Keke Palmer Just Told Me Her Go-To Freckle Pen, Fragrance, and Pixie-Cut Styling Essential

Say hello to Unfiltered, a fresh beauty series where you'll get an exclusive glimpse into the dressed-down beauty routines of our favorite celebrities and content creators. They'll reveal their guilty-pleasure beauty practices, the five-minute-routine product lineup they can't live without, the one good-skin tip they'll be forever thankful for, and so much more. To bring every conversation full circle, we ask each celebrity to send us a selection of self-shot, filter-free photos of their choosing to capture the essence of their Unfiltered beauty philosophy.

Up next, we're getting to know actress, singer, podcast host, and WWW July 2025 cover star Keke Palmer, who also serves as the chief brand officer for Creme of Nature. Below, she's answering all of our rapid-fire questions, including her skin and makeup secrets, how she styles her current pixie cut, and more. Enjoy!

You're shaping the entire brand direction for Creme of Nature, and the Scalp Relief Wipes were your first product launch in the role. Take me through that process—did you go through multiple iterations? How did you land on the final formula?

It was pretty quick. My main thing was creating something that the girls could throw into their bag, especially when they are out doing fitness, have protective styles, in between meetings, or have edge buildup—different things like that. We don't often have the same accessibility that we have with makeup that we do with hair. That's where the idea came from. Once I had pitched the idea and we had spoken about it, they started iterating what it could look like [in terms of] packaging, and then I got the first trial of the product.

Creme of Nature is not a new company, and I feel like there's nowhere else that I could try so many innovative things with and immediately get great results. It's because of the history of the company. The main thing [I wanted] was that this wouldn't strip the hair. That was something that, going in, we had spoken about. I was like, "Okay, how do we clean up the buildup? How do we bring more longevity to the hair, whatever hairstyle it's in, with a focus on protective styles? How do we prolong this without stripping the hair of its oils?" That's how we got to where we are now.

Why was it important for you to work behind the scenes with Creme of Nature in this capacity? Is this something you've always wanted to do with a brand?

A lot of people think about Keke Palmer as a person, but for me, Keke Palmer is a company. This is a company I've been building with my family since I was a kid. Acting and influencing, telling stories of what I believe in, and creating something for the culture through my artwork has always been something that I've been architecting. For Creme of Nature to actually see that in me, to acknowledge what I've been able to do with my own brand and want me to lend that expertise to them, that's the direction that I want to move in. I love entertaining and being a talent, but I've always had so many other thoughts outside of that. Working with them was right in line with how I've continued to evolve as a businessperson.

I'd love to hear more about your own scalpcare journey. What's your current routine now, and how has that changed over the years?

It changes based on styles. I'll be honest with you. Obviously, over the last few years, [I've used] anything within the arsenal—both new and old—of Creme of Nature. It was probably a little more intensive when I actually had more hair. I was definitely doing more treatments, masks, sleeping with [conditioner] in, a bunch of different things. Now, it's a little bit more A-B-C, 1-2-3. I'm just using the shampoo, doing my conditioner, rinsing it out, and then I'll use the Foaming Mousse. The Foaming Mousse is the most critical product for me with my pixie because it's what molds the hair. I'm definitely heavy on the mousse. Then I'll put my hair under the dryer for about 40 minutes to an hour, then put a little bit of Shine Mist, run my fingers through it, maybe with a little bit of Edge Control on the edges and the tips to give my hair a little bit of texture and personality. Then I'm out the door.

It's pretty simple. I would maybe [have] more layers of conditioning the hair when it was longer. It's not that I don't do that now when it's shorter. It just takes much less time because I don't have as much hair.

Zooming out to some general beauty questions, if you had to leave the house in five minutes, what are a few beauty products you'd either apply or bring with you?

For fragrance, my mainstay is this Creed perfume. That's definitely going in the bag. I'm definitely bringing my La Roche-Posay SPF. There's a new one that's tinted. That's my number one favorite girl right now. I'm also bringing my shine mist, edge control, and the scalp wipes. Again, when I first came up with this idea of scalp wipes, I was mostly thinking about protective styles. They [bring] so much flexibility when you're in a protective style, especially when you have 4c hair and you're trying to work out and all that jazz. But one thing I realized was that it actually works with any [hair type]. With my short hair, I'm always doing stuff with the back, but then I don't want to wash and remold. A lot of times, I can just take some of that product off with the scalp wipes and then continue to go about my business. They're still a mainstay, surprisingly, even though I don't have as much hair as I used to have. You would think you wouldn't need it, but they are great for anything, and they slip right into the bag.

