Jennifer Garner Teases What Fans Can Expect in 'The Last Thing He Told Me' Season 2 & Reveals Her Biggest Beauty Secrets

She's an accomplished actress, an entrepreneur, a proud mom of three, a lover of nuts and the most down-to-earth skincare guru. Of course, I'm talking about my pretend BFF, Jennifer Garner, who's partnering with her go-to brand, Neutrogena, in honor of Melanoma Awareness Month.

I got to sit down with Garner and chat about all things beauty and skincare, from her encyclopedic knowledge of sunscreen technology to her top product picks for wrinkles and fine lines. But along the way, I couldn't help but ask about her hit Apple TV+ show, The Last Thing He Told Me. The 53-year-old star was careful to avoid major details, but she did share a filming update and tease a bit of what's to come for Hannah.

From her famous Pretend Cooking Show to her definition of beauty, keep reading for the full conversation.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

PureWow: I confess, I'm not the best at applying sunscreen. I only use it when the sun is out, which I know is not the best practice. Why is it so important to use SPF year-round?

Jennifer Garner: Well, there are a few things. The sun itself has changed. Our ozone layer has changed, and we are subjected to much higher levels of UVA, PB, all of that stuff, and all of those things damage your skin. And they damage them in different ways, according to your melanin, obviously, but they are still damaging your skin. And so that is one thing, that the sun is stronger and we have to take it more seriously than we used to.

The second thing is your skin is being damaged year-round. Just because these rays are hitting you. And it can be as you're walking out to get the mail. And you don't want to live in fear. You don't want to think, 'I better stay inside and put sunscreen on.' So what do you do? You make wearing sunscreen a part of your everyday activity, your everyday, no matter what, like brushing your teeth, and it's just part of your routine.

PW: What's your go-to sunscreen product right now?

JG: Neutrogena Ultra Shear. It's a mineral sunscreen, which is great for sensitive skin, especially, but it's great for all skin. It's got an SPF of 70. The scientists at Neutrogena set themselves a goal to get the SPF higher. The reason why is that the higher the SPF, the more complete the coverage is to protect you. It bounces back those rays that are harmful to your skin, and the lower the SPF is, the more porous your sunscreen is, so the more can get through to your skin.

And then I love the body mist, this Ultra Sheer Body Mist. There's a lotion as well. I love both because they really are pretty invisible. But this is the one that's like, you can just put it on. I keep it in my car and as I'm stepping out of my car, if I've forgotten or if I need another layer, I just [apply it]. They're so easy to use. They feel great on your skin.

On Smoothing Fine Lines and Wrinkles

PW: What do you use in your skin care routine to address fine lines and wrinkles?

JG: I do a combination. If you were to go up into my bathroom right now, next to the sink, you would see two little areas. One would be the whole Rapid Wrinkle Repair System. I always use the hyaluronic acid wash. There's that. So I would have the serum and I would have the night mask. My favorite of those that I use all the time is the Rapid Wrinkle Repair eye cream, and it takes care of all of these fine lines around your eyes, and it helps keep your skin regenerating. So that's an excellent product.

And then next to it, you would see the hyaluronic acid [products]. When it's on your skin, it brings moisture to the surface of your skin and plumps those fine lines back up. So it just fills them in, because all that is is dryness in our skin, our skin loses its elasticity because it doesn't have as much natural moisture in it and collagen in it as we age. So I'm 53, I definitely don't have the skin I had when I was 33, but hyaluronic acid helps naturally. It's like your body makes it anyway. It's just a little boost for that. And so I switch back and forth between those two systems at night.

PW: How would you describe your awareness of skin health when you were younger?

JG: Well, I got really lucky. In the years when my friends were acting, being lifeguards and laying out every day, and I was in a theater in the summers, building the sets and scrubbing the toilets and rehearsing. Everyone called me Casper the Ghost, because I was always so pale. They made fun of me for not having a tan all summer, which is true. I didn't. But then, as we started to get older, my friends were like, 'You suck because you don't have the sunspots that we have.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, but it's because I was Casper.' I just leapt into it.

But my awareness of skin health has grown by leaps and bounds, and over these 17 years [partnering with Neutrogena], I became the kind of the voice for Melanoma Awareness Month, which is May. And every year for the last decade, I've had access to the most amazing dermatologists, to the most incredible scientists and chemists who have spent their lives, their careers, their educations, on learning about how to care for our skin. And it's made me more and more of an advocate.

PW: How has your definition of beauty changed over the years?

JG: I think I'm less judgmental about what makes other people feel beautiful. I think I used to feel like I wanted people to look aesthetically how I thought they should. And then I would say, 'Oh, now I think you look beautiful.' Instead, now I'm just like, you can see in the way a woman carries herself, you can see in the way she comports herself, and how loving she is to other people. If she feels beautiful, she's got a lot to give. If she feels beautiful, she's kind to the woman next to her. That is much more how I define beauty. Now, I don't care if you have done all kinds of things to your face. Good for you, if it makes you feel good, and I'll know if it makes you feel good because of who you are to the world around you.