, established since she began work on “The Babysitters’ Club.” There’s nothing that makes her feel better than time with friends and family, doing things that take her out of her busy day-to-day life. “Whatever it is, if it’s like walking down the street to go pick a food, or whatever, it’s important to make time for that and make time to laugh,” says Gomez. “Sometimes things get so stressful that you forget to just giggle on your own.” There is nothing quite as powerful or therapeutic as a good tee-hee session, that’s for sure.

Not only is it important to spend time with friends, but when you’re an up-and-coming celebrity, you need friends who knew you before you were famous, who aren’t afraid to check you. “I’ve had my true go-to friends since before ‘Doctor Strange,’ and they’ve been with me for a very long time. It’s really important to filter through, because it’s a specific structure,” she says. “Who do I go to when I need a good laugh, who do I know I’m going to have a good time with — I definitely have those people. There’s another friend that will keep me on track with my work, and I love that. And then another one who just, like, couldn’t care less. She’s just sitting there in the corner, just so unimpressed, reminding me she knew me before I was famous.” Sounds like Gomez will be keeping the drama to the occasional telenovela and away from her friends — and skin-care routine — for the foreseeable future.

Amanda Mitchell is a writer and podcaster with bylines at PS, Marie Claire, Oprah Daily, Allure, Byrdie, StyleCaster, Bon Appétit, and more. Formerly a senior beauty writer and stories creator at Refinery29, her work exists at the apex of beauty, pop culture, and absurdity.