I always keep a little deodorant because, yeah, your girl perspires. This is natural. And then a little lip gloss. I love Laneige. I can't say that I have a [number one] favorite, but I definitely do like Laneige lip gloss.

Amazing. Which Creed perfume do you love?

It's Carmina.

You've also mentioned in the past that you've struggled with hyperpigmentation and acne, but honestly, every time I see a photo or a video of you, I'm always like, "Oh my god, her skin looks perfect." So I need to know: What are your secrets, be it skincare or makeup?

Oh my gosh, thank you. Well, a big thing I'll say to anybody that has ever dealt with skin troubles to the intensity that I have [is that] a dermatologist is number one. Sometimes, you might need a topical medication. You might need an oral medication, so I would say don't be afraid to take that step and help yourself. We're all made differently. Sometimes, we need more support, internally or externally. I love holistic [remedies], but sometimes, you need more support, and I think that's okay.

Secondly, I keep it quite simple. I like La Roche-Posay's Mela B3 Cleanser because it helps with the hyperpigmentation I've had to deal with. It helps attack that for me. That's really helpful. They also have a really great retinol serum that I like and use. I've always loved their SPFs because they don't burn my eyes. Their basic one is great, but then they also have a new one that's tinted that I really, really love. I like to do my makeup very lightly, so I'll put this SPF on, then I'll put on any type of cream blush, do my brows, do my mascara, maybe line the lips—maybe not—then lip gloss, and I'm out the door. The tint doesn't give you makeup coverage, but it gives you enough coverage to where you feel blemish-free but also natural. I haven't gotten a facial in a really long time, which is crazy, but I'm big on a facial or two. I think that's important.

Yeah, with skin texture, people sometimes think that you should put more base makeup on, but actually, less is more in that regard.

Yes, it is because [makeup] clogs everything.

Totally. Well, I want to go back to what you said about switching up your hair looks. Are you hoping to dabble in any spring or summer beauty trends? Any fun hair and makeup looks you want to try?

What do I want to try? I mean, I already have super-thin brows. I don't know if that's a trend or if it's just a timeless thing we get in and out of. I feel like it's been big in every era. So I definitely have my thin brows going on. My hair is colored, and that's going to remain. I've got to be honest. I'm not always overly engaged with all the trends. I'm involved in culture. I see what's happening, and I know how to play in and out, but I don't always know what the exact trends are. But I'm open! I just like to have fun expressing myself. When I feel the need to change, then I do it. Other times when I'm like, 'Let me just sit in this vibe,' then I'll stay. I definitely march to the beat of my own drum.

Yeah, you're not someone who subscribes to the seasonality of it all.

Yes, and not even to be resistant. It's just because I don't always know where to even look for that kind of thing, but if I see something that I like, I'll definitely join in and play along.

Totally. Is there anything you've seen that you liked recently?

I love the [faux] freckles. That's really fun. It's a very cute little detail that adds texture to the skin. Especially if you are somebody that has struggled with skin stuff, I think those are really fun ways to lean into uniqueness. Aside from that, I love pimple patches. Those are really cute. I'm into that.

Is there a certain freckle pen or pimple patch that you love right now?

The pimple patches are Starface. I like the star patches that come in the green box. For the freckles, there's actually a pen called Freckled. I got it off of Instagram somewhere, and that's what I use.

[Editor's note: After doing a deep dive, I believe she's referring to Freck!]

You're the second person who's told me recently they bought a freckle pen off of Instagram!

Girl, they be selling it. They're about to pull it up for me now, now that they've heard me say it to you on the phone. You know how it is with this algorithm and everything—they're listening.

They really are. Well, I know we're at time, so I'll go ahead with my last question. What is your Unfiltered beauty philosophy in seven words or less?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In seven words or less, that's all I got.

Shop Keke Palmer's Unfiltered Beauty Edit